Matt Greenop of the nzherald.co.nz has written a great article about the misconception around gamers – referencing our INZ10 report.  To read the story, click here

Tuesday 17 August 2010, Dr Jeff Brand appears on Breakfast TVNZ discussing some of the key results from the INZ10 report.

To watch the report, click here

Still playing video games at 33?  Don’t feel guilty! 

New research reveals the average age of a New Zealand gamer is 33 

Auckland, New Zealand – 17 August, 2010 – A new research paper into New Zealand’s video and computer game sector has found that the average age of players is 33 years old and 88.5 per cent of all New Zealand households have a device for playing computer games. 

The Interactive New Zealand 2010 (INZ10) report conducted on behalf of the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (iGEA) by Bond University is the most comprehensive study of its kind to be undertaken in New Zealand. 

Dr Jeffrey Brand, Head of the Centre for New Media Research at Bond University says that while New Zealand is largely consistent with other countries within the Oceania region, it is the first country to record 100 per cent in the number of households with children under the age of 18 with a computer game playing device.

 “The research indicates that every New Zealand household with children has a device for playing games, and this really tells us that video games are ubiquitous in 2010. It’s also fascinating to note that despite this figure, 78 per cent of gamers are in fact over the age of 18 and have been playing on average for 12 years,” says Dr Brand.

 Central to the research findings is the role that video games now play within the family as a whole. Research finds 63 per cent of parents play computer games themselves and 59 per cent play games with their children to spend time with them. 64 per cent of parents use games to help educate their children, and 95 per cent of say they are aware of the games that are played in their homes.

 “In years gone by video games have been thought of as an isolating medium, enjoyed mainly by teenage boys. This research tells us that the opposite is true today, with parents playing games as a way to educate their children, spend time together and just have a good time as a family.”

 “The figures also show that the majority of gamers play moderately with 60 per cent playing up to an hour in one sitting and only 4 per cent playing for five or more hours,” says Dr Brand.

 Other highlights from the research include;

•  Females make up 44 per cent of the total game population
• Gamers and non-gamers share similar education, employment and household income profiles.
• Across New Zealand, PCs are installed in 82% of game households, consoles in 69%.
• 91% of New Zealanders aged 6 to 15 years compared with 43% of those over 50 play computer and video games. 
• As many as 46% of gamers play online and 59% with others in the same room.

 Family and action games account for nearly 40% of all game software sold in 2009.

The New Zealand computer games industry grew by more than 12% and conducted over $170 million in 2009 according to GfK OzToys.

 According to Mark Goodacre, Director of iGEA, the interactive games industry has never been more dynamic as individuals of all ages and all walks of life engage with video and computer games.

 “Interactive entertainment is now used in education, for medical rehabilitation and in training and development. Video games are played by the elderly in retirement villages, and in therapy for young people at risk, but most of all, and as this research highlights they are played by a huge cross section of our community, just for fun” says Goodacre.

 To download a copy of the report, click here

 *INZ10 is based on a national random sample of 1,202 households in which as many adults responded to more than 75 questions providing over 300 data points in a 15-minute online survey fielded by Nielsen Research in May 2010.  This is the first study of its kind conducted in New Zealand.

 Media contacts:

Corrie McLeod                                                            Grace Gabriel

Espresso Communications                                         Espresso Communications

corrie@espressocomms.com.au                               grace@espressocomms.com.au

Ph: +64 9 889 2177                                                        Ph: +64 9 889 2177

Mob: +61 419 526 848                                                Mob:+61 2 9904 4177

This research report was launched in New Zealand on Tuesday 17 August 2010.  It provides data on who is playing games in New Zealand.  It documents game play behaviours, the importance of games in teh family, the rold of onlince access in game purchasing and play, and how gamers compare with non-gamers on key demographics and attitudes towards games.

INZ10 Full Report

INZ10 Key Highlights Summary

August 2010 – the latest newsletter from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) in the US provides a brief outline of some recent studies which were unddertaken by Dr Christopher Ferguson of Texas A&M Universtiy which called into question research findings that perpetuate some of the misconceptions about computer and video games.

In June, the Review of General Psychology published Dr. Ferguson’s study titled “Blazing Angels or Resident Evil? Can Violent Video Games be a Force for Good?” Ferguson conducted an in-depth analysis of existing research on the impact of violent video game play on aggressive behavior. He found that many of these studies were marred by inconsistent findings or weak methodology and had not been sufficiently scrutinized by the broader scientific community. He also noted that the violent crime rate has dropped dramatically at the same time that video games have gained in popularity, suggesting that “the violent video game issue is a crusade in search of a crisis.”

To read on, click here

The ESA have just released their annual report titled Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry Report. The 2010 survey confirmed that computer and video game play remains widespread, and that game play is an increasingly social activity. Sixty seven percent of American households play computer and video games, and 62 percent of gamers say they play with other gamers in person at least one hour per week. Family play has also grown in popularity, with nearly half of all parents (48 percent) reporting they play with their children at least once per week.

The report not only underscores the increasing popularity and broad appeal of computer and video games, but also provides a window to the industry’s future. ESA’s 2010 data suggests the interactive entertainment software industry is well positioned to enjoy a continued period of growth and expansion, and remain a dominant player in the American economy.

This report details the findings from the 2009-2010 Becta commissioned project ‘Gaming in Families’ which was highlighted as an area for urgent research by the Byron Review.

The report includes key results from the literature review and Ipsos MORI survey along with findings from interviews with ten families who classified themselves as gaming families and three family workshops focused on gaming. The key audience for this report is policy-makers. However, the report also contains recommendations for parents and industry and may also be of interest to educators.

Key findings from the report

Parents and young people, that is, those aged 5-15, perceived that there were benefits to playing video games as a family, with the main motivation being enjoyment. Parents and young people reported the following benefits from playing video games together: 

• parents are provided with an opportunity to review and understand the games that their children are playing

• parents are able to ensure that their children are playing age-appropriate games

• parents are able to moderate games so that children learn social skills such as collaboration, turn taking and sporting behaviour

• games provide opportunities for further communication between parents and their children

• games provide opportunities for discussion of sensitive issues of morality, particularly in relation to warfare and fighting

Links to reports:

Final report: Gaming in Families (262kb pdf)
Literature review: Gaming in Families (190kb pdf)
Parents’ and children’s views on and experiences of gaming – survey analysis (240kb)

As reported at Screenplay, the absence of an R18+ video game classification has lead many Australians to believe our  our country has an overly conservative or paranoid attitude to video games.

This isn ot the view shared by Jens Schroder, a visiting German sociologist who has completed a comphrensive study examining society’s perceptions of video games.

To read more clicke here

In 2007, Professor Tanya Byron was asked by the Prime Minister of the UK to conduct an independent review looking at the risk to children from exposure to potentially harmful or in appropriate material on the internet and in video games.  The Byron Report was released in 2008.

Professor Byron has since began her progress review and on 29 March 2010 published Do we have safer children in a digital world? A review of progress since the 2008 Byron Review

In this opinion piece for The Punch, I give my thoughts on R18+ being an issue about adults, respond to some of the ACL and YMA comments and welcome Prof Anderson’s support of an R18+ classification.