82% Of People Are Gamers, Says New Survey

New research has revealed that an astonishing 82 per cent of eight to 65 year-olds identify themselves as gamers. The study of 4,000 people shows that gaming’s appeal transcends age, gender and social groups, with 33 per cent of 45 to 65 year olds and 49 per cent of women identifying themselves as game players.

[zeal0us]

Probably thx to the wii, kinect, move, iphone and android devices.

[M-Easy]

People who ONLY play facebook and mobile phone/tablet don't count as gamers. They may play the occasional throw away game but they are not gamers. If you only watched Disney movies you wouldn't be considered a film buff. If you jogged 1 day a year you wouldn't be considered a runner, if you... you get the picture.

[_Aarix_]

They do count. If you play games your a gamer. This is why theres "casual" gamers. 9/10 of the time you cant take them seriously.

[CloseSecond]

So easy to discriminate just because they don't play the same games as you.

[MrSpace]

@_Aarix_: "They do count. If you play games your a gamer. This is why theres "casual" gamers. 9/10 of the time you cant take them seriously."

Erm.....no

The reason theres this whole casual/hardcore thing is because it seperates the real gamers from the fake ones (the ones who think playing on Angry Birds or a few motion control games makes you a gamer)

At one time this used to be a hobby that no one but a group of people enjoyed, where when you found someone interested in games they liked everything about games just like you (a gamer) now when you see people who are "gamers" there mostly into casual crap or just have a console to pass the time since there friends have one.

Now it's hard to swallow when you being a "core" gamer knows some casual freak that keeps going on about games like he's on the same level as you but if you ask him what Half life is, what guy created MGS, the creative director of NaughtyDog or even who is the head of Valve for example....they wouldn't have a f*cking clue.

[MidnytRain]

CloseSecond

Come on, bro. Playing a few 99-cent apps is hardly "gamer". If it was, then EVERYONE would be gamers. Who doesn't play games in some form?

[The Real Peter Moore]

M-Easy has a point though. How bout we call them "people who play games" but they definitely are not "gamers". My girl play games, but she isnt a gamer.

[sikbeta]

@Close

It has nothing to do with discrimination man, people just follow trends and popular stuff, wii was like that and people bought it in masses, play some games and when the novelty wore off they moved on to something new, it happens all the time...

[Heartnet]

They do count as gamers lol.. just cause there not hardcore gamers like us posting on games websites and buy new games religously dont mean there not gamers lol

Just a different Kind :) nothing wrong with that :) room for everyone

[ssb3173]

I agree though, the wii did bring a new possibility of gaming and brabg in the casual market and people of all ages. Now the kinect and move have followed persuit and I can see a rise in people who play games in the future

[Pintheshadows]

82% of people play games. There we go.

[CaptainMarvelQ8]

Oh please,don't tell me all those celebrities that play "games" like angry birds all day are considered gamers too?

[Heartnet]

Fraid so :) although i doubt if they only played angry birds they wudnt call emselves a gamer

[Kran]

18% are farm folk.
Well... now that you think about it, maybe they are too o.O

[Heartnet]

There AMISH! :L

[Hicken]

82% of people are NOT gamers. As others have said, they play games. There IS a distinction.

In my opinion, if all you play is casual stuff on your smartphone, you shouldn't be considered a gamer. If your gaming consists entirely of Mafia Wars and Farmville, you shouldn't be considered a gamer. If you only play Call of Duty of FIFA, you shouldn't be considered a gamer.

My nephews are 3, 4, and 5, and they play the original Midnight Club or Namco Museum every now and then. That does NOT make them gamers. My mom and dad play WITH them, but they're not gamers. Back when ALL I played was Gran Turismo and Final Fantasy VIII, I wasn't a gamer.

That word is not a blanket term to describe everyone who plays ANY games, and I really wish people would stop using it as such.

[CloseSecond]

What utter rubbish. You play games you're a gamer period. The distinction comes down to whether or not your a casual, harcore or professional gamer.

What next, because someone lives in a 3rd world country it does not make them human?

[Hicken]

Getting behind the wheel of a car and moving it doesn't make you a driver, does it? If you can't drive, no matter how many times you're in the driver's seat, that doesn't mean you're a driver. There's more to it than just moving the car, or am I wrong?

Don't get me wrong- which I'm certain you already have. I'm not saying I'm better than them, or that they shouldn't be playing games, or that games for them shouldn't be made.

But the majority of that 82% care nothing about games. They play because it's fun, or when it's convenient, but gaming means nothing to them.

There are varying degrees, but in my opinion, a gamer actually cares about games. It doesn't have to be as in-depth as keeping up with the development status of any particular title, but it's more than coming in to buy the third Just Dance game, the only franchise they own.

You're free to have your own opinion about what a gamer is, but for me, it requires more than just a passing fancy in the industry.

[WhiteLightning]

No...THAT'S utter rubbish CloseSecond

Just because you play on a game dosen't make you a gamer. It's about caring for games and enjoying them for what they are...not just you thinking "Oh I'll get an Xbox so I can kill a few hours here and there before work"

If your a gamer...your a gamer you don't need some crappy motion control stuff to get you "interested" in games. You etheir like them or not.

Plus it's about knowledge, not just playing on games. If a so called "gamer" can't tell me what E3, TGS or the VGA's are then we have a problem already

@admiralvic: Agreed...

I take A LOT of pride in it and I hate seeing these so called "gamers" using that term on themself when really they don't give a crap. A Gamer is someone who takes pride in the hobby...not someone who just has a console to play on some games here and there. But we've come to a point now where even people who go on gamers for w.e reason, for example some of my friends who just do it for the social interaction, are adamant they are gamers....but really they aren't

I shouldn't be worked up over it....I shouldn't care but I do and it tears me apart sometimes since there my friends and I don't want to start any arguments.

[admiralvic]

There is some logic in what was said, but this is a naturally touchy subject. At the base concept... who is going to hate playing games? This is like saying 99% of all smart phone users use GPS. This is based off the simple concept that they CAN use GPS, but not the fact they're actively using it. I might have used it once or twice to find a resturant out of town, but I wouldn't scream to the heavens "USEFUL FEATURE".

A lot of the reasoning behind the difference is that many users here take pride in the hobby. Many casuals who play games on mobile devices like say Angry Birds are more of a good waste. IE waiting for something like a doctor/shrink/car repair or something to do during commercials. These people do not represent the hobby and thus people don't want to be a part of them.

[Pintheshadows]

So basically if someones nan played Mariokart once or twice they are a gamer? Or a woman who bought a Wii and Zumba? Or a guy who plays angry birds on the train?

To be a gamer you have to invest a certain amount of both capital and time into them. Most of these people won't be doing as their main hobby. Therefore they are just playing games.

I mean you can't seriously think a dad who plays Wii Sports with his kids at weekends is on the same level as a guy in Korea playing Starcraft until he dies. Now that IS a gamer. Not to mention a hero as well.

[ShaunCameron]

1,2) I guess that would mean that the 18% that are are in serious need of a life, because they're just making themselves and the industry look bad. Besides, most people don't care about that title. All they just wanna do is pick up, play and keep it moving.

3) And neither do they claim to be.

[Mad_Mack]

I would suggest that the answer lies somewhere in between a gamer being anyone who plays angry birds and a gamer being someone who is familiar with the industry, including the trade shows, company/brand names and development pipeline.

I would suggest that a 'gamer' be someone who would list 'computer games' (or some other variation on that) as one of their main hobbies. Within that you could have your casual, hard core and pro gamer banding, depending on a given metric.

The percentage of their recreation time or disposable income they invest in computer games (the specific metric is not really important, and could be a composite as long as it provides a controlled and weighted way of differentiating between different levels of commitment/interest)could be a reasonable place to start.

Within the gamer group, the banding should also be representative of the behaviour of the player. Certain gamers will play a lot of games but in a more casual, less competitive setting. Some gamers will spend hours grinding through to get achievements or learning every inch of a multiplayer map, while some will not play competitively at all. Some will follow the development pipeline and follow upcoming games, while others will only register new or upcoming games once they are advertised on TV or only if they are part of a franchise they are already interested in.

Me for example - I will play about 10 hours of games per week. This is a sizeable chunk of my free time (lets say approx 30% for argument sake). However, I would not consider myself a hardcore gamer, as I do not play a huge amount of online multiplayer, nor am I particularly up on industry news beyond the release schedule of this Autumns big launches (Battlefield, Modern Warfare, Skyrim etc. etc.). So I would say that despite investing a lot of time in games, and considering them one of my most frequent hobby, I am a casual gamer.

[M1chl]

82% peoplo of America? Evrope or Asian? I mean there are shitload of people out there who even don't know what internet is...

[BabyTownFrolics]

82% Of People Are Gamers, I wonder what percentage of them come to places like N4G. My bulsh_t guess is less than 10%.

[vyke3]

0.5% if you're lucky.

[sikbeta]

Why just point out N4G alone? majority of people only know how to browse with Google, get what they want from a page and move on to another search on Google, it's obvious that the N4G community is tiny, like the majority of game sites :P

[shodan74]

Amazed at some of the reactions on this thread. The fact that so many people play video games - whether they be casual, social, mobile or what we term 'hardcore' console titles - can only be a good thing, surely? As CloseSecond says above, if you play games you're a gamer. I almost exclusively play console titles on my Xbox 360, but I don't claim that only people playing the same kinds of games as me deserve to be part of the fold.

[admiralvic]

Companies go where the money is and no matter how pissed off the informed gamer is... if there is more money elsewhere; companies will go for the money. We have also seen games expand/conform/adapt something to gain more appeal. This is also causing part of their problems since they take a needless risk, 1 group ignored and the other is mad they changed and then they bitch about used game sales/piracy/something else and N4G is judgmental about it.

[InNomeDiDio]

There is a big difference between people who play with their smartphones or web-browser games and these people who actually love gaming and own a specific platform that is made to game like consoles or Gaming-PCs. I love Gaming and I'm Gamer even if I'm not playing all day/night long. I care for technology and great Games in general.

[ShaunCameron]

You know there's plenty of "casual" folks who own a console, right?

[SITH]

It's ok baby, everyone is doing it.

[Kyosuke_Sanada]

Now all we have to do is have a majority of the 82% united and then we will be in business....

[Nes_Daze]

LOL please, you're gonna tell me that some hot chick that every once in a full moon plays on her Wiifit is a gamer??

[Pikajew]

My cousin thinks he is a gamer and all he plays are apps on hip ipod.

[capcock]

Depends what you call a gamer.
I wouldn't call my dad who play Iphone games "gamer" as an example.

[Ethereal]

Problem, casual and core gamers are completely different. How many are really "gamers?"

[ginsunuva]

I played tic tac toe once so does that mean I'm a gamer too?