Growing Appetite for Online Games

Nielsen//NetRatings, an Internet researcher, has revealed in a press release the gaming tendencies of the British kids and teenagers, emphasizing an ascendant appetite for online games. Nielsen//NetRatings statistics indicate that online audience expansion has exceeded the total rate of Internet growth over four times, evolving an estimated 16% in a single year. The survey further disclosed that out of the mass audience of 7.6 million online gamers, no less than 5.4 million were underage users, spending among them 1 hour and 31 minutes of playing time.

"Miniclip, publisher of over 300 types of online game, is the most popular brand with 1.3 million Unique Visitors. The 'stickiest' brand, however, is fantasy adventure game RuneScape, whose visitors' average 2 hours and 25 minutes per month," showed Nielsen//NetRatings.

Underage girls have also become increasingly interested in the online gaming world, their presence on dedicated Websites growing by 7.4% besting the boys' growth by 1.2%. But while boys under 18 account for an estimated one out of four minutes of online gameplay time, girls have managed to amount only to one in every ten minutes.

"Take the fact that the online games sector is growing at four times the rate of overall Internet growth together with the increasing numbers of under 18 year olds online and it is easy to see why companies such as MTV Networks are looking to get a piece of the action. Their $200 million purchase of Atom Entertainment, which includes games sites Shockwave and AddictingGames, is testament to the huge potential that lies ahead for the future of the sector - whether it's fantasy adventure, puzzles, shoot 'em ups, sports or platform games," commented Alex Burmaster, European Internet Analyst, Nielsen//NetRatings.