Low-income homes play more video games

[Die Alive 0]

Low-Income Homes Play More Video Games?

Tue Apr 1 2003 

By Ben Berkowitz

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">People in homes where the annual income is less than $35,000 a year spend about 50 percent more time a week playing video games than those in homes with incomes above $74,000, according to a study released on Tuesday.

The study from Jupiter Research, released at the start of a two-day games industry conference in Los Angeles, also found that overall, teenagers spend less time playing games than watching TV, going online or listening to the radio. However, game playing occupied more of their time than reading books and magazines, it said.

Video game hardware and software sales topped $10 billion in the United States alone in 2002, and the industry generally considers boys and young men between the ages of about six and 24 as its target audiences.

But the study found relatively little difference among low-income and high-income teenagers when it came to what is known as the "hard-core" category, or those who buy more than six games per year.

"Because video games are cost-effective entertainment, consumption statistics skew toward low-income households for console penetration, time spent playing games, and number of titles purchased," the Jupiter report said.

Yet at the same time, the report found teenagers in general were most concerned with value, as one-third said the most important factor in purchasing a game console was the lowest price, with 25 percent seeing the ability for the console to also play DVDs or CDs as most important.

Only 8 percent of the teenagers surveyed said the ability for a console to play games online was an important factor in their decision.

"Connected consoles are a new concept and it's not one that is readily understood," Jay Horwitz, the report's author, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

The report also looked at differences between male and female gamers in terms of their preferences by gaming genre. While action and adventure games were most popular with boys, nearly half the girls surveyed favored "parlor" games.

Of the 12 genres examined, three were more popular with girls and boys: parlor games, simulation games and arcade titles. From the survey group, 21 percent of the girls said they do not play games at all, while only 2 percent of boys offered that response.

"Do boys like games more than girls? My assumption is no they don't, and the market is underserving women," Horwitz said. "I don't fundamentally think that boys like games more than girls."

<span id='postcolor'>

That's so true, the school I'm at now, it's mostly students from lower middle class families (average family income $23 000 from latest government reports), and lots of them are always checking the net for cheat codes, game reviews, playing Flash games, etc...

But last year, when I was at a school with lots of snotty rich white kids, (ave. income 60 000+) the kids there  would be skiing in the winter, boys play golf with their dads, lots of girls would be taking figure skating lessons, or other expensive girly things.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">But the study found relatively little difference among low-income and high-income teenagers when it came to what is known as the "hard-core" category, or those who buy more than six games per year. <span id='postcolor'>

Are you Hard-core? I bought maybe 12 games in the past year, but still play one or two of them regularly.

-=Die Alive=-

[STS_SolidSnake 0]

i noticed that businessman spend 99% of their life time working

while lower income people prefer to be having fun, getting day offs etc..

[Necromancer- 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (STS_SolidSnake @ April 01 2003,22:19)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">i noticed that businessman spend 99% of their life time working

while lower income people prefer to be having fun, getting day offs etc..<span id='postcolor'>

I totally agree on that.

though... i'll make 70% of my lifetime working.

[Renagade 0]

"Tue Apr 1 2003 "

is it aan april fools ?? cos it seem like a load of poo to me

anyway.......

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">People in homes where the annual income is less than $35,000 a year spend about 50 percent more time a week playing video games than those in homes with incomes above $74,000, according to a study released on Tuesday.

<span id='postcolor'>

If u ain`t got cash u can`t do shit these days not so bad if u ain`t in the city but nevertheless

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">But the study found relatively little difference among low-income and high-income teenagers when it came to what is known as the "hard-core" category, or those who buy more than six games per year.

<span id='postcolor'>

hardcore hardly!!

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Only 8 percent of the teenagers surveyed said the ability for a console to play games online was an important factor in their decision<span id='postcolor'>

i guess the other 92% like playing with themselves

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">"Connected consoles are a new concept and it's not one that is readily understood," Jay Horwitz, the report's author, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

<span id='postcolor'>

what does he mean here direct link lan style connections or over the internet?which are not new anyway....noob

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Do boys like games more than girls? My assumption is no they don't, and the market is underserving women<span id='postcolor'>

no shit, its called karma even if the software comps will be doing all they can to grab that market space and beef up their profits.

[Assault (CAN) 1]

The article seems to be about console gamers only, and I would agree with that assesment. I spend more time reading 'Time' magazine than I do playing console games, because I have never owned a console, ever. Consoles suck!

That's why I waste my money on PC hardware and software.

[IceFire 0]

I think that's pretty accurate.

And why is he a "noob"? Doesn't that word mean someone who doesn't know how to play video games?

Ocourse he is then, he is a journalist, not a video game player!

It's all true.

Though I'm not sure about what he says about the average number of games most people buy. He said something like 6 a year. That has to be BS.

I have only bought like 9 games in my LIFE.

SWAT3, HalfLife, Tribes2, Operation Flashpoint GOTY, Aleins Versus Predator, Medal of Honor, Theif2, Delta Force2, Red Faction.

Soon should be Raven Shield and Line of Sight. Maybe if I remember to get it one of these days.

[Renagade 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">And why is he a "noob"? Doesn't that word mean someone who doesn't know how to play video games?

Ocourse he is then, he is a journalist, not a video game player!

<span id='postcolor'>

hes a noob at journalism

[SFG 1]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Die Alive @ April 01 2003,21:37)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">but still play one or two of them regularly.<span id='postcolor'>

Let me guess.. one is resistance?

I have the same problem.

[OxPecker 0]

6 a year is hardcore?

I must be in the fanatical maniac bracket then.

In the last year I would have bought around 20-30 games (admittedly many of these were older games at bargain prices, and bundled packs of games), not to mention the ones I rent from the video store.

[Assault (CAN) 1]

If you count expansions, from the past few years, I own:

Games listed, year bought....

[*]Operation Flashpoint (2001) [going on 2 years!, seems like yesterday]

[*]OFP:Red Hammer (2002)

[*]OFP:Resistance (2002)

[*]Mafia (2002)

[*]Hidden and Dangerous (1999)

[*]Rainbow 6: Rogue Spear (1999)

[*]MS Flight Simulator, 2002 (2002)

[*]Swat 3 (2001)

[*]Hitman 2: Silent Assasin (2002)

[*]Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (2002)

[*]Combat Flight Simulator 2 (bought 3, then returned) (2001)

[*]Delta Force 3 (2000)

[*]Delta Force 2 (1999)

[*]Delta Force (1998)

[*]Armoured Fist 3 (1999)

[*]F22 Raptor (2000)

[*]SU-27 (1997-8)

[*]Commanche 3 (1998)

[*]A-10 Cuba (1996)

[*]Rainbow Six: Covert Ops (2001)

[*]Project I.G.I. (2001)

[*]Hind (1996)

[*]Apache (1995-6)

[*]Air Warrior 3 (1996)

[*]King's Quest V (1993-4)

and of course,

[*] America's Army: Operations (2002)

Waiting for: Hidden & Dangerous 2, SWAT 4,........OFP 2.

I can't beleive some of the stuff I own, it's funny to discover games you've long forgotten about. Some were just so bad... Hitman 2, IGI, MOH, R6:Covert Ops, Armoured Fist 3, Delta Force 3, F22 Raptor......some titles are just so forgettable, the rest were good though. What is it with Czech developers anyway?

Tyler

[Longinius 1]

Its actually quite stupid to class those that by more than 6 games as hardcore, because most of the really hardcore players rarely buy the games. Many of them download.

[Major Fubar 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Longinius @ April 02 2003,11:58)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Its actually quite stupid to class those that by more than 6 games as hardcore, because most of the really hardcore players rarely buy the games. Many of them download.<span id='postcolor'>

Shhh, you'll get into trouble...

[Winters 1]

6 games in a year and your hardcore???

what are you if you buy 6 games a month?

[Renagade 0]

like i said before theguy doesn`t know too much

Some of the games like hitman 2 actually are ten times more fun when u just use cheats instead of playing properly.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Its actually quite stupid to class those that by more than 6 games as hardcore, because most of the really hardcore players rarely buy the games. Many of them download<span id='postcolor'>

still not hardcore funny u talk about downloading games because aren`t vaalve trying to set up a system where instead of buying at a shop u download them instead>it was called steam i think.

[Die Alive 0]

Ah, i remember buying 6 games a month, back then, the games would be $20 or less a month or two after they first released, and I'd be buying a new game or two a week.

Now, I see games 2 and a half years old that are still being sold for $40+ in some stores. And I don't get this... Baldur's Gate 2 sells for 24.99 here. Diablo 2 (original, not battle chest bundle... came out around the same time as BG2).... $46

-=Die Alive=-

[Badgerboy 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">A-10 Cuba (1996)<span id='postcolor'>

Yay! That game rocked, the damage model was great. Nothing like flying down tunnel ripping the wingtip off and then bouncing off a roof of a building into the street below.

I usually buy 1-2 games a month, so I have a sickening amount at the moment.

[Tex -USMC- 0]

Man, A-10 Attack and A-10 Cuba... those were the days. I think those were some of my first flight sims, and imho they were lightyears ahead of anything coming out at the time. I gotta admit, I'm a little above and beyond the hardcore bracket- I mean, just in flight sims alone I own:

A-10 Attack (It's still hanging around on the old Mac we have)

Longbow 2

Longbow Gold

EAW

Fighter Squadron: The Screamin Demons Over Europe

EE: Commanche/Hokum

EE: Apache/Havoc

Mig Alley

Janes F15

Janes IAF

Janes USAF

Il-2 Sturmovik

Forgotten Battles

MS Combat Flight Sim 2

And I'm sure there's others I forgot to mention.

[Die Alive 0]

Some of my first games that I remembered were Aces over Pacific (and it's sequal), plus Gunship 2000 and Corncob

-=Die Alive=-