It’s time for some navel gazing as we take a look at who is taking a look here. I could tell school was back in session when the numbers started spiking in September. Judy Wilson and librarian Katy French over at Palomar College in San Marcos, California added an old post of mine to a list of web sites for students to examine in a course on website evaluation. Learning Family Values While Killing Monsters was written back in November last year, and discussed an article by Robin Torres over at WowInsider.com. I suspect it was included over at Palomar College not just for my excellent writing (haha), but also for the fact I referenced the source material. The instructor indicates sourcing of materials lends credibility to a post.
Those opinion-meisters at Reddit posted a link to my post from late July regarding the new ESA survey indicating females comprise 40% of the gaming audience. Discussion so far has centered around whether females truly comprise 40% of the audience for advanced MMORPGs and not just casual games. Read the profanity-laced conversation here.
Lee Wilson and Nicola Whitton, both of whose opinions I respect, linked to my post on Seven Questions to Ask Before Using a Video Game In the Classroom. Both disagreed with Question 7: Are the graphics and gaming quality on par with contemporary entertainment titles? Both seemed to suggest the graphics in casual titles may not compare with the newest $60 games for home consoles, but were adequate in relaying pedagogical content. I suppose I should have elaborated and indicated I was concerned with really basic graphics that are even below casual game standards. Probably I was thinking of the research outcomes from the old AQUAMoose project at Georgia Tech, where programming a game from scratch (not the programming language Scratch, but literally from scratch) led to some disappointing feedback from the target audience.
To sum up, I’m still here and posting, and thanks for the feedback. The old goal of one post each weekday has been suffering of late, but I should manage to get something of interest up on a regular basis. As always, shoot me an e-mail if you’d like to call my attention to something.
Tags: AquaMOOSE, ESA, Georgia Tech, Lee Wilson, Nicola Whitton, Palomar College, Reddit, Robin Torres, WoWInsider
Game Discussion, Gaming Statistics, MMORPGs, Making Video Games, Research, Serious Games, Video Game Research | John Rice | 
September 7, 2008 9:46 pm | 
Comments (0)
A new survey by Ipsos MediaCT for the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) indicates 40% of gamers are female and the average age of gamers is 35. Other findings:
- 65% of US households play videogames
- 38% of US households own a console
- Women over 18 make up a larger percentage of gamers than boys under 17 (33% to 18%)
The new 2008 “Essential Facts” booklet by the ESA is available in PDF format here.
References:
Heflinger, M. (2008, July 17). Survey: Average U.S. gamer age is 35; 40% are women. [Online]. Available: http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2008/07/17/survey:-
average-u.s.-gamer-age-35%3B-40%25-are-women
Update:
Click here for info on new games designed for female players and how software companies are tackling this emerging market.
Kudos to Gamasutra, one of the best sites out there covering all aspects of the gaming world, for reporting on the ongoing battle between the Entertainment Software Association and the Hill & Knowlton PR company.
Hill & Knowlton conducted a survey through Opinion Research Corporation regarding public attitudes toward videogames. A total of 1,147 respondents were polled, with 60% indicating agreement with the notion that the government should regulate games with mature content. Various other statistics from the study were released, which Gamasutra covers here.
An existing rating system is already in place, albeit a volunteer one similar to that in use by Hollywood movie studios. The ESA disputes the research findings released by Hill & Knowlton, saying it casts the gaming industry in a skewed light. Specifically, the ESA levels an accusation of lying by omission:
“The research released today was conducted by Hill & Knowlton for a proposal the agency made to the ESA this summer, but only a portion of it was released publicly now. Hill & Knowlton’s decision to release these findings was both unprofessional and unethical and its timing is questionable. The research was done this summer and only performed in an effort to help Hill & Knowlton win our business.
In addition, the release of only part of the findings paints an inaccurate picture of the entertainment software industry. The other research conducted by agency but not released showed:
- More than two-thirds of 18-34 year olds currently play video games;
- Less than 1 in 5 Americans think playing video games is a negative way to spend time with friends and family;
- More than half of families think that video games are a positive way to spend time together;
- Educational video games are perceived to provide more learning than TV or DVDs.” [emphasis added]
Finally, the ESA released the original PowerPoint presentation delivered by Hill & Knowlton containing extra information on the research in question.
