Do you got game?

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With children introduced to and embracing technology earlier than ever, it comes as no surprise that those with children younger than 17 beat out those without younger children by a wide margin in nearly every gaming category – 43% with kids say they have a gaming console they personally use compared to just 18% of those in homes without young children. And even if they don’t play themselves, 71% of respondents with kids younger than 17 at home have at least one game console.

While very few adults older than 65 (3%) said they own a video game console, they’re still playing games – 53% say they play games on their personal computer and 34% said they play games on their cell phones.

Nearly one in four respondents said they own one video game console, while 13% own two and 7% own three. Just 2% said they own six or more. Young enough to have grown up with games themselves and many who may have children of their own, 58% of those 25-34 own between one and three video game consoles. But who owns the most? The generation that grew up gaming, of course – 13% of those 18-24 say they own more than four systems. Half of those polled said they own a Playstation 2, while one in four say they own an Xbox.

While one in three say they play video games using a console, handheld gaming device or cell phone occasionally, 8% said they play video games most days and 6% play every day. It’s no surprise that 9% of those 18-24 say they play video games on devices other than a computer every day – but the same percentage of older respondents (55-69) say they play just as often.

Game time adds up

While most people limit a typical gaming session to two hours or less – 41% said they play for less than an hour and 42% said they play from one to two hours – 12% said they typically play for two to three hours at a time. Our polling shows older players are much more likely to favor shorter gaming sessions – 57% of those older than 65 keep game sessions to less than an hour, falling to 30% among those 18-29.

When it comes to marathon gaming – playing continuously without taking a significant break of 10 minutes or more – 5% said they have played for 10 or more hours, 6% for six to 10 hours and 6% for five to six hours.

Younger gamers are far more likely to rack up hours-long gaming sessions – among 18- to 24-year-olds, 12% say they have played for six to 10 hours without a significant break and 11% have pushed their session to 10 hours or more. Married gamers tend to play for shorter stretches – many may have spouses or children vying for their time (or maybe even waiting for a turn to play) – while single gamers outpace married gamers after four-hour or longer gaming sessions. Is this one of the reasons Hollywood is having such a tough time luring young people to theatres? Is there anyone who doubts this is part of the reason kids seem fatter these days? Is this why kids today seem to have such trouble relating to each other and resort to bringing weapons to school? The social implications could be enormous, but our polling did not probe those areas, so we will leave that for another newsletter.

Online gaming – lots of potential for growth

The majority of those polled (58%) have yet to venture into the world of online video gaming using their video game console. Among those who play online games, only 2% said they play every day while 14% said they play occasionally. But nearly two in three said they play online games using their computers. While 7% play every day, 21% play only occasionally and 21% say they play rarely.

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The oldest respondents were most likely to play online computer games every day – 18% say they play daily. Many may be retired and have the time to spend playing games – one in three were also the most likely to say they play at least several times per week.Women also show a greater tendency to play computer games online – 26% say they play at least several times per week compared to 17% of men.

Most (46%) say they spend less than one hour playing online games with their computer, while 33% play from one to two hours and 12% play from two to three hours. As with console video games, as the greater the age of a respondent, the more likely they limit computer game playing to less than an hour at a stretch.

For most, home is where the games are

While the vast majority say they resist the urge to play games at work or school, 13% say they take time out of their day to play. Those younger than 30 – many who may be in college or in their early years on the work force – are far more likely to extend their gameplay to work (please don’t tell the boss) and school time. Men were slightly more likely to play at work or school than women, 15% to 11%.

Puzzle and word games were played by 41%, while 34% said they play action games, 32% play strategy games and 29% play sports games. Puzzle and word games are by far the favorite among women – 61% play games such as Tetris, Bejeweled and Literati compared to just 29% of men.

Solo gaming was preferred by more than half of respondents (54%) while 27% said they like to play with others in person and 8% favor playing with others online.

The gift of gaming

Among respondents who said they plan on buying a new gaming system this holiday season, the Nintendo Wii is on the shopping list for 37% and the Playstation 3 for 35% – 26% said they play to purchase the Xbox 360, which was originally released last year. Those respondents who already own a gaming console and are looking to upgrade show a similar trend – 42% plan to purchase the Nintendo Wii, 38% hope to get their hands on a Playstation 3 and one in four say they will buy an Xbox 360.

Overall, video games make the must-have list for 17% of those polled, with 38% planning to purchase two games and 17% planning to buy three. Among those who already own a console, nearly half (48%) plan to buy new games this holiday.

It’s only a game…or is it?

Concerns over violent video games have often captured headlines – such as the often-cited Grand Theft Auto series. Many groups fear the games may lead to violent behavior in real life and have called for both the government and the gaming industry to put the breaks on violent games.

But most consumers don’t want the government calling the shots. The majority (57%) said consumers should be able to make up their own minds about what video games to purchase and play, while 27% said violence in video and online games is a problem and the industry should be more heavily regulated by the government.

Support for more government regulation increases steadily among older respondents. Only 13% of those 18-24 support government regulation, compared with 37% of those 55 to 69. The oldest of those polled were most supportive, with 44% of those older than 65 in favor of heavier regulations.