Average Gamer Is 37 Years Old

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?"

its only the beginning

[DI4BL0S]

I'm sure as we go further into the age of technology this number will rise

Nah

[eln]

We're all still mentally 15, so targeting us with boobs and explosions is still cool.

Flight simmers are older

[SplashMyBandit]

I'm 39 and a flight simmer (DCS:A-10C, LockOn: Flaming Cliffs 2, DCS:Ka-50 and IL-2:Clifss of Dover). Do play a little bit of twitch gaming but get bored of it. For my flight simming I have thousands of dollars of gear (Thrustmaster Warthog, rudder pedals, Track IR, multiple monitors, high-end PC). Most of my colleagues are of similar maturity and also have full sets of gear. We older gamers might be fewer in numbers but we are a goldmine in value (and we pay for our software since pirating is a complete hassle - and time is more precious to us fogies than money). Too bad we're completely invisible to the main-stream game reporting and gaming companies - especially the latter who produce games with purile content and weak storylines (I mean, effective modern combat units fight *for* their teammates, despite humored grumbling they don't bitch fight among themselves all the time).

Re:Stereotypes are true?

[superwiz]

This is the generation that came of age in the 90's. Most of them made more money than their parents on their first job out of college. They were what all the millenials think they ought to be. And having created the Internet, made or lost even more money in the housing boom, they are now going Galt by playing video games.

The Atari 2600 and PacMan Generation

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't want to get on a "remember-when" rant, but here I go anyway... I'm 42. I grew up in the late 70s/early 80s. I remember the hand-held electronic games (Galaxy Invader 1000), home video game consoles (first the pong-style games, then Atari VCS, Intellevision, Vectrex!), the first big coin-op games (Space Invaders, Asteroids, Defender, Pac Man), home computers (Atari 400/800, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum). This was a new and exciting time. Best toys ever. I never really played board games or sports (until university). It was all video games. New things came monthly... and that continued through the 16-bit era to PCs. I remember Wolfenstein 3D and the original Doom when it was brand new. I remember Half Life. Hell, I remember (and still own) flight simulators for the ZX Spectrum, Atari 800, Atari ST (SubLogic FS:II), and every version of MS Flight Simulator for the PC since 1992. Now I play Wii games and on the PC, Portal 2 and Left 4 Dead.

It doesn't surprise me at all that the average age of gamers is in my neighborhood. Does it surprise anyone (besides youngsters)?

Re:Who has time to play?

[Nursie]

You're doing it wrong?

Seriously... I don't think I could survive more than a couple of 60 hour weeks in a row, and neither would I want to. if that realyl is the situation where you are then I suggest you might want to look into other lines of work.

Re:its only the beginning

[michelcolman]

Yes, when I was 25, the average age of gamers was about 25. Now I'm about to turn 37... I guess I'm just part of the gamer generation, and games keep being played by pretty much the same people. Those that grew up with the first home computers and are always impressed by the latest technologies. Those young ones just don't appreciate this stuff on the same level. They're only interested in all this social crap the internet's filled with nowadays.