14 DAY TRIAL // The NPD Group is known for putting out the monthly sales figures for the United States but the company is interested in all aspects of videogaming, not just which gaming console sells the most in 30 days. And with the Online Gaming 2010, the NPD Group is showing that players are moving their experiences online more and more, with 10% more hours spent gaming over the Internet when compared to last year.
It appears that the much maligned PC is the most used platform of online gaming, with 85% of those who play saying that they employ it. Amongst home consoles, the Xbox 360 from Microsoft is leading, with about 40% of those who use it taking it online, while the percentage from those gaming on the PlayStation 3 from Sony and the Nintendo Wii hovering around 30%, which actually represents a significant increase for the Sony platform.
Xbox 360 gamers on average spend 7.3 hours online in one week, followed by PC players, who come in second at 6.6 hours and by PlayStation 3 users, who clock up 5.8 hours. Interestingly, the number of players who actually go online decline slightly but the NPD Group study says “While the percentage of the population that reports playing games has declined slightly, this study details other metrics which point to both stability and growth in both online and offline gaming.”
The reports is revealing that 20% of the titles gamers picked up were bought digitally, a steady raise over the 19% reported in 2009 and over the 18% found in 2008. Also, 74% of those who play games online bought or received a videogame as a gift during the 2009 holiday season, showing that although their disposable income is not at an all-time high, gamers are still putting money into their favorite pastime.