Here at GeekDad, we are always interested in digging past the hyperbole and challenging ideas and assumptions that are not considered and well supported. For this reason, I find the results of Digital Australia 12 worth reading - no matter where you live.
Digital Australia 12 is an annual survey conducted by Bond University using a respected polling process that surveyed 1,252 households and 3,533 people living in those households in July 2011. It is commissioned by Australia's Interactive Games and Entertainment Association. It looks very specifically at gaming in our homes and in our families. As GeekDads we know that gaming is about more than teenage boys and first person shooters. We know that the diversity of people who we live with and laugh with and play with use technology and games in a diverse way. So, next time the argument comes up that games are no good for children, or that girls and women don't play games, or that the only people interested in MMORG are basement dwelling adolescents, refer to the data and findings coming out of this annual report.
Some of the more interesting findings include:
- Females make up 47% of the total game population, up from 46% in 2008.
- The average age of video game players in Australia is 32 years, up from 30 in 2008.
- 75% of gamers in Australia are aged 18 years or older.
- The average adult gamer has been playing video games for 12 years, 26% have been playing for more than 20.
- Nearly 1 in 5 gamers play social network games and 1 in 10 massively multiplayer games.
Now, I know that data is from Australia, but I would suggest similar analysis of UK and US families would produce more than a few facts that begin to align with these. And, if we read this data with purpose we have to ask the next set of questions like:- If around 50% of gamers are female, what games do they play and are developers catering to their needs?
- If the average age of gamers is 30+, and 75% are older than 18 are the narratives and concepts behind the games meeting that age demographic's interests?
- Indeed, if 75% of gamers are 18 years and older, are the classification debates really the biggest issue for the gaming industry?
Many areas of policy and marketing spend a lot of time trying to build an evidence base to help drive the systems that govern and interact with our lives. How much evidence do we have around gaming given the rapid changes that are taking place with mobile, access to technology and the shifting demographics? It seems for the consumer we can begin to ask for more diversity, and for the developer there are a few blue oceans out there to be explored. Where are the family games that we can play across multiple devices? Where are the games that give us even greater control over narrative? More than a quarter of gamers have been playing for over 20 years, and hopefully will keep asking and challenging with the questions - What is next? How can it be better?You can read all of the key findingsin a one-page document, or if you are interested in the full report, you will find it here.
