I play online games, specifically, World of Warcraft (although to be truthful...I'm taking a break from that and waiting for Diablo III to be released). I got into it because of my love for Dungeons & Dragons and decided that WoW was a way to indulge that desire without having to go through all the hassle of gathering players, coming up with stuff for everyone to do, and meeting once a week, etc. Online gaming is also extremely clean.
Basically, I could log on when I got home and play a few hours with friends who were also online and it was really fun. I like to think that a lot of what I know about life came from World of Warcraft. For example, it's extremely difficult to get people to work together but when they do, great things can happen. Additionally, another lesson that I learned are that people are innately selfish and only do something just so long as there is something in it for them. I don't think the world runs on generosity. Sure...there are one or two of those people out there...and the rest of the world sucks those people dry like a vampire starving for blood.
Anyway, here are some startling statistics regarding the gaming industry that I found particularly eye-opening:
1) 40% of computer and video game players are female. This is much higher than I would have originally thought.
2) The average social gamer is a 43-year-old woman. Again...not something I expected. However, I did have quite a few friends that were older woman that I played with (and they were fun to group with as well).
3) The average age of the most frequent video game purchaser is 40. More than 25% of gamers are older than 50.
4) 41% of social gamers work full-time jobs (I fit into this category).
5) 80% of females play the Wii as their primary console.
6) 42% of Americans play games on wireless devices.
7) Consumers bought $7.3 billion of virtual goods in 2010.
8) ROVIO has made more than $24 million selling more than $2 million Angry Birds plush toys.
9) 4,204 billion cans of Red Bull were sold in 2010 up by 7.6% from 2009.
10) $3 billion pizzas are consumed each year for total sales of $32 billion.
11) 39% of women said they would find it a "turn-on" if a man listed "video games" as a personal interest.*
So...do you play video games?
My guild that I belonged in was always number one on the server for like four years going and we held every record and achievement. Requiem on Ravencrest-US was also a top 200 guild at one point but it didn't last very long. Mostly we bobbed somewhere in the top 400 thereabouts. This was a great accomplishment considering that 12 million people played the game. Here's one of the videos we made of a hard-mode achievement back in 2009 (this fight was extremely difficult and no other guild on our server completed this so we were the only 25 that unlocked Algalon...a super secret boss in the raid dungeon). If you learn nothing else from this video, take this simple lesson--standing in fire is bad:
*SOURCE: Entrepreneur Magazine
Basically, I could log on when I got home and play a few hours with friends who were also online and it was really fun. I like to think that a lot of what I know about life came from World of Warcraft. For example, it's extremely difficult to get people to work together but when they do, great things can happen. Additionally, another lesson that I learned are that people are innately selfish and only do something just so long as there is something in it for them. I don't think the world runs on generosity. Sure...there are one or two of those people out there...and the rest of the world sucks those people dry like a vampire starving for blood.
Anyway, here are some startling statistics regarding the gaming industry that I found particularly eye-opening:
1) 40% of computer and video game players are female. This is much higher than I would have originally thought.
2) The average social gamer is a 43-year-old woman. Again...not something I expected. However, I did have quite a few friends that were older woman that I played with (and they were fun to group with as well).
3) The average age of the most frequent video game purchaser is 40. More than 25% of gamers are older than 50.
4) 41% of social gamers work full-time jobs (I fit into this category).
5) 80% of females play the Wii as their primary console.
6) 42% of Americans play games on wireless devices.
7) Consumers bought $7.3 billion of virtual goods in 2010.
8) ROVIO has made more than $24 million selling more than $2 million Angry Birds plush toys.
9) 4,204 billion cans of Red Bull were sold in 2010 up by 7.6% from 2009.
10) $3 billion pizzas are consumed each year for total sales of $32 billion.
11) 39% of women said they would find it a "turn-on" if a man listed "video games" as a personal interest.*
So...do you play video games?
My guild that I belonged in was always number one on the server for like four years going and we held every record and achievement. Requiem on Ravencrest-US was also a top 200 guild at one point but it didn't last very long. Mostly we bobbed somewhere in the top 400 thereabouts. This was a great accomplishment considering that 12 million people played the game. Here's one of the videos we made of a hard-mode achievement back in 2009 (this fight was extremely difficult and no other guild on our server completed this so we were the only 25 that unlocked Algalon...a super secret boss in the raid dungeon). If you learn nothing else from this video, take this simple lesson--standing in fire is bad:
*SOURCE: Entrepreneur Magazine
Hello Mike :D Long live Ravencrest-US. I briefly chatted with Modhne on that other social networking site you shun. Arisechicken and Junior say hello. Can you believe I didn't answer "online" when presented with the question, "Name places where people meet new friends." The single best thing about online gaming is being connected with people from all over the world. The second best thing are the nicknames! I never had a nickname that stuck until WoW. I will always be "Chewy"... you my friend, despite your name change will always be "Velanna".
ReplyDeleteAs far as the Wii being the primary console for 80% of female gamers... my Wii is in the box and the Wii Fit board has turned into an overpriced foot rest since purchasing the XBOX Kinect; never has it been my primary platform. Not surprising... we're both a different breed of people.
xoxo
Do they differentiate people 40 and over who are buying games for themselves versus for their kids?
ReplyDeleteBut this isn't all that surprising since people born in the 70s-80s were raised on the Atari and Nintendo, which gave way to the Playstation, XBox, Wii, etc.
I'm one of those 20% of males who primarily use a Wii. Mostly because it gets me moving around a little (when I play it) and it's not too complex.
At my nephew's baseball game last night I noticed a woman about 40 years old tapping on an Ipad. I thought perhaps she was looking at email or multitasking for work. Nope ... it was Angry Birds. I don't think she even looked up except when her son was at the plate.
ReplyDeleteHehehe yep. I've noticed the self-interest thing too in role-playing games.
ReplyDeleteOf course, if you notice that, manipulating other players becomes frightfully easy.
Muhahahahahaha!
I agree with the two main points you mentioned of what you took away with you from playing those games.
ReplyDelete1. Yes, great things so happen when people work together. No question, and what I believe what life is all aobut. We were never meant to do life alone, which is why relationships are so important.
2. Humans beings are innately selfish. Yep, afaid I have to agree,though of course it's a sad fact of life. We can only tuuly be selfless when we take the attention of ourselves.
That's part of the reason why I'm very dubious by so many apparently 'Good causes' and 'support' that many people, especially celebs and others in the public eye profess to care about. Most of them simply want to be promoted to higher positions or want to get more Twitter followers. Do they really care about people who are struggling with certain things in their lives? Hmm, doubtful. Very doubtful indeed.
I think real caring is done quietly with no one looking or being able to write news articles about it.
I'm shocked. Shocked. Women must keep this a secret.
ReplyDeleteI rarely play because if I did, I'd never write or read. My time is so divided as is.
I love video games but I play mostly Wii or Xbox stuff. I used to play online games but it's way too easy for me to lose hours at a time that way so I had to give it up so I could have a real life. lol. Some of those stats are pretty suprising. Perhaps I should have gone into the video game industry.
ReplyDeleteI have 2 MMOs that I spent a lot of time with (although I've tried out many more). The first was SWG. I loved that game. Before they destroyed it. I went from there to Everquest 2. I still miss it, and it's been years since I played. I was one of those people that got used up. Helped everyone else out completing their quests, etc, but never got mine finished. That's not why I quit playing, though. I just got to a point where I couldn't make time for it.
ReplyDeleteMy only gaming outlet these days is farmville, which is very sad. However, if I got involved in real online gaming, again, I would never write. Maybe there will come a day, again, when I can dabble, but I don't see that coming any time soon.
All of that being said, it was my wife that started the online gaming stuff in our house and has been more hardcore with it. There you have it.
I play my games outside, usually on fields.
ReplyDeleteGaming is the great bonding glue of nerds. Sadly I hate the camera angles in WoW. Instead I play its sexier cousin LoL.
ReplyDeleteWHAT is Blizzard's deal with Diablo III?!?!? It was suppose to be out this year :(