IndustryGamers - Informing the Games Industry

Report: 40% of U.S. Console Gamers Have Paid for Downloadable Content

Posted October 26, 2009 by James Brightman

The new International Gamers Survey from Today's Gamers, which looked at over 13,000 people with web access across the Netherlands, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the United States, puts a spotlight on how digital distribution is gaining in importance both here and in Europe.

The survey found that 40% of all console users in the U.S. have downloaded and paid for complete games or extra levels. Furthermore, 15% stated that they usually buy new games directly via their console (and this goes up to 25% specifically for next-gen consoles). On the PC, 23% of gamers said they buy and download games directly online. For some reason, these numbers are much lower in the U.K. - just 7% of all console players download versus 14% for PC gamers.

Game demos have often been used as a great marketing tool for publishers, and the survey appears to highlight this. 25% of U.S. console gamers said that the availability of a downloadable trial version or demo is "a crucial factor in their buying decision" and this is true for both male and female players. On the PC, the demo importance goes up to 30%. The survey also found that many Xbox 360 and PS3 users are using their consoles for watching videos online.  66% of American PS3 and Xbox 360 users downloads or accesses video content via their console, but this figure drops to about 45% in the U.K. Not surprisingly, it's even lower for Nintendo's Wii - just 42% of American Wii users and 22% in the U.K. 

Here's a handy chart that summarizes more of the findings:

James Brightman has been covering the games industry since 2003 and has been an avid gamer ever since the days of Atari and Intellivision. He was previously the EIC of GameDaily Biz.