2008 Digital Entertainment survey results

Entertainment Media Research has released the results of a digital entertainment survey of 1,608 UK respondents commissioned by Wiggin, a boutique law firm working in the media sector.

The respondents were selected to be representative of the national demographic - 50 per cent were female and 52 per cent were between the age of 35 and 54.

Among the activities audited were gaming, gambling, social networking and communications, reading magazines and novels, listening to radio, unauthorised downloads, movies, television, mobile phones and music/podcasts.

Traditional media still dominates in the UK, with 51 per cent of the respondents listening to the radio, 47 per cent reading printed books, 45 per cent watching television, and 41 per cent reading newspapers.

As far as gaming is concerned, 21 per cent of respondents play PC games offline, 20 per cent play PC games online, 17 per cent play handheld games, and only 12 per cent play console games - the same percentage who play mobile phone games.

When asked their intentions for take-up of activities they were not currently participating in, 24 per cent said that they intended to start watching HD movie discs within the next six months.

Within the next six months, 13 per cent plan on making calls with Skype or other online services and 12 per cent plan to watch television on their PCs via a tv-card/USB tuner.

The highest game-related take-up was the intention to play console online games, with 8 per cent of the respondents saying that they plan to do so in the next six months.

Lest you think the respondents may be techno-phobic, 73 per cent of them own a digital camera, 62 per cent own a mobile phone with Internet access, 50 per cent have a wireless network at home, 41 per cent own a DVD recorder and 30 per cent own an iPod.

Games, however, are not high on the list of ownership with only 16 per cent reporting that they own a Nintendo Wii, 13 per cent owning an Xbox 360 and 10 per cent owning a PS3.

When asked their reasons for not purchasing a specific current generation console, the number one response across all platforms was that the systems were too expensive - although the percentage is higher for the PS3 (46 per cent) than for the Wii (38 per cent).

The second reason for not purchasing a specific console is that the games are too expensive.

As far as purchase intentions are concerned, the respondents showed a slight preference for the PS3 over the Xbox 360 - 9 per cent to 6 per cent - but the Wii still led with 15 per cent.

Looking at the general attitudes of respondents, a full 84 per cent think games are too expensive, 74 per cent think they can be finished too quickly for the price and 73 per cent find console exclusivity to be frustrating.

The realism of violence in some games was a concern for half of the respondents, but was clearly higher amongst older and female gamers - 69 per cent of females 45-54 considered this a problem.

In summary, the survey organisers noted a divide in digital entertainment take-up and technology ownership between consumers of different ages.

"For the teenager, digital entertainment and communications is at its heart whereas the older consumer is still far more reliant on traditional media," the report said.

"This is also reflected in marked differences in the technology owned by younger and older consumers. Younger consumers are much more likely to be hooked up to the digital world, with next generation games consoles, wireless networks, advanced mobile phones and digital music players."

The organisers concluded that there is a much bigger market available for consumer technology and digital media in the UK, provided that barriers such as awareness, understanding and acceptance can be overcome.