Sooprise, sooprise, "households with kids ages 6-12 represent the 'sweet spot' for these products," writes Nielsen on its blog. Also, these households tend to be wealthier, with incomes above $70,000. But lest you think this is strictly a suburban whitebread consumer template, Hispanics and Asians were most likely, among ethnicities, to pick up this type of game, too.

What is interesting to me is the console breakdown of video game movie buyers. The PlayStation 3 is the clear leader, followed by the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360. The Wii? A distant fourth.

This is probably attributable to the first three consoles outnumbering the Wii for development of video game adaptations. But as Nielsen started this by painting the picture of a comfortable, dual-income family with kids younger than 12 in the house, and with most major film adaptations going to all consoles, the Wii turning up so low is kind of a surprise.

Movie-based Video Games and the Households that Buy Them [Nielsen Blog]

I've now checked the completion stats online for Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars three times: in mid-April, mid-May and mid-June. These stats are listed on the Rockstar Social Club website. They don't represent a GTA:CW player's mere completion of the acclaimed DS games' story. They indicate that a player has unlocked the game's Guardian Lions statues, which means they have finished the game's story and synced their DS to Rockstar's site twice.

The game was released in mid-March and less than a month later, 1,900 people had done all of that. A month later, that number was at 4,500. Today, a little over a month since I last checked, the figure is at 5,893. (Check the GTA: Chinatown Wars stats yourself, registration required.)

Some might draw a correlation between the completion stats and the sales of Chinatown Wars. I won't, because there's no telling what the norm is for someone both buying a game and then going to the lengths required to get listed on Rockstar's site.

But this is still a figure we can track, to gauge how much interest the game holds for players and how many more make it to the finish line worldwide, each month. It's easy to lose sight of the life a game has beyond its release. Here we have a sign of activity we can keep checking until Rockstar turns their feature off.

Fast Company reports that they've been told that the graph was mislabeled. The real graph, which now appears in the official report and in the image above, shows that the Wii is in second place, after the PS2, for console usage and the PS3 is in fifth place, beating out the GameCube and original Xbox.

Whoops. I hope there aren't any other mistakes in the oft-cited, typically trusted data. Reached for comment this morning, a Nielsen representative said the report does not contain any other errors.

Who Really Gets the Most Play? Nielsen's Revised Chart Upends the Video Game Market

In the words of the greatest literary mind of our time, don't panic.

My stats were down last night as well, and when I logged into the game just a half hour ago, everything was back to normal. This was an issue that occured on a regular basis with Battlefield 2, and we can probably assume that it will happen on and off with Bad Company as well. The servers go down, and when they come back up it takes time for all of the stats to return. You didn't really think EA DICE would screw up that big, did you?

72% of Americans play some sort of video games (that's up from 64% last year). Of that 72%, only 42% play games online (that's up from 40% last year). And of that 42% of online players, 90% play online with their PC. Also of note, 50% of online console gaming was on the Xbox 360. And only 2-3% of NPD's respondents reported owning more than one console. How's that for some late afternoon watercooler fodder?

NPD: 72% Of U.S. Plays Games, Only 2-3% Own Multiple Consoles [Gamasutra][image]

More neat stats from the ESRB in 2007:

•94% of games were rated for children 13 and younger
•The 'E' (6+) category saw the biggest growth of all
•60% of ratings were 'E'

So it would seem that parents opposed to headshots can find plenty of alternative content for their children in today's video game market. So unless anyone feels like content has been mislabeled, it pretty much negates the bitchfest in my mind.

ESRB Newsletter Winter 2008 [ESRB via GoNintendo]

But the Wii and Xbox 360 aren't far behind with 65% and 66% HD penetration, respectively. Component cables are the most popular option (which isn't all that surprising since the Wii doesn't offer an HDMI option and the Xbox 360 only jumped on that bandwagon late). Yeah, I'm thinking more and more that my theory that consoles sell HDTVs wasn't so crazy after all.

Gamers Ripe for High-End A/V Systems, Research Shows [via maxconsole]

Bungie's Weekly Update [Bungie.net via Eurogamer]

We'll ignore the fact that decent sales of Wiis and 360s mean more people own them and thereby mean less people want them, and instead stoke the fires on the console fanboy wars.

Women Prefer Wii, Men Prefer PlayStation 3 [via wiiwii]

Activision is launching a new community site for Guitar Hero that will let you earn groupies, find friends and enter tournaments.

After the game launches on Oct. 28, player will be able to create or join a group on the site to compare scores along with tracking and finding friends. The press release isn't exactly crystal clear, but it sounds like the site might be a bit like Bungie's Halo 3 site, meaning that it could track scores, which is a fantastic idea for Guitar Hero 3.

ACTIVISION OFFERS FANS BACKSTAGE PASS TO NEW OFFICIAL GUITAR HERO® COMMUNITY WEBSITE

Fans Register Stage Names and Receive Exclusive Info, Assets, Integrated Online Player Stats, and Sneak Peak at Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock

Sunnyvale, CA - October 11, 2007 - Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), in partnership with Agora Games, a leading provider of online community development and in-game data collection, announced today that a new dedicated Guitar Hero community teaser website has launched, and fans can now visit www.GuitarHero.com to get a Backstage Pass to obtain insider information, news announcements, exclusive behind the scenes footage of Slash and other in-game talent, gameplay videos, and screenshots. Aspiring axe-shredders will also have the ability to pre-order and hear snippets from the set list of the highly anticipated title, Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock.

Fans who are first to sign up will have the exciting opportunity to create their own account and claim their stage name, which will be their unique identity on the official Guitar Hero community site, scoreboards, and forums. After the game launches on October 28, 2007, players will be able to go "on tour" by creating or joining a group to compare scores, and compete online in global head to head tournaments with other tour groups, along with the opportunity to establish new friendships and connect with other passionate Guitar Hero fans from around the world. They can also build a "rock radius" to opt-in and see friends, tour group members and players to connect with online through a global map.

To complete the rock star experience, fans can obtain groupies on the road to stardom while earning the title of Indie to Rock Star to Guitar Hero and shredding their way into the Hall of Fame. Groupies will determine a player's popularity around the Backstage Pass, as well as on the full community site. For a limited time, players can now earn groupies by telling friends about their band and getting them to register on the site to join their tour group.

By: Brian Crecente

The Playstation Portable could be the biggest selling failure in history.

Since it's launch Sony has shipped more than 25 million of the portable gaming devices and at least one analyst predicts that will hit 29 million by the end of the year.

And with the recent drop in price, the PSP has already seen a 300 percent increase in sales. This jump in sales, be it a temporary spike or a signs of things to come, comes with the surprising news that the UMD movie format is also making a bit of a recovery.

As we approach the heart of 2007, Sony sees this as being the year of the Playstation Portable, a year that saw a price drop and return of the UMD, a year that is seeing a change in the portables marketing and a year that will see a slew of major PSP announcements.

"In 2005 we launched the product, last year about establishing the software," said John Koller, senior marketing manager for the PSP. " think this is going to be the year for PSP, I think it's going to be a fantastic year for it.
A very very good year."

Koller said decision to drop the Playstation Portable to $169 was threefold.

"We got some cost savings out of the product, and we wanted to pass that on to the consumers," he said. "The second reason was we looked at the Wal-Mart experience over black Friday, that was really a good point to go to that price point. Lastly, we are really trying to promote the PSP heavily toward the 13 to 17 consumer group."

That new, younger market that Sony is shooting for is one that has seen a significant increase in the past year, Koller said. In fact, 13 to 17-year-olds are the largest group of PSP owners.

"I think that goes back to content," he said. "A lot of the games that have launched have done a lot to target that group on its own."

"The campaign we are including with the price drop is called Dude, Get Your Own," he said. "We've seen an increase in sales immediately."

In the the first two days following the PSP's price drop there was a 300 percent increase in the number of the portables sold.

And with that increase among teen gamers has come a jump in the amount of downloading. Video is the top type of download, with music coming in at number two, Koller said.

While the interest in downloadable content is at an all-time high, Koller still declined to talk about when or if Sony will be launching its own store for content.

Koller was able to talk about UMD, a format I and many gamers and writers thought was dying. Not only is Sony not thinking of ditching the format, it seems to be making a come back.

UMD movie sales were actually up 35 percent from 2005 to 2006, Koller said. And that jump in sales enticed Target to bring the format back to their stores.

And games too are attracting attention, with more developers creating original content for the portable.

"Our greatest successes take place when publishers and developers recognize the value of the PSP owner as a PSP owner not repurposing a title," Koller said. "We've actively encouraged third parties in that direction."

The upcoming God of War title for the PSP is a good example of that, he said. It will be unique to the PSP, offering an extension of the plot that made the first two games such a success.

"I think you're going to see a lot more of that," he said. "I think third party is starting to understand the value of doing that."

Riding a wave of increased interested, higher sales and better titles, Sony plans to make some big announcements about the PSP in the near future.

"There will be some major PSP announcements this year," he said, "they will be coming over the course of the next few months."

Marketers are piling all of their advertising money into social media networks (a fancy marketing phrase for emails and search engines) because they are too cheap and stupid unimaginative to come up with interesting content for the gaming medium:

The gaming lag didn't really surprise Mr. Haven. For the most part it targets a younger, more sophisticated audience. "If you're brand isn't already targeting that type of audience it's difficult to make the justification" to get into gaming, he said.

You hear that guys? We're like, totally smart! Kim Phu

For Marketers Social Media Soars, Mobile and Gaming Lag [AdAge]

Research firm comScore Networks has published a survey indicating that online holiday spending is up 26% from last year, with game software and hardware being two of the top five categories benefiting from the jump. In the 50 days leading up to December 20th, game console sales were up 54% and packaged software saw a 65% increase. Total holiday spending over the internet reached $21.68 billion, with $1.5 billion spent in the first three days of the last work week before Christmas alone.

I am certain the Wii and PS3 launches played a large part in those numbers, especially with every PS3 sold equaling the same amount spent on 2-3 consoles in previous years. On top of that there's the $10 rise in games for the PS3 and 360, and a general trend away from brick and mortar retailers to begin with. Still pretty amazing numbers when you get right down to it. Michael Fahey

Comscore: Late Holiday Spending Boosts Game Biz [Gamasutra]

• Bestsellers - Most Crafted Items
• Crafer's Corner - Most Created Items
• Fierce Creatures - Most Dangerous NPCs
• Gold Rush - Most Gathered Items
• Big Booty - Most Looted Items
• Heroes for Hire - Most Completed Quests

Data hounds can also perform quick AJAX-y searches and do side-by-side comparisons for up to seven days worth of data to see what's hot and what's not. It's a handy little tool to see what the world of WoWers are up to these days. Michael McWhertor

World of Warcraft Game Statistics

According to the Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry, or EFATCAVGI as I like to call it, the average age of gamers is now 33, or just two years younger than me. And the average age of the typical game purchaser is 40. Wait, does that mean that people are getting their older brothers to buy their games for them?

The industry sold 228.5 million games last year for a total of $7 billion and forty-two percent of Americans have purchased or plan to purchase one or more games in 2006.'

Hit the jump for more lid-drooping numbers. —Brian Crecente

Demographics: Sixty-nine percent of American heads of households play computer or video games. The average age of a game player is 33, while the average age of the most frequent game purchaser is 40. In 2005, twenty-five percent of game players were over the age of 50. The average adult gamer has played for 12 years. [1]
Game Content: Forty-nine percent of games sold in 2005 were rated "Everyone," while thirty-two percent were rated "Teen." Sixteen out of twenty of the best selling games were rated "E" or "T". [3] Eighty-nine percent of parents are present at the time their children purchase or rent games, and sixty-one percent believe games are a positive part of their children's lives. [2]
Parents and Games: Thirty-five percent of American parents play computer and video games. Among these gamer parents, eighty percent report playing video games with their children, and sixty-six percent say playing games has brought their families closer together. The typical gamer parent is 37 years old, and forty-seven percent of gamer parents are women. [2]
Online and Wireless Games: Forty-four percent of the most frequent gamers report playing games online, up from nineteen percent in 2000. Thirty-two percent of heads of households report playing games on wireless devices such as cell phones or PDA's, up from twenty percent in 2002. [1]
Industry Sales: The industry sold 228.5 million game units in 2005, for total sales of $7 billion. [3] Forty-two percent of Americans have purchased or plan to purchase one or more games in 2006. [1]