State of Men and Gamers

Kimberly Maxwell, Spike

Gamers are predominantly men. There are 70% of the US population who are gamers. The video game industry was up 20% in 2008. There is a very small targeted group who are the gamers. They drive the gaming development. Spike wanted to know who these people were so they could develop television shows for them.

The hardcore gamers are defined as playing games 10+ hours a week, paid for video games in the past month, played more complex games, 72% male, and an average age of 33 years old. They also spend a full day a week gaming.

What have gamers become? They're media consumers who shape culture and a launch pad for living their lives. Spike TV spoke to core and light gamers through online surveys. They also conducted online facebook discussion groups, as well as in-home ethnographies. The sample is 14-44 for this study.

Gaming is a way to stay connected, as the gamers are playing with others 2/3s of the time. Rock Band and Wii are driving this aspect. Gamers spend a lot of time online looking for the next big thing, such as movie trailers. They're also plugged in everywhere, from music websites to entertainment magazines. Music was also a very integral part of the gamers.

Types of core gamers:
- Gamefluentials
- Go-to geeks
- Trend riders
- Basement brigade