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MarketingVOX: comScore Media Metrix has released the second-quarter results of Game Metrix, a syndicated study analyzing gamers' cross-platform behaviors and attitudes.
Videogames appeal not just to teenage males, according to comScore's Game Metrix: On average, gamers are 41 years of age and have an annual income of $55,000; females account for 52 percent of the gaming audience; the average gamer has been online for nine years; and 84 percent have broadband access at home.
Some 37 percent of heavy gamers agreed that featuring actual products or companies in games make the games feel more realistic; 27 percent of light/medium gamers agreed. Half of heavy gamers believe that advergaming "is inevitable and will be in all or most games in the future," compared with 42 percent of light/medium gamers.
Heavy gamers are those who play games at least 16 hours per week or play games on two or more devices for at least 11 hours per week; 25 percent of respondents were heavy gamers. Light/medium gamers are those who play videogames for less than 11 hours per week; they constitute the remaining 75 percent of gamers.
"From the advertiser's standpoint, gaming is a potentially powerful medium for reaching consumers who may not be reachable via more traditional means. Previously, little was understood about attitudes toward advergaming among the gamer segments," Erin Hunter, executive vice president of comScore's Media and Entertainment Group, said in a statement.
"The Game Metrix study indicates that heavy gamers are fairly receptive to in-game advertising, provided that the messages appear organically within the context of the game. And a sizable portion of this consumer segment seems to agree that product placement in video games may in fact enhance the game to more closely resemble reality."
When asked about their primary reason for purchasing their last game, the most prevalent responses among gamers centered on previous gaming experiences, regardless of gaming device used, followed by word of mouth (see table, below).
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"The most popular drivers for purchasing games seem to fall into two basic categories - game experience and word-of-mouth," Hunter commented. "These findings underscore the importance of marketing to, and listening to, experienced gamers. Familiarity with a particular game can influence both the gamers' direct purchase behavior, as well others' purchase behavior through positive word-of-mouth."
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