Packaged Facts newly released report on The Adult Videogamer Market in the U.S. debunks the perception that nerdy hormonal teenage boys are the driving force behind the video games industry.
According to the report, the prototypical gamer is now as likely to be a woman as a man, with the total gamer population including 25 million adults in the 55 and older age bracket, 13 million retirees, and 28 million grandparents. Additionally, IBISWorld notes that in the U.S. 67 percent of household heads play computer or video games, and 24 percent of players are actually over the age of 50.
I’m not too surprised, given the number of my boomer women friends who, having tried Wii, can’t stop talking about how much they love it. And then there are those who have bought Guitar Hero for their teenager, only to find they can’t tear themselves away from jamming to Nirvana right along side their child (probably to their kid’s mortification). Interestingly, for these women it is less about escaping into an alter-reality and more about expanding interaction with family and friends. The social, educational and fitness components, mixed with the entertainment, are what’s driving this non-traditional gaming consumer.
