Over half of adults play video games

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According to a survey released on Sunday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, over half of American adults play video games of some kind.

The survey shows that age is the biggest factor, with young adults most likely to play video games and that as adults get older, game play decreases. Of adults over the age of 65 who play video games, nearly a third play video games every day. In comparison, the survey found that only 20% of young adults play video games every day.

A persons age is also a factor in whether they play on a computer, games console or other device, such as a mobile phone. Gaming consoles are most popular amongst 18 to 29 year olds, with 75% saying they play games on a console. Computers were found to be the second most popular gaming medium for young adults, but are the most popular overall, with 73% of all adult gamers playing on a computer. In comparison, 53% of adult gamers play on a games console, 35% play on cell phones and 25% use a portable gaming device, such as the Nintendo DS.

The Associated Press observed that one of the more surprising aspects of the report was in relation to education levels. Adults who had attended college were found to be more likely to play video games than those who had not, with the report showing that 57% of adult gamers achieved some college education, compared to 51% for high school graduates and just 40% for those with less than a high school education. Amanda Lenhart, a senior research specialist at Pew, said that there was no obvious reason for the difference.

#1 +warwagon on 08 Dec 2008 - 16:14

Guess they didn't poll my dad. He despises video games.

(2 replies) #2 bdsams on 08 Dec 2008 - 16:22

"with young adults most likely to play video games and that as adults get older, game play decreases"

one word: WIFE!!!!!

#2.1 BGM on 08 Dec 2008 - 23:30

lmao

#2.2 Shiranui on 09 Dec 2008 - 00:14

I hear you. Add a young child to that and it gets even worse.

#3 ThaCrip on 08 Dec 2008 - 16:23

well i think this 'over half of adults playing video games' stuff will eventually be close to true.

cause my parents generation generally dont care for them but my generation (im 29 years old) pretty much generally likes them. so it's probably a matter of time before the majority of the public plays them give or take a little.

(1 reply) #4 rage710 on 08 Dec 2008 - 16:26

Well with things like the Wii that get you moving around and the DS with games like Brain Age, its really not a big shock to me..but playing Fallout and WoW, now that is a shock..

#4.1 ThaCrip on 08 Dec 2008 - 16:31

im 29 ... i honestly dont care for the Wii overall cause once you get over the initial 'cool' factor of the Wii , it's not really that good of a system.

i think 'serious' gamers will either play on PS3 or XBox360 (i got a XBox360 myself) and not the Wii.... but then again in general the Wii is targeted at a different audience than the PS3/XBox360 are.

although shooter wise i still prefer the PC cause it's to hard to aim at stuff with a analog stick vs a mouse.

#5 shakey on 08 Dec 2008 - 16:43

Yes this is true, because our generation that grew up with nintendo are now all adults. Also, my grandparents bought the DS just for the brainage, as they see it a fun way to sort of keep up their wits. My sister plays tetris on her phone all the time, and my other grandma cant get enough of solitaire. Its just an easy way for entertainment now. Prices on everything else is so high, you can save a lot of money on entertainment by trying to get the most out of 1 game, along with spend time with the family and kids.

(1 reply) #6 tntomek on 08 Dec 2008 - 17:04

It's so funny (and sad) how these studies are done only to find what most people on this forum already know. Backwards people need to get it through their ignorant heads that "Games are no longer made for kids". Kids games are a much smaller pie than the adult market.

Interesting watch
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/david_p...videogames.html

#6.1 Krome on 08 Dec 2008 - 19:02

I support your statement 100%. It kinda **** me off when I see those people think that "games" are made for kids. They need to get out of the cave.

(2 replies) #7 ecrunner on 08 Dec 2008 - 19:55

I never would have thought that adults from generations before the internet boom would be more into video games than they are. That is crazy! Especially because games these days are targeted towards younger people, you know with street racing, gangs, etc. I suppose the warlike games would appeal to them. Also, reading different reviews on games (ex: http://www.everhype.com/?utm_source=bc) it seems that adults have more critical views, which is refreshing sometimes.

#7.1 toadeater on 09 Dec 2008 - 01:08

Consoles games really are targeted towards younger people. Google the demographics. If you're sick of those dumb juvenile delinquent-oriented games support PC gaming.

#7.2 Saarineames on 09 Dec 2008 - 06:05

Really? Not that crazy. There were game consoles like Pong, Atari 2600, Intellivision, Coleco Vision, Nintendo and computer games for Commodore 64, and early Apple, for example. Plus the millions of dollars spent in 25 cent increments playing full-size arcade games.

The people who played those games are adults now. Spanning about 30 years before the internet boom. Naturally, there's going to be a lot of adults who still love to play.

#8 Shadrack on 08 Dec 2008 - 20:16

Does rewording one article and adding some information from another article count as original content <<rolleyes>>? Too much emphasis on original content on Neowin since the site change IMO. It would be better (and more ethical) to quote verbatim and give the appropriate level of credit to the original author or web publisher.

#9 +Xerxes on 08 Dec 2008 - 21:07

You'll probably find it's similar in Australia too, but try telling our government that

they still think only kids play games...

#10 addc182 on 08 Dec 2008 - 22:52

i don't understand how people can think games are made only for children. why would there be games with age 18 ratings if they were?

#11 yert* on 09 Dec 2008 - 02:57

My entire clan is 18-50. I thought it was obvious that most adults played games.

(1 reply) #12 Shiranui on 09 Dec 2008 - 04:02

Shouldn't this read "Over half of American adults play video games"...

#12.1 Magallanes on 09 Dec 2008 - 12:07

American = all the world.

#13 +techbeck on 09 Dec 2008 - 05:23

And the sky is blue and a cow goes moo....

#14 Pabs(Sco) on 09 Dec 2008 - 10:54

I'm 32, married and can still dedicate 3-4 hours per night playing games....I have a very understanding wife....ever since I bought her a laptop, DS, Wii, PS3 (well this was for us both)

#15 Magallanes on 09 Dec 2008 - 12:16

Who was surveyed?

According this study:

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey, October-December 2007. N=597 total
parents, margin of error is ±4%. N=1,450 total non-parents, margin of error is ±3%

The number of samples (for parents) was only 597, from 150 million (total universe of adults in USA). Or you could say, sampling 0.000398% is enough to determine a trend with a error margin of 4%. BS!!!

#16 2Cold Scorpio on 09 Dec 2008 - 14:48

I'm a 25-year old adult and still game (even build a new PC rig just for the purpose). I tend to play in the evenings after my girlfriend has gone to sleep (or on a day off after attending to other matters).

I've been an avid gamer for about 20 years.

#17 39 Thieves on 09 Dec 2008 - 19:44

Gee, wonder if statistics like this could partially explain the adoption rate of Apple systems, or lack there of?

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