IndustryGamers - Informing the Games Industry

Online Games Played by Over 90% of Kids

Posted August 19, 2010 by M.H. Williams

According to a new report by M2 Research, the kids (or 'tweens') of today are playing more games online, whether it be on consoles, mobile devices, computers, or social networking sites. ‘Kids and Games: What Boys and Girls are Playing Today’ has a number of key findings, including:

• Facebook is now the most popular website amongst boys 8-11 and girls 12-15.
• Online games are the primary time waster for boys and girls 8-111. 91% of boys and 93% of girls in that demographic play games online.
• Nintendo still controls the handheld gaming space, but Apple’s iPad and iPhone are on the rise, especially with girls.
• The Sony PSP has the largest gender difference with 17% of teen girls playing games on the system, versus 44% of teen boys.
• Proven franchises remain at the top of boys’ and girls’ favorites lists. Girls prefer the Mario franchise with 20% of girls picking it as their favorite. Boys stick with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, with 36% of teen boys standing behind the series.

"We have found kids tend to play a wide variety of games, and their favorite games and gaming sites change often," explains Louise Curcio, M2 Research Analyst and lead author on the report. "There are opportunities for companies, and we believe the kids market has been overlooked."

‘Kids and Games: What Boys and Girls are Playing Today’ has survey data collected from over 5,000 kids across the U.S. M2 Research has formed a partnership with KidSay to release ongoing reports in this series twice a year.

M.H. Williams has been writing in some form or another for ten years and has been a hardcore gamer since the NES first graced American shores.  You can catch him on Twitter as @AutomaticZen, Google+ as himself, or on his personal Facebook page.