14 DAY TRIAL // The Entertainment Software Association has released a number of facts about the average gamer in the United States, which should be handy when it comes to deconstructing familiar stereotypes about the industry and the public it serves.
The most interesting data point shows that the average age of those who play video games is 30, with 32 percent under 18, 31% between 18 and 35 and a majority of 37% over the 36 threshold.
The most frequent video games buyer has an average age of 35 and the male/female split is 52 percent to 48.
The under-18 male, which has been traditionally seen as the core gaming demographics, accounts for just 18 percent of those included in the ESA numbers, while the percentage of women over 18 enjoying video games sits at 30%.
The ESA has also estimated that 49 percent of all the households in the United States have at least one console with most of them actually having at least two devices dominating the living room.
The Entertainment Software Association seeks to protect and promote the interests of the gaming industry in the United States and one of the biggest problems it currently faces is that many still believe the hobby to only be associated with young males.
The ESA has also offered a list of the bestselling console-based titles in the United States: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Just Dance 3, Madden NFL 13, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Battlefield 3.
When it comes to PC-only titles, these are: Star Wars: The Old Republic, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, The Sims 3 and World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.
The latest data from the NPD Group has shown a decline in the overall value of sales for the industry, which is set to continue to the end of the year.