VIDEOGAMES IN EUROPE: CONSUMER STUDY November 2012
[ 2 ] INTRODUCTION CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Research overview 3 Gaming formats and devices covered 3 SUMMARY Infographic results summary 4 Key headlines 5 GAMING: WHO, WHAT AND HOW? Who plays videogames? 7 Frequency of gaming 8 Types of games played 9 Devices used to play games 11 Online gaming 12 PERCEPTIONS OF GAMING Interest in gaming 14 Broader media and activities interest 15 Words associated with different media/activities 17 GAMING AND THE FAMILY Parents and children who play games 20 Words associated with gaming: Parents 21 The effect of games on children 22 SUPERVISION Parental supervision of children s gaming 24 Use of parental controls 27 PEGI RATING SYSTEM Awareness, usefulness and clarity of rating systems 29 How rating systems should be applied 30
INTRODUCTION [ 3 ] RESEARCH OVERVIEW The European Consumer Study is a multicountry survey run by Ipsos MediaCT, in partnership with the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE). It is designed to provide a better understanding of the societal context in which games are being played today in 16 European countries. The study used a combination of online self-completion survey and offline interviews and targeted respondents aged between 16 and 64. For the purposes of this report, Gamers are defined as anyone who has played a game on any of the devices and formats listed below in the past 12 months. In, 1,322 respondents completed an online survey over a two week period in October 2012. The data was weighted to a profile of online gamers in provided by an offline nationally representative sample of 3,867 adults. GAMING FORMATS AND DEVICES COVERED APPS FREE APPS PAID APPS PAID EXTRAS ONLINE SOCIAL FREE DOWNLOAD PAID DOWNLOAD PAID EXTRAS MULTIPLAYER WEBSITE PACKAGED (DISC/CARTRIDGE) NEW PRE OWNED RENTAL CONSOLE PORTABLE MOBILE TABLET COMPUTER
[ 4 ] SUMMARY OVERVIEW OF GAMING 42% of the online population aged 16 to 64 years old in have played a game in the past 12 months PERCEPTIONS OF GAMING Very interested Fairly interested Not very interested Not at all interested Don t know 14% 56% 44% 42% TYPES OF GAMES PLAYED: BY AGE AND GENDER ANY Video Gaming ANY Packaged ANY Apps ANY Online 21% 17% 14% 12% 19% 6% 28% 26% 32% 34% 32% 38% 36% 42% 42% 48% 58% TOTAL Males 16-34 Males 35-64 Females 16-34 Females 35-64 67% Not very/at all interested 24% 32% Fairly/very interested TOP 3 WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH GAMING ALL ONLINE GAMERS 1 Fun 33% 53% 2 Entertaining 29% 49% 3 Good at providing escapism 29% 33% GAMING AND THE FAMILY 50% of parents have children who play games 35% Parents 65% Non parents 30% Play games with their children 20% Don't play games with their children 47% Their children don't play games EFFECT OF GAMES ON CHILDREN: PARENTS OF CHILDREN WHO PLAY GAMES More No difference Less Don't know PEGI RATING SYSTEM 34% aware of PEGI age rating symbols aware of PEGI content symbols 62% agree PEGI ratings should apply to app games 61% agree PEGI ratings should apply to games on social network sites Have fun Competitive Creative Develop skills Informed Spend time alone Social Aggressive 27% 12% 91% 67% 61% 55% 49% 25% 25% 25% 12% 48% 47% 58% 4% 3% 17% 21% 19% % AGREE WITH STATEMENT THE MOST The age rating system for videogames should be stricter 28% overall than that used for movies The age rating system for videogames and movies 48% should be the same The age rating system for movies should be stricter 5% overall than that used for videogames 19% Don t know
SUMMARY [ 5 ] KEY HEADLINES 1 2 3 Incidence of gaming amongst the online population is at 42% The profile of gamers is skewed slightly towards males, with a relatively even distribution across age groups. Online is the most common form of gaming in. of adults are playing weekly. For non-gamers, a lack of interest in the category is the main barrier. 32% of the online population are very or fairly interested in gaming Gaming is perceived as a fun and entertaining activity by the majority of gamers. A higher percentage of gamers than non-gamers are interested in nearly all other activities. There is a strong interest in technology amongst gamers (67% vs. 42% non-gamers). A quarter of non-gamers believe gaming is good at providing escapism. 3 in 10 parents play games with their children Over a fifth of parents playing games with their children do so to monitor the length of time or types of games they are playing. 6 in 10 believe gaming encourages their child to be more creative. A further 55% believe gaming encourages their child to develop skills. 4 The majority of children aged 6-15 are buying or receiving games 1 in 5 parents of children aged 6-9 always buy that child s games. In contrast, a third of parents of children aged 10-15 never buy the child s games. 1 in 5 parents of children aged 10-15 say they are not at all knowledgeable about the games that child plays. Three quarters of parents of children aged 6-9 say their child never plays games with a higher age rating. This falls to 47% amongst parents of children aged 10-15. 5 A third of the online population recognise PEGI age rating symbols 6 in 10 agree that PEGI ratings should be applied to app games and games on social network sites, as well as packaged games. 28% believe that the age rating system for games should be stricter than movies. Only 1 in 20 believe the age rating for movies should be stricter.
[ 6 ] GAMING: WHO, WHAT AND HOW?
GAMING: WHO, WHAT AND HOW? [ 7 ] WHO PLAYS VIDEOGAMES? (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) 42% of the online population aged 16 to 64 years old in have played a game in the past 12 months 56% 44% 5% 16-19 5% 9% 20-24 7% 12% 25-34 9% 12% 35-44 11% 10% 45-54 8% 7% 55-64 4% Incidence of gaming amongst the online population in is at 42%. The profile of gamers is skewed slightly towards MALES, with a relatively even distribution across age groups.
[ 8 ] GAMING: WHO, WHAT AND HOW? FREQUENCY OF GAMING (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) Weekly Never 58% 10% Monthly 10% Less frequently TOP 5 REASONS FOR NOT GAMING 1 Not interested in them 66% 2 More interested in other hobbies 30% 3 No time to play them 29% 4 Don t have a console at home 20% 5 Too expensive 14% TYPES OF GAMES PLAYED (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) ANY Video Gaming ANY Packaged ANY Apps ANY Online Downloads Social Websites Multiplayer Online 9% 14% 13% 13% 21% 32% 42% of adults are playing weekly. For nongamers, a lack of interest in the category is the main barrier. ONLINE is the most common form of gaming in, with the incidence of playing downloaded games at a similar level to Packaged.
GAMING: WHO, WHAT AND HOW? [ 9 ] TYPES OF GAMES PLAYED: BY AGE AND GENDER ANY Video Gaming ANY Packaged ANY Apps ANY Online Downloads Social Websites Multiplayer Online 42% 38% 32% 34% 21% 17% 14% 12% 19% 6% 32% 42% 28% 36% 26% 21% 29% 17% 13% 21% 7% 17% 11% 13% 15% 11% 15% 12% 9% 6% 8% 6% 48% 58% TOTAL Males 16-34 Males 35-64 Females 16-34 Females 35-64 Across all categories gamers are most commonly MALES AGED 16-34, with the dominance most pronounced in Packaged (34% vs. Total) and Multiplayer Online games ( vs. 9% Total). FEMALES AGED 16-34 are more active than older males in the all gaming categories except Packaged. Games APPS and SOCIAL gaming are more popular amongst those 16-34 than 35-64.
[ 10 ] GAMING: WHO, WHAT AND HOW? GAMES PLAYED: FREE OR PAID FOR (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) % of the online population playing each type of game Apps Multiplayer online Downloads 14% 9% 21% Free 13% Paid for 5% Free 5% Paid for 5% *Paid for game Paid for 3% *Paid to play online Free 14% Paid for 5% TYPES OF VIDEOGAMES PURCHASED IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) 29% Have bought a game New games on disc or cartridge 8% Secondhand games on disc or cartridge 5% Online games (download/subscription/extras) 4% Games apps For DOWNLOADS, a quarter of those active in the category are playing games that have been paid for. A third of those playing games APPS have played a game that was paid for. 3 in 10 have bought a game in the last 12 months. Of those buying games, nearly TWO THIRDS have bought a new packaged game.
GAMING: WHO, WHAT AND HOW? [ 11 ] DEVICES USED TO PLAY GAMES (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) NET Console: 21% NET Portable games device: 11% NET Computer: 34% NET Mobile device: 25% 20% 2% 6% 9% 5% 11% 8% 8% 2% 3% 3% 17% 3% MOST USED (ALL GAMERS) PC Laptop PS3 Wii Android smartphone 38% 19% 9% 7% 5% MOST USED (AMONGST PARENTS WHO PLAY GAMES WITH THEIR CHILDREN) PC Wii Laptop PS3 Nintendo DS 27% 17% 15% 6% 6% COMPUTERS (laptops and PCs) are the most commonly used device for gaming. 17% have played a game on a SMARTPHONE in the past 12 months, a greater number than any of the gaming devices (console or portable). The Wii is relatively popular amongst parents who play with their children, although the PC is still by far the most used.
[ 12 ] GAMING: WHO, WHAT AND HOW? 79% of gamers play games online WHEN PLAYING CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET, WHO DO YOU PLAY WITH? (ALL GAMERS) 26% Always play on my own 26% Play on my own most of the time 20% Sometimes on my own/sometimes with other online players 5% Play with other online players most of the time 2% Always play with other online players 19% Never play games online WHEN PLAYING WITH OTHERS ONLINE, WHO ARE THE OTHERS? 54% Friends (met in real life) 34% Family/relatives 27% Online strangers 26% Friends (not met in real life)
PERCEPTIONS OF GAMING [ 13 ]
[ 14 ] PERCEPTIONS OF GAMING INTEREST IN GAMING (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) 14% 32% Fairly/very interested 67% Not very/at all interested 42% 24% Very interested Fairly interested Not very interested Not at all interested Don t know WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH GAMING: TOP 5 SELECTED ALL ONLINE GAMERS 1 Fun 33% 53% 2 Entertaining 29% 49% 3 Good at providing escapism 29% 33% 4 Immersive 21% 33% 5 Sociable 13% 14% A THIRD of the online population are very or fairly interested in gaming. Gaming is perceived as a FUN and ENTERTAINING activity by the majority of gamers
PERCEPTIONS OF GAMING [ 15 ] BROADER MEDIA AND ACTIVITIES INTEREST: (FAIRLY/VERY INTERESTED) All Males 16-34 Males 35-64 Females 16-34 Females 35-64 Music Internet 82% 92% 78% 83% 79% 82% 94% 82% 87% 70% Film Television 76% 79% 79% 75% 71% 75% 70% 80% 78% 69% Travelling News/current affairs 73% 65% 73% 74% 78% 66% 58% 83% 46% 64% The latest technology Sport (taking part) 52% 71% 65% 45% 31% 49% 62% 41% 57% 43% Literature/art Going out to bars/clubs 46% 32% 37% 47% 62% 46% 55% 39% 58% 39% Gaming News about celebs/famous 32% 58% 29% 27% 20% 15% 15% 36% 27%
[ 16 ] PERCEPTIONS OF GAMING BROADER MEDIA AND ACTIVITIES INTEREST: DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GAMERS AND NON-GAMERS All Gamers Non-gamers Music Internet 82% 87% 78% 82% 91% 75% Film Television 76% 84% 70% 75% 78% 72% Travelling News/current affairs 73% 75% 72% 66% 68% 64% The latest technology Sport (taking part) 52% 67% 42% 49% 55% 45% Literature/art Going out to bars/clubs 46% 44% 47% 46% 49% 43% Gaming News about celebs/famous 32% 59% 12% 31% 17% A higher percentage of gamers than non-gamers are interested in nearly all other activities. There is a strong interest in TECHNOLOGY amongst gamers (67% vs. 42% non-gamers). Gamers are also more likely to be interested in BROWSING THE INTERNET (91% vs. 75% nongamers) and FILM(84% vs. 70% non-gamers).
PERCEPTIONS OF GAMING [ 17 ] WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH MEDIA/ACTIVITIES (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) Entertaining Immersive Good at providing escapism Sociable Informative/educational Fun Family orientated Competitive Music Internet 66% 32% 33% 5% 65% 15% 52% 14% 17% 19% 55% 48% Film Television 71% 42% 37% 24% 17% 50% 64% 24% 33% 19% 46% 36% 25% 7% Travelling News/current affairs 40% 22% 21% 29% 56% 62% 27% 11% 6% 62% 6% The latest technology Sport (taking part) 24% 17% 5% 6% 39% 28% 16% 7% 11% 27% 50% 13% 10% Literature/art Going out to bars/clubs 36% 25% 8% 40% 27% 10% 46% 14% 60% 56% Gaming News about celebs/famous 29% 21% 29% 13% 33% 5% 9% 26% 8% 6% 7% 11% 8% Most commonly selected category for each word
[ 18 ] PERCEPTIONS OF GAMING WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH GAMING: DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GAMERS AND NON-GAMERS Gamers Non-gamers 19 53 15 49 12 33 26 33 Fun Entertaining Immersive Good at providing escapism 14 12 9 7 8 7 4 Sociable Competitive Informative/ educational Family orientated There is a relatively strong perception of gaming being SOCIABLE activity amongst non-gamers. A quarter of non-gamers believe gaming is GOOD AT PROVIDING ESCAPISM.
GAMING AND THE FAMILY [ 19 ]
[ 20 ] GAMING AND THE FAMILY PARENTS AND CHILDREN WHO PLAY GAMES (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) 50% of parents have children who play games 35% Parents 65% Non parents 30% Play games with their children 20% Don't play games with their children Their children don't play games 47% Don't know REASONS PARENTS PLAY GAMES WITH THEIR CHILDREN To spend time with them It s a fun activity for all the family To monitor how long they play for They ask me to 30% 24% 21% To monitor what games they play I enjoy playing with them Educational benefits Health and fitness benefits 21% 20% 16% 14% HALF of parents have children that play games. Of these, 3 in 5 play with their children (30% parents play games with their children vs. 20% don t). The most common reason parents play games with children is to SPEND TIME WITH THEM. Over a fifth of parents playing games with their children do so to MONITOR the length of time or types of games they are playing.
GAMING AND THE FAMILY [ 21 ] WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH GAMING: DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PARENTS OF CHILDREN WHO PLAY GAMES AND NON-PARENTS Parents of children who play games Non-parents 28 38 37 34 27 33 16 14 Entertaining Fun Good at providing escapism Sociable 15 25 7 6 7 10 4 Immersive Family orientated Competitive Informative/ educational Parents of children who play games describe gaming in similar terms to non-parents. The perception of gaming as IMMERSIVE is particularly strong amongst non-parents.
[ 22 ] GAMING AND THE FAMILY EFFECT OF GAMES ON CHILDREN: PARENTS OF CHILDREN WHO PLAY GAMES More No difference Less Don't know Have fun Competitive Creative Develop skills Informed Spend time alone Social Aggressive 27% 12% 67% 61% 55% 25% 25% 25% 91% 49% 12% 48% 47% 58% 4% 17% 21% 19% WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH GAMING: PARENTS OF CHILDREN WHO PLAY GAMES Informative/educational 2% Family orientated 7% vs. vs. PARENTS OF CHILDREN WHO DON T PLAY GAMES Informative/educational 3% Family orientated 2% Many parents see gaming as having a positive impact on their child(ren). 6 in 10 believe gaming encourages their child to be more CREATIVE. A further 55% believe gaming encourages their child to DEVELOP SKILLS. For parents of children who don t play games, the family orientated nature of gaming is rarely acknowledged.
SUPERVISION [ 23 ]
[ 24 ] SUPERVISION WHETHER PARENTS BUY THEIR YOUNGEST CHILD S GAMES AGE OF CHILD* Never (+child doesn t buy/receive) Never (but child does buy/receive) Rarely Sometimes Most of the time Always 5 and under 63% 7% 8% 12% 7% 6 to 9 6% 11% 35% 19% 10% 10 to 15 33% 30% 21% 10% WHETHER THE CHILD IS PRESENT DURING PURCHASE AGE OF CHILD* Don t buy games for youngest child Never Rarely Sometimes Most of the time Always 5 and under 71% 5% 10% 9% 4% 6 to 9 17% 10% 22% 21% 12% 10 to 15 36% 9% 16% 20% 19% *Parents were asked in reference to their YOUNGEST child only The vast majority of children aged 6 and above are buying or receiving games. 1 in 5 parents of children aged 6-9 always buy that child s games. In contrast, a THIRD of parents of children aged 10-15 never buy the child s games.
SUPERVISION [ 25 ] WHETHER CHILD BUYS THEIR OWN GAMES AGE OF CHILD* Never (child doesn t receive games) Never (but do receive games) Rarely Sometimes Most of the time Always 5 and under 63% 22% 5% 6% 4% 6 to 9 6% 69% 14% 9% 10 to 15 21% 43% 22% 6% HOW KNOWLEDGEABLE PARENTS ARE ABOUT THE GAMES THEIR CHILD PLAYS AGE OF CHILD* Child doesn t play Not at all Not very Quite Very 5 and under 45% 6% 15% 34% 6 to 9 4% 11% 41% 40% 10 to 15 19% 14% 52% 14% *Parents were asked in reference to their YOUNGEST child only 7 in 10 children aged 6-9 never buy games for themself. 81% of parents of children aged 6-9 describe themselves as quite or very knowledgeable about the games that child plays. 1 in 5 parents of children aged 10-15 say they are not at all knowledgeable.
[ 26 ] SUPERVISION WHETHER CHILD PLAYS GAMES WITH A HIGHER AGE RATING THAN THEIR AGE AGE OF CHILD* Child doesn t play games Don t know Never Rarely Sometimes Often 5 and under 45% 43% 4% 8% 6 to 9 73% 11% 8% 5% 10 to 15 47% 16% 31% 4% WHETHER CHILD PLAY GAMES WITH HIGHER AGE RATING THAN THEIR AGE AT A FRIEND S HOME ** 12% Aged 5 and under play games at a friend s home 44% Aged 6-9 play games at a friend s home 60% Aged 10-15 play games at a friend s home Don t know No, never Yes, rarely Yes, sometimes Yes, often AGE OF CHILD* 5 and under 11% 24% 6% 28% 32% 6 to 9 48% 21% 27% 10 to 15 16% 38% 25% *Parents were asked in reference to their YOUNGEST child only **Note low base sizes for this question (n < 50) THREE QUARTERS of parents of children aged 6-9 say their child never plays games with a higher age rating. This falls to 47% amongst parents of children aged 10-15.
SUPERVISION [ 27 ] USE OF PARENTAL CONTROLS (PARENTS OF CHILDREN WHO PLAY GAMES) FOR CHILDREN AGED 5 OR UNDER 16% use parental control settings to limit what their youngest child can access on their games consoles 27% WHAT RESTRICTED 10% Games played by age rating 9% Amount of play time 7% Online access through the console use parental control settings to limit the amount of time their children spend online or to prevent them from accessing certain programs and websites FOR CHILDREN AGED 6-9 40% use parental control settings to limit what their youngest child can access on their games consoles FOR CHILDREN AGED 10-15 37% use parental control settings to limit what their youngest child can access on their games consoles 55% WHAT RESTRICTED 29% Games played by age rating 24% Online access through the console 15% Amount of play time use parental control settings to limit the amount of time their children spend online or to prevent them from accessing certain programs and websites WHAT RESTRICTED 24% Games played by age rating Online access through the console 12% Amount of play time use parental control settings to limit the amount of time their children spend online or to prevent them from accessing certain programs and websites
[ 28 ] PEGI RATING SYSTEM
PEGI RATING SYSTEM [ 29 ] AWARENESS OF RATING SYSTEMS (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) 47% 11% aware of ANY age rating system for videogames aware of PEGI age rating system for videogames 34% aware of PEGI age rating symbols aware of PEGI content symbols EXTENT TO WHICH THE SYMBOLS ARE... PEGI AGE RATING SYMBOLS PEGI CONTENT SYMBOLS 85% 86% 87% 94% Clear Useful Clear Useful % NET Fairly/Very Clear: Amongst those aware of symbols Useful: Amongst parents of children who game HALF of the online population are aware of an age rating system for games, but only 1 in 10 are aware of PEGI ratings. Awareness of the PEGI age ratings increases to 34% after prompting with images. The vast majority of respondents agree that both sets of symbols are CLEAR and USEFUL.
[ 30 ] PEGI RATING SYSTEM SHOULD THE PEGI RATING SYSTEM ALSO APPLY TO APP AND SOCIAL GAMES? (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) 62% agree PEGI ratings should apply to app games 61% agree PEGI ratings should apply to games on social network sites HOW THE AGE RATING SYSTEM FOR VIDEOGAMES SHOULD COMPARE TO MOVIES (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) % AGREE WITH STATEMENT THE MOST 28% 48% 5% The age rating system for videogames should be stricter overall than that used for movies The age rating system for videogames and movies should be the same The age rating system for movies should be stricter overall than that used for videogames 19% Don t know/none of these 6 in 10 agree that PEGI ratings should be applied to app games and games on social network sites, as well as packaged games. 28% believe that the age rating system for games should be stricter than movies. Only 1 in 20 believe the age rating for movies should be stricter.
ALSO AVAILABLE FROM ISFE AND IPSOS MEDIACT: GameTrack is a multi country tracking survey that provides companies and organisations with a complete view of the video games market. GameTrack includes all devices that might be used for playing video games from PCs and laptops, games consoles and portable games devices through to smartphones and tablets, as well as currently niche devices such as smart TVs. Similarly, it includes all types of games from packaged (new, pre owned and rental) to apps (paid and free) to online games (including downloads, subscriptions, browser games and games on social network sites). GameTrack reports each quarter and is based on a nationally representative sample of over 6,000 individuals aged 6+ in each country for each wave, providing a reliable and robust true measure on how the games market is shifting and the underlying dynamics of the industry. COUNTRIES COVERED USA UK FRANCE GERMANY SPAIN APPS ONLINE PACKAGED TIME SPENT ACQUISITION VALUE
LATEST GAMETRACK DATA % PLAYING GAMES IN PAST 12 MONTHS Q3 2012 Base: all 6+ population ANY video gaming 20m people 35% 29m people 50% 26m people 40% 14m people 40% ANY Packaged 22% 29% 20% 20% ANY Apps 14% 10% 8% 8% ANY Online 19% 25% Downloads 8% 9% 7% 7% Social 8% 13% 9% 9% Multiplayer 8% 6% 4% 4% Browse 8% 7% 8% 8% GameTrack provides a complete view of the videogames market - from overall incidence of gaming to time, volume and value breakdown of specific devices and types of games.
FOR MORE INFORMATION DIRK BOSMANS Communication Manager Interactive Software Federation of Europe t: +32 (0) 2 612 1772 e: dirk.bosmans@isfe.eu w: http://www.isfe.eu PAUL MASKELL Research Director Ipsos MediaCT t: +44 (0) 20 8515 3467 e: dirk.bosmans@isfe.eu w: http://www.isfe.eu