Guess what, guys? Over half of adults play video games! I had no idea, given everyone I know who plays games is (legally) an adult… Still, it’s nice to have an actual, legit survey conducted proving what we’ve been trying to tell non-gamers (and lawyers, and politicians, and authorities) for years: games aren’t even remotely just for kids and teens these days. I mean, anyone in their early 30s or younger grew up with gaming!
According to a report released today by Pew Internet & American Life Project, more than half of American adults play video games, with one in five playing every day. (Only two years ago, only 40% of American adults played.) Obviously, the younger the adult the more likely they are to play. 81% of those between 18 and 29 years old play games, while 23% of those 65 and older do. It's worth noting, though, that a higher percentage of adults in the 65+ bracket play games every day than adults in any other bracket. I’m not entirely sure what constitutes someone as being a “game player,” but a researcher at Pew responding to my email assured me that they’d need to do more than just play solitaire on their computer once every other week.
"As various people become more accustomed to spending their entertainment time playing games, we will continue to see this spread throughout society," said Amanda Lenhart, senior research specialist at Pew. "There are people who talk about games as a new genre, a new art form."
Men and women also play games at a fairly even percentage, with 50% of women and 55% of men surveyed playing games.
Unfortunately for those of us 18 and over, the kids are still winning, as more than 95% of teens play video games. Damn kids.
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