Games Falling Out of Favour in America

According to one reseacher, things aren't quite as rosy as recent year-end sales figures might have you believe.

Despite games having their best year ever in both the US and Europe in 2005, a recent survey suggests that many people are getting tired of games, and at least part of the reason is because they cost so much.

Is this the face of the big equaliser?

The survey, conducted by US-based Forrester Research and reported by game site Joystiq, polled 10,000 households in North America and found that 43 per cent were playing games less now than two years ago. On the other hand, a slightly smaller fraction, 34 per cent, said that they were actually playing more now.

Numbers like these won't be news to game makers, who have been wondering aloud how to make games that appeal to more people. The good news is that there seem to be more women playing games now, as 11 per cent of those women surveyed considered themselves active gamers, as opposed to 20 per cent of men.

News such as this jives with Nintendo's internal numbers that found more and more women getting into DS games - Nintendogs in particular.

A big reason why some people are losing interest in games is the high prices, which have recently been boosted with the arrival of the first next-generation consoles. Nearly half of those surveyed said that games don't offer good value for money.

One way publishers are hoping to lower the cost of making games is by including ads directly. A quarter of responders said that they don't mind the trend as long as it doesn't interfere with the game experience.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games