VIDEOGAMES IN EUROPE:

Transcription

1 VIDEOGAMES IN EUROPE: CONSUMER STUDY November 2012

2 [ 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

3 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, 1,327 respondents completed an online survey over a two week period in October The data was weighted to a profile of online gamers in provided by an offline nationally representative sample of 4,050 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 [ 4 ] SUMMARY OVERVIEW OF GAMING 57% 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 13% 53% 47% 38% 20% TYPES OF GAMES PLAYED: BY AGE AND GENDER ANY Video Gaming ANY Packaged ANY Apps ANY Online 57% 47% 66% 42% 28% 44% 25% 32% 15% 24% 35% 16% 35% 15% 44% 56% 35% 55% 34% 78% TOTAL Males Males Females Females % Not very/at all interested 27% 33% Fairly/very interested TOP 3 WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH GAMING ALL ONLINE GAMERS 1 Entertaining 41% 58% 2 Immersive 19% 28% 3 Good at providing escapism 17% 25% GAMING AND THE FAMILY 57% Non parents 65% of parents have children who play games 43% Parents 44% 21% 34% Play games with their children Don't play games with their children 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 72% aware of PEGI age rating symbols 33% aware of PEGI content symbols 72% agree PEGI ratings should apply to app games 74% agree PEGI ratings should apply to games on social network sites Have fun Spend time alone Competitive Develop skills Creative Aggressive Informed Social 54% 51% 46% 45% 35% 24% 22% 71% 20% 4% 31% 8% 32% 7% 34% 10% 35% 13% 41% 13% 53% 13% 37% 32% % AGREE WITH STATEMENT THE MOST The age rating system for videogames should be stricter 26% overall than that used for movies The age rating system for videogames and movies 49% should be the same The age rating system for movies should be stricter 6% overall than that used for videogames 20% Don t know

5 SUMMARY [ 5 ] KEY HEADLINES 1 Incidence of gaming amongst the online population is at 57% The profile of gamers is fairly evenly distributed across age and gender, skewing towards males in the age bracket. Online is the most common form of gaming amongst the online population. Over half of gamers are playing weekly. For non-gamers, a lack of interest in the category is the main barrier. 2 33% of the online population are very or fairly interested in gaming Gaming is perceived as an entertaining activity by the overall online population. A higher percentage of gamers than non-gamers are interested in many other activities. There is a strong interest in technology amongst gamers (68% vs. 43% non-gamers). Gamers are also more likely to be interested in browsing the internet (83% vs. 64% nongamers). 3 44% of parents play games with their children The most common reason parents play games with children is to spend time with them. Many parents see gaming as having a positive impact on their child(ren). 46% believe gaming encourages their child to develop more skills. However, 54% believe gaming encourages their child(ren) to spend more time alone. 4 The majority of children aged 6-15 are buying or receiving games 73% of parents of children aged 6-9 describe themselves as quite or very knowledgeable about the games that child plays. This number falls to 55% amongst parents of children aged % of children aged 6-9 and 33% of children aged are sometimes/often playing games with an age rating higher than their age. 5 72% of the online population recognise PEGI age rating symbols 72% agree that PEGI ratings should be applied to app games and 74% believe they should be applied to games on social network sites. A quarter of the online population believe that the age rating system for games should be stricter than movies, although 49% believe the same level of strictness should be applied to both.

6 [ 6 ] GAMING: WHO, WHAT AND HOW?

7 GAMING: WHO, WHAT AND HOW? [ 7 ] WHO PLAYS VIDEOGAMES? (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) 57% of the online population aged 16 to 64 years old in have played a game in the past 12 months 53% 47% 7% % 8% % 16% % 12% % 6% % 4% % Incidence of gaming amongst the online population is at 57%. The profile of gamers is fairly evenly distributed across age and gender, skewing towards MALES in the age bracket.

8 [ 8 ] GAMING: WHO, WHAT AND HOW? FREQUENCY OF GAMING (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) Never 43% 30% Weekly 14% 13% Monthly Less frequently TOP 5 REASONS FOR NOT GAMING 1 Not interested in them 65% 2 More interested in other hobbies 39% 3 Too old to play them 22% 4 No time to play them 22% 5 Don t have a console at home 15% TYPES OF GAMES PLAYED (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) ANY Video Gaming ANY Packaged ANY Apps ANY Online Downloads Social Websites Multiplayer Online 28% 24% 20% 17% 14% 12% 44% 57% 30% of adults are playing games on a weekly basis. For non-gamers, a lack of interest in the category is the main barrier. ONLINE is the most popular form of gaming, with incidence levels significantly higher than the traditionally strong packaged format.

9 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 28% 25% 32% 15% 24% 35% 16% 35% 15% 35% 34% 20% 30% 16% 21% 15% 17% 23% 9% 28% 11% 14% 20% 9% 19% 11% 12% 28% 8% 12% 3% 47% 42% 44% 44% 57% 56% 55% 66% 78% TOTAL Males Males Females Females More than two thirds of those AGED are gamers. Within this age group, MALES are more active in the Packaged (44% vs. 32%) and Multiplayer Online (28% vs. 12%) categories, whereas Social gaming has a higher incidence amongst FEMALES (28% vs. 23%). Amongst the age group, incidence levels are similar for males and females across all formats except PACKAGED (25% males vs. 15% females).

10 [ 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 24% 12% 20% Free 23% Paid for 7% Free 7% Paid for 7% *Paid for game Paid for 4% *Paid to play online Free 16% Paid for 7% TYPES OF VIDEOGAMES PURCHASED IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) 38% Have bought a game 20% New games on disc or cartridge 13% Secondhand games on disc or cartridge 8% Online games (download/subscription/extras) 6% Games apps For APPS and DOWNLOADS, a fraction of those active in the category are playing games that have been paid for. 38% of the online population have bought a game in the last 12 months. Of those buying games, OVER HALF have bought a new packaged game.

11 GAMING: WHO, WHAT AND HOW? [ 11 ] DEVICES USED TO PLAY GAMES (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) NET Console: 33% NET Portable games device: 20% NET Computer: 45% NET Mobile device: 31% 15% 9% 22% 9% 16% 4% 5% 4% 28% 31% 4% 11% 28% 3% MOST USED (ALL GAMERS) PC Laptop PS3 Wii iphone 21% 20% 10% 9% 9% MOST USED (AMONGST PARENTS WHO PLAY GAMES WITH THEIR CHILDREN) PC Wii Laptop iphone PS3 21% 19% 12% 9% 8% COMPUTERS (laptops and PCs) are the most commonly used devices for gaming. 28% have used a SMARTPHONE to play a game in the past 12 months, making it the second most commonly used device for gaming. The PC is also the most used device amongst parents who play games with their children, closely followed by the Wii.

12 [ 12 ] GAMING: WHO, WHAT AND HOW? 76% of gamers play games online WHEN PLAYING CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET, WHO DO YOU PLAY WITH? (ALL GAMERS) 30% Always play on my own 22% Play on my own most of the time 14% Sometimes on my own/sometimes with other online players 7% Play with other online players most of the time 1% Always play with other online players 24% Never play games online WHEN PLAYING WITH OTHERS ONLINE, WHO ARE THE OTHERS? 46% Friends (met in real life) 45% Online strangers 38% Family/relatives 23% Friends (not met in real life)

13 PERCEPTIONS OF GAMING [ 13 ]

14 [ 14 ] PERCEPTIONS OF GAMING INTEREST IN GAMING (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) 65% Not very/at all interested 38% 13% 27% 20% 33% Fairly/very interested 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 Entertaining 41% 58% 2 Immersive 19% 28% 3 Good at providing escapism 17% 25% 4 Fun 17% 27% 5 Competitive 14% 21% A THIRD of the online population say they are very or fairly interested in gaming. Gaming is perceived as an ENTERTAINING activity by the majority of gamers. The absorbing nature of gaming also comes through strongly from the associated words.

15 PERCEPTIONS OF GAMING [ 15 ] BROADER MEDIA AND ACTIVITIES INTEREST: (FAIRLY/VERY INTERESTED) All Males Males Females Females Film Music 84% 84% 78% 89% 86% 81% 83% 80% 87% 75% Travelling News/current affairs 81% 73% 82% 84% 84% 80% 70% 92% 71% 84% Television Internet 75% 70% 74% 82% 75% 75% 79% 72% 84% 67% The latest technology Sport (taking part) 57% 72% 71% 47% 39% 52% 65% 54% 45% 44% Literature/art Gaming 50% 30% 56% 52% 59% 33% 69% 25% 28% 16% News about celebs/famous Going out to bars/clubs 24% 20% 8% 46% 24% 23% 37% 13% 37% 11%

16 [ 16 ] PERCEPTIONS OF GAMING BROADER MEDIA AND ACTIVITIES INTEREST: DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GAMERS AND NON-GAMERS All Gamers Non-gamers Film Music 84% 89% 77% 81% 86% 74% Travelling News/current affairs 81% 81% 81% 80% 79% 81% Television Internet 75% 79% 70% 75% 83% 64% The latest technology Sport (taking part) 57% 68% 43% 52% 57% 45% Literature/art Gaming 50% 49% 52% 33% 54% 5% News about celebs/famous Going out to bars/clubs 24% 27% 19% 23% 29% 16% A higher percentage of gamers than non-gamers are interested in many other activities. There is a strong interest in TECHNOLOGY (68% vs. 43% non-gamers) and the INTERNET (83% vs. 64% non-gamers) amongst gamers. Gamers are also more likely to be interested in GOING OUT to bars and clubs (29% vs. 16% nongamers) and taking part in SPORT (57% vs. 45% non-gamers).

17 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 Film Music 75% 44% 54% 9% 19% 12% 13% 65% 20% 53% 12% 10% 22% Travelling News/current affairs 48% 37% 71% 28% 53% 16% 21% Television 9% 14% 19% 63% Internet 63% 21% 33% 9% 34% 8% 14% 49% 19% 23% 27% 43% 13% 7% The latest technology Sport (taking part) 15% 24% 6% 37% 9% 16% Literature/art 36% 13% 28% 21% 9% 14% 6% 38% Gaming 33% 28% 35% 7% 50% 41% 19% 17% 5% 8% 17% 5% 14% News about celebs/famous Going out to bars/clubs 26% 7% 10% 35% 17% 26% 21% Most commonly selected category for each word

18 [ 18 ] PERCEPTIONS OF GAMING WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH GAMING: DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GAMERS AND NON-GAMERS Gamers Non-gamers Entertaining Immersive Fun Good at providing escapism Competitive Informative/ educational Sociable Family orientated Gamers associate a much wider range of words with gaming than non-gamers, most likely due to a lack of interest or understanding of the activity. ENTERTAINING is by far the most commonly selected word for both groups.

19 GAMING AND THE FAMILY [ 19 ]

20 [ 20 ] GAMING AND THE FAMILY PARENTS AND CHILDREN WHO PLAY GAMES (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) 65% of parents have children who play games 43% Parents 57% Non parents 44% 21% 34% Play games with their children Don't play games with their children Their children don't play games Don't know REASONS PARENTS PLAY GAMES WITH THEIR CHILDREN To spend time with them They ask me to It s a fun activity for all the family I enjoy playing with them 38% 36% 30% 26% To monitor what games they play To monitor how long they play for Educational benefits Health and fitness benefits 16% 12% 12% 12% 65% of parents have children that play games. Of these, MORE THAN TWO THIRDS play with their children (44% parents play games with their children vs. 21% don t). The most common reason parents play games with children is to SPEND TIME WITH THEM. Only 12% of parents playing games with their children do so for the HEALTH/FITNESS and EDUCATIONAL benefits.

21 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 Entertaining Immersive Fun Good at providing escapism Competitive Informative/ educational Family orientated Sociable There is little or no difference in the words associated with gaming between parents of children who play games and non-parents. Non-parents are more likely to describe gaming as COMPETITIVE, whereas parents who play with their children are more likely to acknowledge the FAMILY ORIENTATED nature of gaming.

22 [ 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 Spend time alone Competitive Develop skills Creative Aggressive Informed Social 54% 51% 46% 45% 35% 24% 22% 71% 37% 20% 4% 31% 8% 32% 7% 34% 10% 35% 13% 41% 13% 53% 13% 32% WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH GAMING: PARENTS OF CHILDREN WHO PLAY GAMES Informative/educational 8% Family orientated 7% vs. vs. PARENTS OF CHILDREN WHO DON T PLAY GAMES Informative/educational 5% Family orientated 5% Many parents see gaming as having a positive impact on their child(ren). 46% believe gaming encourages their child to DEVELOP THEIR SKILLS more. A similar number (45%) believe it encourages them to be more CREATIVE. 54% believe gaming encourages their child(ren) to spend more TIME ALONE, compared to 22% who believe it makes them more SOCIAL.

23 SUPERVISION [ 23 ]

24 [ 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 39% 5% 23% 27% 6% 6 to 9 7% 16% 28% 39% 7% 10 to 15 7% 26% 28% 26% 10% 5% 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 43% 5% 12% 17% 11% 11% 6 to 9 23% 5% 8% 17% 29% 18% 10 to 15 32% 4% 4% 10% 25% 24% *Parents were asked in reference to their YOUNGEST child only Most children aged 6 and above are buying or receiving games. OVER HALF of parents of children aged rarely or never buy that child s games. The number falls slightly to 44% amongst parents of children aged 6-9.

25 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 39% 50% 7% 6 to 9 7% 79% 7% 5% 10 to 15 7% 31% 30% 28% 4% 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 28% 7% 22% 38% 6 to 9 6% 20% 44% 29% 10 to 15 15% 29% 39% 16% *Parents were asked in reference to their YOUNGEST child only 8 in 10 children aged 6-9 never buy games for themself, compared to 3 in 10 children aged % of parents of children aged 6-9 describe themselves as quite or very knowledgeable about the games that child plays. This number falls to 55% amongst parents of children aged

26 [ 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 28% 50% 6% 10% 4% 6 to 9 5% 60% 13% 16% 6% 10 to 15 5% 41% 19% 22% 11% WHETHER CHILD PLAY GAMES WITH HIGHER AGE RATING THAN THEIR AGE AT A FRIEND S HOME** 14% Aged 5 and under play games at a friend s home 28% Aged 6-9 play games at a friend s home 58% Aged play games at a friend s home Don t know No, never Yes, rarely Yes, sometimes Yes, often AGE OF CHILD* 5 and under 13% 47% 22% 13% 4% 6 to 9 30% 28% 31% 8% 10 to 15 34% 16% 18% 22% 10% *Parents were asked in reference to their YOUNGEST child only **Note low base sizes for this question (n < 50) 22% of children aged 6-9 and 33% of children aged are sometimes/often playing games with an age rating higher than their age.

27 SUPERVISION [ 27 ] USE OF PARENTAL CONTROLS (PARENTS OF CHILDREN WHO PLAY GAMES) FOR CHILDREN AGED 5 OR UNDER 18% use parental control settings to limit what their youngest child can access on their games consoles 20% WHAT RESTRICTED 14% Games played by age rating 8% Amount of play time 8% 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 % use parental control settings to limit what their youngest child can access on their games consoles 33% FOR CHILDREN AGED % use parental control settings to limit what their youngest child can access on their games consoles 35% WHAT RESTRICTED 17% Games played by age rating 11% Online access through the console 4% 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 17% Games played by age rating 13% 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 [ 28 ] PEGI RATING SYSTEM

29 PEGI RATING SYSTEM [ 29 ] AWARENESS OF RATING SYSTEMS (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) 48% 18% aware of ANY age rating system for videogames aware of PEGI age rating system for videogames 72% aware of PEGI age rating symbols 33% aware of PEGI content symbols EXTENT TO WHICH THE SYMBOLS ARE... PEGI AGE RATING SYMBOLS PEGI CONTENT SYMBOLS 92% 85% 83% 89% 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 in are aware of an age rating system for games, but only 18%are aware of PEGI ratings. Awareness of the PEGI age ratings increases to 72% after prompting with images. The vast majority of respondents agree that both sets of symbols are CLEAR and USEFUL.

30 [ 30 ] PEGI RATING SYSTEM SHOULD THE PEGI RATING SYSTEM ALSO APPLY TO APP AND SOCIAL GAMES? (ALL ONLINE RESPONDENTS) 72% agree PEGI ratings should apply to app games 74% 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 26% 49% 6% 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 20% Don t know/none of these 72% agree that PEGI ratings should be applied to app games and 74% believe they should be applied to games on social network sites. A QUARTER of the online population believe that the age rating system for games should be stricter than movies, although 49% believe the same level of strictness should be applied to both.

31 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

32 LATEST GAMETRACK DATA % PLAYING GAMES IN PAST 12 MONTHS Q 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% 18% 18% 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.

33 FOR MORE INFORMATION DIRK BOSMANS Communication Manager Interactive Software Federation of Europe t: +32 (0) e: dirk.bosmans@isfe.eu w: PAUL MASKELL Research Director Ipsos MediaCT t: +44 (0) e: dirk.bosmans@isfe.eu w: