study posts

Average gamer spends $30,500 on games

by Samuel Axon Jun 30th 2008 @ 7:30PM

1UP reports that a new study performed by GameStrata (a site that primarily tracks gamers' performance statistics) has concluded that the average gamer spends $30,500 on his or her hobby between ages 18 and 49. The article specifies that gamers spend $765 per year, but those two numbers don't seem to jive together when it comes to mathematics. The mysteries of statistics, eh?

That seems awfully high at first glance. Do gamers really buy, say, 15 new games every year? Factor in computer hardware, 500 dollar game consoles, microtransactions, and subscription fees, and it starts to almost make sense. All that said, we have a feeling that the definition of "gamer" here is limited to the folks who use GameStrata -- uber-hardcore types. Still; expensive hobby, much?

The study also noted that 40% of gamers spend 6-10 hours per week playing games online with friends. Again, that's probably mostly representative of the hardcore crowd. Note also that GameStrata has a stake in making online gaming look like the best new fad. In the wake of the company's findings, COO Barry Dorf claimed that "videogames are becoming so much more than a momentary diversion; gaming is becoming yet another means of community building."

Filed under: Biz, Culture

Video games appeal to primal conquest instincts in male brain, says science

by Samuel Axon May 28th 2008 @ 5:00PM

It turns out that for all its fancy graphics, Command & Conquer 3 is quite primitive. That is to say, the challenge of the gameplay appeals to a primitive drive to conquer present in the male brain.

According to The Daily Mail, researchers studied men and women playing a video game with a territorial conquest aspect. They found that while women would play the game and perform well in it, they did not feel as compelled to play or win. The male subjects, on the other hand, were more likely to become hooked on the game. This was because the game stimulated the parts of the brain "traditionally associated with reward and addiction" more for men than for women, because of a primal drive to acquire and defend territory inherent in the male brain.

We'll note that there are some men who have no interest in such games, and some women who are passionate about them, but the article is intriguing anyway. If you're a man and you have a girlfriend or wife who's annoyed with you because you spend too much time fighting for control points in Team Fortress 2, you can just say "it's biology!" But it probably won't help. Ah, well.

Filed under: Culture