Study Says 'Enthusiasts' Spend $700 A Year on Games

A demographic study conducted by IGN Entertainment, one of the largest video game consumer website networks, has been released, highlighting some figures on what the company perceives as the average "game enthusiast." The study shows that these hardcore gamers, profiled from more than 5,000 consumers frequenting the IGN.com and GameSpy.com properties, spend on average $700 every year on games, which works out to 14 full-priced games. $341 of the money went to console titles, while PC titles got $233 and accessories the remaining $140. Other statistics revealed in the survey were that enthusiasts play games for 20 hours each week on average, with ten percent of respondents claiming to play for over 40 hours a week, as much as a full-time job. Over 90 percent of those surveyed were male, and 90 percent still bought games at physical retail locations, though 33 percent also sometimes buy games online. Regarding what makes these gamers purchase titles, reviews are influential, with twenty-five percent of respondents saying they are most heavily influenced by what game writers say about titles they are considering. Word-of-mouth about the game is the next most important factor, followed by game demos. Few respondents choose their games based on the publisher or developer, and publishers' websites and print advertising were the lowest ranked factors for buying titles. The survey also covered game renting, noting that 50 percent of respondents rented 11 games per month on average, and that 60 percent of renters say that they eventually buy games they rent.