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Stereotype killer: 114 million adult gamers in the US photo

I love this new study from MarketResearch as it basically says that just about half the people in the U.S. are gamers. Gamer haters can't exactly go looking down on gamers, as they would be looking down on more than  half the country's population. Well, I guess they could, but they're now officially in the minority!

The study, with the full name “The Adult Video Gamer Market in the U.S.: Tapping into the New Diversity of Video-Game Players,” says that 114 million American adults game. We have crazy buying power, with an aggregate income of $4 trillion.

And while they're breaking stereotypes, this study also says that gamers are very active people. They're consumers that go out, shop more, and do more than non-gamers. Genders break down to about even now, getting away from that young core male gamer. Gamestooge says that there are also 25 million adults in the 55+ age bracket, 13 million retirees and 28 million grandparents.

Of course, game haters don't know how to use the internet, and will never see this data. To them, you'll always be that man-child who refuses to grow up and stop playing games.


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24 comments | showing # 1 to 24

Holyetheline's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 13:09
Holyetheline
Video games are quite popular these days.
Dyna Geek's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 13:10
Dyna Geek
50% of those adult gamers are Papa Burch.
CitizenErased's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 13:12
CitizenErased
There's no such thing as videogames.
Rucksack's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 13:21
Rucksack
The devil made these numbers up to confuse those weak in faith---just like the Dinosaurs.
Tomasz's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 13:34
Tomasz
You know they put my 72 year old grandma who once played a game of bingo on the internet into these kinds of studies, right?
KeVanDam's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 13:35
KeVanDam
its hardly surprising though, back in the day games were for kids and adults could enjoy them as well but now we see more and more games being made specifically for adults. gamers grow up and have little gamer families!
Blasto's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 13:42
Blasto
What's wrong with being a man-child?
Demtor's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 13:47
Demtor
In my mind, I just bitch slapped every stuck up female I've ever dated who looked down on my hobby as "kids stuff."

Its a fine world inside my head let me tell ya. Justice gets served a plenty.
DeusPayne's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 13:48
DeusPayne
My grandmother, who is around 80, has had a computer for almost 2 decades, has used AIM since it's inception, regularly uses e-mail to organize her church activities, has FIOS (longer than anyone else I know), and has been wanting to buy her own Wii because she just can't get enough of using her grandchildren's consoles. She has evolved quite a bit from the old lady who couldn't beat world 1-1 in Mario.
Kraid's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 13:54
Kraid
Can you count SUUUUUCKAS!!!?
Diverse's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 14:23
Diverse
This is great ammo to use against my Dad when he tells me to stop playing video games because they're just for little kids.
jsutcliffe's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 14:24
jsutcliffe
Um, the U.S. population is a little over 300 million. We're still in the minority. I like how this article goes from "just about half" to "more than half" without blinking.

Liars!
Kraid's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 14:28
Kraid
Not if you count non-adult gamers. Do you know how many kids play the Halos??

There is more than half of the US and A population of play them Nintendos.
Syn's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 14:32
Syn
I've been telling people that half the country plays video games for a while now. Who knew I wasn't full of shit! Hahahaha
WarZombie's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 15:21
WarZombie
@ Demtor

You're just unlucky man. My girlfriend loves video games (And good ones, like Psychonauts and New Super Mario Bros.). It seems unlikely, but it's true that more and more people are becoming gamers, and that's a good thing. I don't see it happening soon (What with people like Roger Ebert around), but eventually, people will begin to accept video games as an art form and as something that anyone can do and not look "childish" doing. When i was younger, I was sometimes embarrassed to admit that I'm a gamer, but now I freely admit it whenever games are brought up.

Times are changing indeed.
HiddenAHB's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 15:41
HiddenAHB
And...?

In Brasil 94% of the gamers are pirate.
Here things are fucked up, really fucked up.
Rick Diculous's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 15:49
Rick Diculous
Not surprising, I don't know a single person who doesn't enjoy the occasional game at least every now and then. My girlfriend (21) and I (25) play games together pretty often, when we have time not working out, working, or out and about partying.
MellowBunny's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 15:49
MellowBunny
It makes sense if you think about it. Most gamers in the last 2 decade have grow up. And you can thank Nintendo for sharing video games.
Chronic Logic's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 17:41
Chronic Logic
Impossible! Video games are for kids!
pascuz46's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 18:11
pascuz46
That is the most disgusting picture I have seen in a while.....thanx for that...
Ben PerLee's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/19/2009 23:21
Ben PerLee
DAMN GURRL! BACK THAT ASS UP BABY. YOU KNOW HOW DADDY LIKES IT!
Sexualchocolate's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/20/2009 03:32
Sexualchocolate
These numbers no doubt include Wii owners - they are not gamers.
rawoods75's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/20/2009 04:12
rawoods75
i bought my wife a ds for christmas so she would leave me alone about playing my ps3 as much as possible on the weekends. i have killzone 2, and shes got some puzzle thing. everbody's happy
shinigamiDude's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/20/2009 04:23
shinigamiDude
How about a list of M-rated game buyers :D
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