The Gamer Stereotype is Wrong

OK – It’s shocking!
Study squashes myth of gamer as antisocial Comic Book Guy
“Here are some of noteworthy findings of the study:
55 percent of gamers polled were married, 48 percent have kids, and new gamers – those who have started playing videogames in the past two years—are 32 years old on average
More than 75 percent of videogamers play games with other people either online or in person
More than 47 percent of people living in gaming households saying that videogames were a fun way to interact with other family members
37 percent of gamers said friends and family relied upon them to stay up-to-date about movies, TV shows and the latest entertainment news, compared to only 22 percent for nongamers
39 percent of gamers said that friends and family rely upon them to stay up-to-date about the latest technology
In terms of hard dollars, the average gaming household income ($79,000) is notably higher than that of nongaming households ($54,000), but the value of the gamer as a marketing target can be seen in a variety of ways
Gamers are 13 percent more likely to go out to a movie, 11 percent more likely to play sports, and 9 percent more likely to go out with friends than nongamers
Gamers are twice as likely as nongamers to buy a product featuring new technology even if they are aware that there are still bugs
Gamers are also twice as likely as nongamers to pay a premium for the newest technology on the market
Gamers also consume media in different ways than nongamers, with hardcore gamers spending five more hours on the Internet, two more hours watching television and two more hours listening to music than nongamers per week
And the counterintuitive kicker:
Gamers are twice as likely to go out on dates as nongamers in a given month”
IGN Entertainment, Ipsos MediaCT published the study entitled “Are You Game?”.
So, there’s some ammunition for all those prejudiced statements about gamers and why libraries might court them.
Stephen