Most gamers in the UK play just because games are a good way to pass the time. This is true for everything from Cityville on Facebook to online poker to Wii bowling. A recent ICM survey of 10,000 adults in the UK has uncovered not just what people are playing, but why.
The research has shown that there is not a huge gender divide between those who do play and those who do not: Women are as likely as men to be into gaming (66% of men, 65% of women) . But what they play is where the differences are:
2 in 3 Facebook gamers are women
Women prefer the Wii and DS or 3DS, while men prefer the Xbox 360, Kinect and PS3
Men are more likely to gamble online, but not by a lot
While people mostly play to pass the time, the majority of women over 45 say that they play games to keep mentally fit. For women under 45, a potential hook is fitness: 26% of women under 45 say they play games to keep fit vs 13% of young men, 11% of older men, and 21% of older women.
Complementary in depth interviews with older women revealed that gaming, whether online or off, is taking the place of more traditional leisure pursuits like puzzle books and perhaps even watching TV.
This research has uncovered what may be a shift in the way that people in the UK pass their idle or quiet time. Now more than ever, we are turning to interactive technology for entertainment. This leaves a wide opening for marketers to tap into this behaviour and find new ways to capitalise on it whether by sponsoring good quality games or facilitating the interactions of gamers online.
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