• by January 4, 2001

Advertisers have more than one medium to reach the PC and console "gaming market." And, according to a new study by PC Data, gaming is no longer just a man’s folly. The study reveals that while males make up 55 percent of overall gamers, females for the first time comprise a majority of online gamers. Either online or on the shelves, almost one in five U.S. households was expected to buy console or PC games this Holiday season.

PC Data estimates that US consumers have already spent $3.4 billion on games and that the total revenue generated from games this holiday season could hit $7 billion.

"While the report shows that PCs are the platform of choice of gamers, console games will be the clear winners in terms of sales for the year and Holiday season," said Sean Wargo, Internet analyst for PC Data. 69% of these purchasers plan to buy console games. An estimated 60 percent of U.S. households own a PC and one in three owns a game console.

Although 55% of overall gamers are men, according to PCData, 50.4% of online gamers are women. PC Data says that while male gamers enjoy shooting, real-time and sports games, female gamers play more board, card, gambling and quiz games.

Preferences for Games, 2000

 +---------------------------------+-------+---------+
 |
| Male  | Female  |
 +---------------------------------+-------+---------+
 | Board Games                     |  51%  |   78%   |
 | Gambling Games                  |  26   |   36    |
 |
Quiz, Puzzle, Trivia            |  25   |   55    |
 | 1st Person Shooter              |  38   |   12    |
 | Real Time strategy games        |  33   |   11    |
 | Real Time strategy sport
games  |  30   |   10    |
 +---------------------------------+-------+---------+

Solitaire, Free Cell and similar bundled games are the most frequently played of all online and offline games. The top PC game categories are strategy (68 percent), world building (67 percent) and flight simulation genres (68 percent). Console users prefer the fighting (72 percent), sports (60 percent) and driving simulation categories (54 percent).

Time Spent Playing Games 2000

 +-------+---------+
 | Hours |  % of   |
 | /week | Gamers
|
 +-------+---------+
 | <1    |   24%   |
 | 1-5   |   42    |
 | >5    |   35    |
 +-------+---------+

Graphic quality was rated the primary criterion when purchasing a console game (59 percent). The list of available titles is also important to a large segment of buyers (39 percent). The ability to play against other players on the Internet was not a factor in choice of console.

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