Only 26 percent of students report not playing video games

Stamford, CT – November 22, 2006 – Anderson Analytic’s GenX2Z communicated in their latest study that with the release of PlayStation 3 on November 17 and the release of Nintendo Wii on November 19, this weekend marks the first time Xbox 360 will have to compete with the other two major next-gen gaming consoles. One of the groups most eagerly awaiting the release are college students.

Anderson Analytics’ GenX2Z.com division asked 1,000 colleges students about their habits, spending and preferences in regard to gaming. Video games continue to be a major activity among students, with only 26 percent of students reporting not to play video games.

Among the previous generation consoles, PlayStation 2 has the largest share with 28 percent of the students reporting owning the system, followed by Xbox with 17 percent and GameCube with 12 percent.

To get an idea of how the 2006 holiday season would affect market share GenX2Z asked whether students already own or plan to purchase a next-gen console. The 3 major consoles are commanded similar favorability. 12 percent of students plan to purchase PlayStation 3, 11 percent said that they either own or plan to buy an Xbox 360, and 8 percent are interested in Nintendo Wii. Though GenX2Z anticipates the significant differences in price may somewhat favor the Nintendo Wii as students consider the differences.

Though the gaming console war is the main focus during this holiday rush, and online capability is one of the required features of next-gen gaming consoles, only 34 percent of the students report playing games online. What’s more, among gamers, half report most frequently playing PC games, not consoles.

Overall, the most popular online gaming site is Yahoo! Games; and the most popular type of online game is online poker. In terms of other game favorites, the World of Warcraft is the most frequently mentioned online game. And surprisingly, among the shooter genre, after almost a decade, Counter-Strike remains more popular than more polished and modern iterations of the genre such as the Battlefield games and Halo.

Overall, 83 percent of the gamers report only playing 6 hours or less per week. However, there are significant differences between gender. While only 8 percent of the female gamers report playing more than 6 hours a week, compared to 25 percent of male gamers. Among the more devoted, only 1 percent of female gamers report playing over 10 hours a week compared to 8 percent of male gamers.

Regardless of how the console wars play out, one thing is clear, gaming remains an important part of the college experience for not only men, but for women as well.

About Anderson Analytics
Anderson Analytics is a full-service market research consultancy and helping clients gain the “Information Advantage” is our main goal. We do this by combining new technologies with traditional marketing research, providing quantitative and qualitative solutions to help solve challenging marketing problems and discover hidden opportunities. We combine the efficiencies and business experience found in large research firms with the rigorous methodological understanding from academia with the enthusiasm and creativity found only in smaller firms. For more information, please see www.andersonanalytics.com.
About GenX2z
Whether you call them the ‘MTV’, ‘Boomerang’, ‘I’, or ‘New Silent’ Generation, GenX2Z will dictate what your market will look like tomorrow. Anderson Analytic’s GenX2Z Consulting has the experience, access, and knows how to engage and stay current with this demographic. www.genx2z.com