Kiwi gamer facts revealed by NZ Research

Did you know the average age of the New Zealand gamer is 33? Or that 88.5% of NZ households have some kind of gaming device? Thanks to the Interactive New Zealand 2010 research project, we now know a bit more about how, when, and why kiwis play games.

The Interactive New Zealand 2010 report, commissioned by the iGEA (Interactive Games and Entertainment Association) provides data on who is playing games in New Zealand, their game play behaviours, the importance of games in the family, the role of online access in game purchasing and play, and how gamers compare with non-gamers on key demographics and attitudes toward games.

Information was collected from 1,202 households and 3,386 individuals, 1,958 of whom identified as gamers. Granted, that's a nebulous term, but it does show just how pervasive interactive entertainment is becoming in our little corner of the world.

Onto the findings!

All homes with children under the age of 18 years have a device for playing computer games.

The majority of gaming devices are PCs (47%) followed by consoles (41%) and handhelds (11%).

Across New Zealand, PCs are in 82% of game households, consoles in 69%.

New Zealand gamers and non-gamers similarly enjoy dining, shopping, family time, socialising and gardening among many leisure activities. The Internet, television and books continue to dominate preferred media activities, though playing video games is on par with more established media activities.

The average age of computer game players in New Zealand is 33 years. Non-gamers are 40 years old, on average. According to Statistics New Zealand, the average age of all New Zealanders is 36 years.

Females make up 44% and males 56% of the population of New Zealanders who play games.

91% of New Zealanders aged 6 to 15 years compared with 43% of those over the age of 50 years play video games.

78% of gamers in New Zealand are aged 18 years or older.

More than half of all gamers play either daily or every other day.

Playing habits are moderate with 60% playing for up to an hour at one time and only 4% play for five or more hours in one sitting, demonstrating moderate play habits.

Females are more heavy consumers of puzzle, board/card, family and educational games.

Males are more heavy consumers of action, strategy, racing, FPS, adventure, RPG and fighting games.

The pattern of media leisure among gamers and non-gamers makes clear that computer games do not compete with non-media and outdoor activities. Instead, they compete with older media.

63% of parents play computer games.

64% use computer games to help educate their children.

In a New Zealand gaming household’s library, 1 in 23 games is pirated.

60% of New Zealanders mainly purchase games new from a local retailer.