Annual IDSA Report Released

Hoping to change the stereotypical image of videogame players as single white males, the Interative Digital Software Association (IDSA) released a report indicating that violent games are not as popular as people might think. The survey shows that 59% of gamers play with friends and most play with members of their family. The annual survey of more than 1,600 households showed that most people say they play videoames because they are challenging. Other top reasons are that games relieve stress, provide a lot of entertainment value for the money, are engrossing and can be enjoyed with family and friends. And yes, games aren't as violent as the mass media wants everyone to believe. Only one of the top 25 video games for 1999 was a first-person shooter (Soldier of Fortune). Other E3 news: In his keynote address, AOL President Robert Pittman said that 52% of the game players on America Online are women and the largest segment are in the 35-44 age group, lending credence to industry claims that video games are a mainstream activity. Sales of computer and video games reached $6.1 billion in 1999, an 11% increase from 1998 sales, Lowenstein said.