NZ survey pins average gamer at 33
iGEA-commissioned research also finds market is 44% female; most parents play with their kids
A new report released by the New Zealand trade association and undertaken by Bond University has found that the average age of gamers in the country is 33.
Interactive New Zealand is the most comprehensive study of its kind, says the Interactive Games & Entertainment Assocation (iGEA), with additional headline findings noting that 44 per cent of the country's gamers are female.
But potentially the most interesting statistic is that the county appears to be the first country in the Oceanic region to record a 100 per cent rate for games console presence in households with children under 18, while 59 per cent of parents claimed to play games with their children.
"The research indicates that every New Zealand household with children has a device for playing games, and this really tells us that videogames are ubiquitous in 2010," said Dr Jeffery Brand, head of the Centre for New Media Research at Bond University.
"It's also fascinating to note that despite this figure, 78 per cent of gamers are in fact over the age of 18 and have been playing on average for 12 years.
"In years gone by videogames have been thought of as an isolating medium, enjoyed mainly by teenage boys. This research tells us that the opposite is true today, with parents playing games as a way to educate their children, spend time together and just have a good time as a family. "The figures also show that the majority of gamers play moderately with 60 per cent playing up to an hour in one sitting and only 4 per cent playing for five or more hours," he added.
The report also concluded that PCs were found in 82 per cent of game households, compared to 69 per cent for consoles, while 43 per cent of those over 50 also played games.
"Interactive entertainment is now used in education, for medical rehabilitation and in training and development," commented Mark Goodacre, director of the iGEA. "Videogames are played by the elderly in retirement villages, and in therapy for young people at risk, but most of all, and as this research highlights they are played by a huge cross section of our community, just for fun."
The report was based on a survey of 1202 households, with 75 questions and 300 data points, and took place in May this year. The domestic industry was worth $170 million in 2009, having grown by 12 per cent over the previous year.