Table of Contents
- Scope and Themes
- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Advertising creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
- Executive Summary
- Hardware launches drive sales cycle
- New competition from the web and multifunction devices
- Software to fuel near-term sales
- Dedicated stores, web play key roles in sales and marketing
- Uncertain economy, aging population could retard sales
- PS3 not living up to competing seventh-generation consoles
- Gaming is for the young
- Purchase model prevails
- Gaming as a new way to socialize
- Market Size and Forecast
- Key points
- Launches drive sales
- Figure 2: Total U.S. sales and forecast of gaming hardware and software,
at current prices, 2004-12
- Figure 3: Total U.S. sales and forecast of gaming hardware and software,
at inflation-adjusted prices, 2004-12
- Competitive Context
- Online games
- Figure 4: Online entertainment usage, by age, February 2009
- Figure 5: Online, MMORPG, and social networking game usage, by key
demographics, March 2008
- PCs move from work to play
- Figure 6: Use of video games on home PCs vs. consoles, by key
demographics, April 2007-June 2008
- Gaming on the go
- Figure 7: Ownership of handheld gaming devices and game play on MP3
players and cell phones, by age and HH income, October 2007-December 2008
- Figure 8: Flight control iPhone game, image
- Segment Performance
- Key points
- Software to drive near-term revenues
- Figure 9: U.S. sales of gaming products at current prices, by segment,
2006 and 2008
- Segment Performance--Gaming Hardware
- Key points
- Proprietary model drives prices
- Figure 10: Pricing as of launch for major gaming consoles, 2000-06
- New functions could help drive sales
- Hardware sales and forecast
- Figure 11: U.S. sales and forecast of gaming hardware, at current
prices, 2004-12
- Figure 12: Total U.S. sales and forecast of gaming hardware, at
inflation-adjusted prices, 2004-12
- New risks for portables
- Segment Performance--Gaming Software
- Key points
- Software sales roughly track console launches
- Figure 13: Top 10 console games, by U.S. sales, 2008
- Figure 14: Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto IV image
- Secondary market, competing platforms could dampen sales
- Software sales and forecast
- Figure 15: U.S. sales and forecast of gaming software, at current
prices, 2004-12
- Figure 16: Total U.S. sales and forecast of gaming software, at
inflation-adjusted prices, 2004-13
- Growing the audience for gaming
- Figure 17: Video games played, by genre, by age, October 2007-December
2008
- Retail Channels
- Gaming benefits from relatively broad distribution
- Figure 18: Channels through which video games are purchased, 2008
- Secondary market plays an important role
- Downloads take hold
- Market Drivers
- The recession
- Figure 19: U.S. unemployment, October 2008-June 2009
- Figure 20: Disposable personal income and personal consumption, October
2009-May 2009
- Households with children
- Figure 21: Gaming hardware ownership, by children in household, October
2007-December 2008
- Empowered consumers seek control over content
- Figure 22: Desire for video content storage and recall, by age, November
2008
- An aging U.S. population
- Figure 23: Population, by age, 2004-14
- Health and safety concerns
- Leading Companies
- Key points
- Three players compete for hardware dominance
- Figure 24: Gaming console ownership, by brand, October 2007-December 2008
- Software a wider but narrowing field
- Brand Qualities
- Electronic Arts
- Microsoft
- Nintendo
- Sony Electronics
- Innovation and Innovators
- Project Natal
- Spore
- WildTangent
- Advertising and Promotion
- Traditional advertising
- Figure 25: Advertising spending, by leading gaming brands, 2007 and 2008
- Figure 26: Advertising spending, by leading gaming software and retailer
brands, 2007 and 2008
- In-store promotions and bundled/special-edition products
- Online marketing
- Licensing partnerships
- Television advertising
- Apple iPod touch
- Figure 27: Apple iPod touch television ad, 2009
- Nintendo DS
- Figure 28: Nintendo DS television ad, 2008
- Nintendo Wii Fit
- Figure 29: Nintendo Wii Fit television ad, 2008
- Sony PlayStation 3
- Figure 30: Sony PlayStation 3 television ad, 2008
- Ownership
- Age more relevant than income in determining usage
- Figure 31: Trended ownership/usage of video game consoles and handheld
devices, by key demographics, January 2006-October 2006 and October
2007-December 2008
- Gaming nearly universal among 9-14s
- Figure 32: Ownership/usage of video games--kids/teens, by age and
age/gender, January 2006-October 2006 and October 2007-December 2008
- Figure 33: Ownership of handheld gaming devices--kids/teens, by age and
age/gender, October 2007-December 2008
- PS2 still the most commonly owned console
- Figure 34: Top 10 consoles/portables owned--adults, by gender, October
2007-December 2008
- PS2 dominates amongst 18-24s
- Figure 35: Top 10 consoles/portables owned or played, by age, October
2007-December 2008
- Wii the only console for which penetration increases with household income
- Figure 36: Top 10 consoles/portables owned or played, by HH income,
October 2007-December 2008
- Kids take gaming to go
- Figure 37: Top 10 consoles/portables owned or played--kids, by age and
age/gender, October 2007-December 2008
- Interest in handhelds declines amongst teens
- Figure 38: Top 10 consoles/portables owned/played--teens, by age and
age/gender, October 2007-December 2008
- Purchase Behavior
- Average annual spend on video games--$63
- Figure 39: Mean annual spend on video games, by gender, age, and HH
income, March 2009
- Only two games purchased per year on average
- Figure 40: Frequency of video game purchase/rental, by gender, age and
HH income, October 2007-December 2008
- Borrowing and rental rare amongst younger kids
- Figure 41: Kids' attitudes towards purchasing/renting games, by age and
age/gender, October 2007-December 2008
- Figure 42: Teen attitudes towards purchasing/renting games, by age and
age/gender, October 2007-December 2008
- Women more likely to buy games as gifts than for themselves
- Figure 43: Buying to play vs. gift purchases, by gender, age and HH
income, March 2009
- Timing of purchase
- Figure 44: Timing of new game purchases--adults, by age, October
2007-December 20008
- Teens buy early but not on day of release
- Figure 45: Timing of new game purchases--teens, by age and gender/age,
October 2007-December 20008
- Usage Patterns
- Xbox 360 owners most engaged
- Men play nearly twice as many hours as women
- Figure 46: Hours of game play--adults, by gender, October 2007-December
2008
- 25-34 year olds spend most time gaming
- Figure 47: Hours of game play--adults, by age, October 2007-December 2008
- Highest-income households spend less time gaming
- Figure 48: Hours of game play--adults, by HH income, October
2007-December 2008
- Boys aged 9-11 the true gaming champions
- Figure 49: Hours of game play--kids, by age and age/gender, October
2007-December 2008
- Children graduate from simpler platforms to more complex ones
- Games too solitary for teen girls
- Figure 50: Hours of game play--teens, by age and age/gender, October
2007-December 2008
- Games as Social Media
- Console gaming typically more social than PC gaming
- Figure 51: Who adults play games with, by platform, March 2009
- Men seeking to connect via gaming
- Figure 52: Attitudes towards gaming with others, by gender, March 2009
- The younger the gamer, the more social the gamer
- Figure 53: Attitudes towards gaming with others, by age, March 2009
- Social games for high-income households
- Figure 54: Attitudes towards gaming with others, by HH income, March 2009
- Kids play alone or with peers--not with older/younger kids
- Figure 55: Who kids play games with, by age and gender/age, October
2007-December 2008
- It' s a family affair, and especially so for women
- Figure 56: Level of game play and social game play, by gender, March 2009
- 18-34 year olds most likely to game as a social activity
- Figure 57: Level of game play and social game play, by age, March 2009
- Avatars and Micro-transactions
- Women virtually neck and neck with men
- Figure 58: Gaming avatar usage and virtual gaming purchases, by gender,
March 2009
- Youngest adults most keen on avatars and virtual purchases
- Figure 59: Gaming avatar usage and virtual gaming purchases, by age,
March 2009
- Genres Played
- Action/adventure still number one
- Figure 60: Game genres played--adults, by gender, October 2007-December
2008
- Cards, casino games a good bet for seniors
- Figure 61: Game genres played--adults, by age, October 2007-December 2008
- Action/adventure tops with kids
- Figure 62: Game genres played--kids, by age and age/gender, October
2007-December 2008
- Interest in most genres declines among older teens
- Figure 63: Game genres played--teens, by age and age/gender, October
2007-December 2008
- Gaming and the Web
- Incidence of game play connected to the web--adults and kids/teens
- Figure 64: Incidence of game play while connected to the web--adults, by
gender, age and HH income, October 2007-December 2008
- Kids and teens more likely to play games connected to the web
- Figure 65: Incidence of game play while connected to the
web--kids/teens, by age and gender/age, October 2007-December 2008
- Online console gaming behavior
- Figure 66: Online console gaming behavior, by gender, March 2009
- Youngest adults most keen on web activities
- Figure 67: Online console gaming behavior, by age, March 2009
- Attitudes and Motivations
- Self-perception as "hardcore" vs. "casual" gamers
- Figure 68: Perceived game skill level, by age, March 2009
- Women want self-improvement, men like advertising
- Figure 69: Attitudes toward newer elements of gaming, by gender, March
2009
- Improving dexterity and brain fitness popular across age groups
- Figure 70: Attitudes toward newer elements of gaming, by age, March 2009
- Gaming and Viral Marketing
- Men more invested in viral marketing
- Figure 71: Additional attitudes towards gaming--the impact of friends,
by gender, March 2009
- 18-24s keen on spreading the word
- Figure 72: Additional attitudes towards gaming--the impact of friends,
by age, March 2009
- Impact of Race/Hispanic Origin
- Ownership and usage
- Figure 73: Gaming on handheld gaming devices, MP3 players and cell
phones, by race/Hispanic origin, March 2009
- Asians most keen on Wii
- Figure 74: Top 10 gaming consoles/portables owned or played--adults, by
race/Hispanic origin, October 2007-December 2008
- Blacks spend twice as much as Asians on games
- Figure 75: Mean spend on video games, by race/Hispanic origin, March 2009
- Blacks and Hispanics buy and rent more games
- Figure 76: Frequency of video game purchase/rental, by race/Hispanic
origin, October 2007-December 2008
- UGC
- One in four give thumbs up to UGC gaming
- Figure 77: Attitudes towards user-generated content in games, by gender,
March 2009
- One in three 18-34s like UGC gaming
- Figure 78: Attitudes towards user-generated content in games, by age,
March 2009
- Appendix: Survey Results for Online Teens
- Figure 95: Dedicated gaming device ownership among teens, by age and
gender, March 2009
- Figure 96: Gaming as a social activity among teens, by age and gender,
March 2009
- Figure 97: Avatars and micro-transactions among teens, by age and
gender, March 2009
- Figure 98: PC gaming among teens, by age and gender, March 2009
- Figure 99: Dedicated gaming handheld vs. cell phone gaming among teens,
by age and gender, March 2009
- Figure 100: PC vs. console game play in the past month among teens, by
age and gender, March 2009
- Figure 101: Purchasing habits and word of mouth marketing among teens,
by age and gender, March 2009
- Figure 102: Interest in UGC gaming, among teens, by age and gender,
March 2009
- Appendix: Other Useful Consumer Tables
- Gaming and types of games played
- Figure 103: Incidence of handheld and cell phone gaming, by age and HH
income, March 2009
- Figure 104: Game genres played--adults, by HH income, October
2007-December 2008
- Genre preferences by race/Hispanic origin
- Figure 105: Game genres played--adults, by race/Hispanic origin, October
2007-December 2008
- Asians more likely to play video games
- Figure 106: Ownership/usage of video games, by race/Hispanic origin,
October 2007-December 2008
- Appendix: Trade Associations
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