ESA Stats: Average U.S. Gamer 33 Years Old

Officials from U.S. trade organization the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) have released the latest edition of its annual report entitled Essential Facts About The Video Games Industry, in which it is suggested that the average age of an American gamer is thirty-three. According to the report, which questioned a sample of 1,700 U.S. households, 69 percent of American “heads of households” play computer or video games. The average gamer was said to be thirty-three years of age, with 31 percent under eighteen years of age, 44 percent between eighteen and forty-nine and 25 percent fifty years or older. The average age of the most frequent game purchaser is forty years of age. The report claims that women aged eighteen or older represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population than boys age seven or younger (23 percent), with the total games population put at 62.0 percent male and 38.0 percent female. The average adult gamer has been playing games for twelve years, with adult males averaging ten years and females eight years. The report also shows that 44 percent of most frequent game players play online, up from 19 percent in 2000. Males account for 58 percent of online gamers and females 42 percent. However, the report, which can be read in full on the ESA’s website and also includes sales data and a top ten list for 2005, makes no distinction between traditional retail-purchased console and PC games and casual Web games. This is most obvious in the breakdown of game types for the online survey, which shows that 52 percent of all games played on line are puzzle/board/game show/trivia or card games. This compares to 22 percent for action/sports/strategy/role-playing games, 9 percent for browser based games and 7 percent for persistent online worlds.