The Diverse Video Game Market
Market research found the game market is more diverse than thought a
Results of a market research survey released last week found that the video game market is becoming more and more diverse.
There are more than just hardcore and casual gamers out there, according to a survey released by the Dallas-based market research firm Parks Associates last week.
According to their press release, the survey found six different types of gamers:
The Power Gamer
The hardcore video game fan
The Social Gamer
Uses games as a way to interact with friends
The Leisure Gamer
This gamer only spends 58 hours per month playing games, according to the press release, but still prefers challenging titles
The Dormant Gamer
This gamer loves video games, but due to family and work, doesn't have enough time for them.
The Incidental Gamer
Plays games mainly out of boredom. According to the press release, they'll spend 20 hours per month playing online games.
The Occasional Gamer
Mainly plays word, puzzle and board games.
Now, the surprise in the study was which category most survey respondents fell into.
The power gamer made up only 11 per cent of the total. Most households polled had dormant gamers, making up 26 per cent.
The second and third most common gamers were the liesure games at 14 per cent and the social gamers at 13 per cent.
Michael Cai, director of broadband and gaming for Parks Associates, said in the press release that reaching those untapped markets, which make up 53 per cent of gamers, "represents a distinct challenge to marketers."
"If game companies insist on chasing the mythical hardcore and casual gamer segments, they will miss out on more than half of the market," said Cai.
"The market is not black and white anymore, and game marketers need to understand these finer nuances."
In that respect, Nintendo is already ahead of the pack.
The lower prices on their systems encourage the more casual gamers to make the investment.
And then there's the titles. Hardcore gamers often balk at the Mario Party series, but they're social games that are still playable after consuming many beers.
Then there's Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers, also party favourites.
Once the Wii is released, Nintendo may very well rise above the rest of the next-generation consoles.
