The NPD group has published their latest study and found something they weren’t quite expecting among their results. Those who they classified as ‘hardcore’ gamers were more likely to purchase music and movies than they were to spend cash on video games.
Given the price tag that comes with console or even PC games it’s no wonder really when compared with new music and film CD/DVDs.
”These consumers remain more likely to buy a DVD or CD, than they are to purchase a new video game. In fact, 58 percent had purchased a new DVD in the past six months, 46 percent bought a CD, and 43 percent purchased a game for a console,” stated NPD.
NPD class a gamer as ‘hardcore’ if they play titles daily or for prolonged periods of time.
”We have this perception of hard-core gamers glued to their consoles, and immersed in virtual worlds, when in fact, they are still spending a lot of time with, and money on, music, movies, and other pastimes,” says NPD’s Russ Crupnick, an analyst for the entertainment indutsry. ”To be a winner in the entertainment wars, companies need to make sure they lead at every consumer touch point – from traditional retail to digital to wireless. In doing so, they stand a better chance of increasing their share of the time and money consumers choose to spend on their products.”
Have no illusion - the games industry is at a constant war for attention with the music and movie industries. This digital age we live in craves to be entertained, with online distribution becoming more and more popular with services like iTunes for example the battle will become fiercer and more creative as time goes on.
Let’s hope the PC games market comes up with a few trump cards though services like GamersGate are making progress for online purchases, we’ll just have to see if confidence grows among gamers to trust more digital downloads - ones that aren’t pirated that is.
”It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that all of these entertainment categories are interlaced with one another, and they are all separately vying for a larger share of consumers’ leisure time and wallet share,” said Crupnick. ”New technologies, new devices, and digital-content delivery are changing the entertainment landscape in such a way that companies must keep tabs on the latest trends in competitive categories – not just on their own entertainment sectors.”
Click here to visit the official NPD Group website.
