• 88% of homes have a device for playing computer or video games.
• 68% of Australians play computer or video games.
• 46% of gamers are female.
• The average age of an Australian gamer is 30 years.
• 84% of Australians aged 16-25 compared with those 50+ play computer and video games.
• The average adult gamer has been playing for 11 years.
• Half of all gamers play daily or every other day, a quarter play once a week.
• The average game play session is one hour.
So, in line with international trends, the majority of Australians play videogames, there is close to a gender balance, and far from being exclusively for children, the average age for a videogame player is well into legal adulthood at 30 years old. Moreover, most adults see videogame play as something that should be supervised:
• 70% of parents in game households play computer and video games, 80% of these parents play them with their children.
• 78% of parents say an adult is present when games are purchased for their children,
• 92% of parents say they are aware of the games played in their homes.
• 75% of all computer and video games classified in Australia are G or PG (Classification Board).
Also not necessarily surprising is that most adults in Australia presume that there is an R18+ rating for videogames (there isn’t):
• 63% of adults do not know that Australia has no R18+ for computer and video games.
• 91% of adults (including gamers and non-gamers) say Australia should have an R18+ classification for games.
• 17% of adults in game households admit to having pirated games in their collections with nearly 10% of all games in Australian homes being illegal copies.
3 comments:
Interesting. My initial reaction was to ask how they decided who was a "gamer": apparently they just asked whether you played computer or video games, which seems simple and reasonable.
I think, though, that the question of whether "gamers" are predominantly men is mostly definitional. "Gamer" suggests someone who plays the "hardcore", "triple-A" games: Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, whatever. (I'm pulling names out of a hat here - I don't play those games myself.) Playing "casual" games - Peggle, say - somehow doesn't count as "gaming". You could see these attitudes at play in the comments on one of the articles you posted here a while back. In other words, it's a perception thing: it's not that girls don't game, it's that the gaming they tend to do isn't seen as "Gaming".
This study does suggest - unsurprisingly - that "hardcore" games are played more by men than by women, while women tend towards the "casual" and family-oriented titles. The study PDF says:
Female gamers across different ages nominate Puzzle, Family, Board/Card games among their favourite genres.
Male gamers across different ages nominate First-Person Shooters, Sports, Role-Playing and Fighting Games among the genres they prefer to play.
I guess the question is, to what extent are these different preferences culturally constructed? How many girls would have played "hardcore" videogames if they hadn't been discouraged (because they were girls, rather than because of the game itself)?
Also, irrelevant but amusing (I'm easily amused):
Gamers are more likely to be enrolled in full-time tertiary study...
A massively overdue library book that I still have about video gaming has a chapter called, Why Women (don't) Play Videogames. Listed under it are three reasons, Compeition, Co-operation and Exploration.
Competition: essentually saying that girls don't like games with direct competition. Rather we prefer games where it is indirect, like tetris and pac-man- to use some really old examples - where playes compete for the highest score 'but their actions do not adversely influence other competitors.'
Co-operation: Girls like games where negotiation and compromise are prioritiesed over winning or loosing. Eg. the Sims
Exploration: 'For men and boys, exploration and the mastery of space is a goal itself, whereas women and girls express preference for toys and games where exploration is a means to learning and discovery rather than representing the end itself.'
While I think these are interesting points that the book brings up, it still sounds a bit like the "dumbomg" down of games for girls again. Does anyone else get this the same impression from reading this?
I do think that emily has a point in saying that it depends on our people classify video games and the distinction between hardcore and casual games and by what definition you call yourself a gamer.
Another interesting thing in here from the producer of the Sims Online: 'I think it's best to acknowledge that we all approach games uniquely and gender may or may not play a role in that.' Do people agree with this?
Another interesting thing in here from the producer of the Sims Online: 'I think it's best to acknowledge that we all approach games uniquely and gender may or may not play a role in that.' Do people agree with this?
I definitely agree with the first half. I would agree with the second if it said "sex" instead of "gender". To me it's clear that gender (as culturally constructed) does play a role in how we approach games. I think what's unclear and contested is to what extent the gender differences we see (in all spheres of life, not just game preferences) are culturally constructed and to what extent they are caused by the biological differences between men and women. (Obviously there'll always be exceptions to the rule... I'm talking wild generalities here...)
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