OLDER CONSUMERS PLAYING VIDEO GAMES: SURVEY

DAN ALAIMO

LOS ANGELES -- While interactive entertainment is still a young business, the typical video game consumer is getting older.

A survey by the Interactive Digital Software Association, Washington, found that a substantial number of game users and buyers are over 18 and a bigger number than expected is female, said Carolyn Rauch, senior vice president. Rauch spoke at a seminar during E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, held here recently. IDSA runs E3. "The numbers we got back on the age of interactive entertainment software users are clear reflection of the broad appeal of the industry's products," she said. When it comes to interactive entertainment software users on personal computers, "slightly more than one-quarter are under 18, slightly more than one-third of users are between 18 and 35, and just over one-third of users are over the age of 36," said Rauch. On the dedicated console side of the games business, "over half of all users are under 18, about a third of users are 18 to 35, and 10% of users are over the age of 36," she said. Overall, 72% of PC users and 42% of console users are over the age of 18. "Hardly a market made up just of kids," said Rauch. The survey, which drew 1,700 consumer respondents, was completed while "next generation" game platforms, like Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn, were still relatively new on the market, she pointed out. Nationally, 40% of households, or about 39 million, own a system that runs interactive entertainment software, she said. "We found that 25% of those who use entertainment software own both PC and console systems," she said. Additionally, 10% of the PC households play games on line. While the majority of interactive entertainment software users are male, females are playing a significant role in the use and purchase of the products, said Rauch. "For PCs, the usage split is about 60% males and 40% females, clearly indicating that a large portion of the universe of entertainment and edutainment software users for PCs is female," she said. While game console purchases are mostly influenced by males, about one-third of these are also influenced by females, she said. When it comes to actually going to the store to buy software, the purchaser "is almost as likely to be a woman as a man," said Rauch.