Average Gamer Is 37 Years Old 295
kolbe writes "A new study from the Entertainment Software Association suggests that the average age of today's gamers is between the 37 and 41 years old. If true, does this mean that game studios should be adjusting their demographics accordingly? Is Generation X the next 'baby boomer' market for the gaming industry?"
Link (Score:4, Interesting)
Most links I can find on this topic point to CNET [cnet.com], but this [theesa.com] is the closest thing I can find to the original source. One website high in the google results links to pdf of this supposed study, but the link is dead.
Re:Middle age and I hate games (Score:5, Interesting)
I have heard it suggested a few times that this is true of all game designers, that when a real designer plays a game, all he sees are the design decisions; the game itself can't be seen behind the mechanics, and that a good game for a designer is a well-designed game, which is not necessarily related to having fun with the gameplay. Richard Bartle once wrote an interesting blog entry [youhaventlived.com] about a zone's design in World of Warcraft; he definitely doesn't see and play the game like most people.
I am glad people like you exist, because that's why I have games. I think you're really missing out sometimes, though.
Re:Middle age and I hate games (Score:3, Interesting)
I like both.
However, as a gamer falling into the middle age category as well I can understand your hatred for games to some extent. Although I'm still spending quite some time on gaming, I'm buying less and less games because games have become more and more stupid. I've been wondering for a long time why studios and producers don't make games that are more suitable for halfway mature people. With almost no exceptions the marketing and the content still seem to be devised for really stupid 14-15 year old boys living on the countryside in the US and being extreme patriots. Somehow I doubt this profile matches the profile of the people like me who actually buy games.
It has come to a point where you need to make considerable efforts to just being able tolerate the main story. Take for example BFBC 2, which I have played recently. The game mechanics was okay but the background story really felt like an insult. Even 15 year old boys are rarely stupid enough to appreciate such a plot.
Also, if there were an MMORPG or even just an online shooter were you can only get an account after having proved that you're above 30, I'd probably spent more than 0 hours a week online. Not that I have much time anyway...