The NPD Group is reporting that half of the U.S. population ages 9 and up play video games on what would be considered a core gaming device (game console or PC). However, only 14 percent, or 37.5 million people, would be considered a core gamer, as designed by their time and devotion to games.
Those aged 9-17 are most likely to be a core gamer (26 percent), but the likelihood only diminishes slightly among those ages 18-34 (21 percent) and only sees a significant drop off until ages 45 and older. The mean age of core gamers is 30 years old.
On the sale side, there are 10 percent more core gamers saying that their spending has decreased versus a year ago than there are those stating that their purchases have increased, which is accurate to the trend of diminishing returns for the AAA gaming industry. 88 percent of core gamers say they purchased new physical games, while 78 percent say they purchase used physical games and 70 percent say they purchase digital full games.
“Digital purchasing among core gamers has plenty of room to grow,” said Liam Callahan, industry analyst, The NPD Group. “While many core gamers indicate they are purchasing full games and digital add-on content frequently, there are those that stated they have never purchased digital content.”
In the most recent quarter, core gamers spent the most on new physical games at a mean of $129. Digital full games and physical used games followed in spending, though both saw less than half of what was spent on new physical titles.
