GAMING INDUSTRY OF THE WORLD
World Trends
International video game revenue is estimated to be $81.5B in 2014. This is more
than double the revenue of the international film industry in 2013.
The largest nations by video game revenues are the United States ($20.5B),
China ($17.9B), and Japan ($12.2B). The largest regions are Asia ($36.8B), North
America ($22.2B), and Western Europe ($15.4B).
Estimated figure by 2015 - $70.1 billion
Conventions
Gaming conventions are an important showcase of the industry. The annual
gamescom in Cologne (Germany) is the world's leading expo for video games.
The E3 in Los Angeles (USA) is also of global importance, but is an event for
industry insiders only.
Other notable conventions and trade fairs include Tokyo Game Show (Japan),
Brasil Game Show, EB Games Expo (Australia), KRI (Russia), ChinaJoy and the
annual Game Developers Conference. Some publishers, developers and
technology producers also have their own regular conventions, with BlizzCon,
QuakeCon, Nvision and the X shows being prominent examples.
USA
“ Our industry has a remarkable upward trajectory. Computer and video
games are a form of entertainment enjoyed by a diverse, worldwide
consumer base that demonstrates immense energy and enthusiasm for
games. With an exciting new generation of hardware, outstanding
software, and unmatched creativity, technology, and content, our industry
will continue to thrive in the years ahead.”
— Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO, Entertainment Software
Association
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is the trade association of the video
game industry in the United States. It was formed in April 1994 as the Interactive
Digital Software Association (IDSA) and renamed on July 16, 2003. It is based in
Washington, D.C.
Most of the top publishers in the gaming world (or their American subsidiaries) are
members of ESA, including Capcom, Disney Interactive Studios, Electronic Arts,
Konami, Microsoft, Namco Bandai Games, Nintendo, Sega, Sony Computer
Entertainment, Square Enix, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft and Warner Bros.
Interactive Entertainment.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Percentage of total population playing video games – 59%
Time spent per week by the average American gamer – 13 hours
The average American household owns at least one - dedicated game console, PC
or Smartphone - with an average of two gamers in each game-playing US
household
51% of US households own a dedicated game console
Among American households that own a device to play video games
 88% console
 51% smartphone,
 41% wireless device
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------GAMER DEMOGRAPHICS
Average Age – 31 years
Distribution –
 29% - under 18 years
 32% - 18-35 years
 39% - 36+ years
Source: http://www.statista.com/statistics/189582/age-of-us-video-gameplayers-since-2010/
Gender ratio –
 52% male
 48% female
WHO BUYS COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES?
The average age of the most frequent game purchaser – 35 years
Of the most frequent game purchaser –
 50% male
 50% female
44% of game players state that computer and video games give them the most
value for their money, compared with DVDs, music, or going out to the movies
48% of gamers said the quality of game graphics, an interesting storyline, a
sequel to a favorite game, or word of mouth was the most important factor in
their decision to purchase a computer or video game
21% of gamers said the price was the most important factor in their decision to
purchase a computer or video game
TYPES OF ONLINE GAMES PLAYED MOST OFTEN:
CASUAL/SOCIAL GAMES – 30%
PUZZLE/BOARD GAME/GAME SHOW/TRIVIA/CARD GAME – 28%
ACTION/SPORTS/STRATEGY/ROLE-PLAYING – 24%
PERSISTENT MULTI-PLAYER UNIVERSE – 11%
OTHER – 8%
TYPES OF MOBILE GAMES PLAYED MOST OFTEN:
CASUAL/SOCIAL GAMES – 46%
PUZZLE/BOARD GAME/GAME SHOW/TRIVIA/CARD GAME – 31%
ACTION/SPORTS/STRATEGY/ROLE-PLAYING – 11%
PERSISTENT MULTI-PLAYER UNIVERSE – 4%
OTHER –9%
A majority of gamers play games with their friends and family members –
 18% play with parents
 32% play with other family members
 42% play with friends
 14% play with spouse or significant other
Gamers who are playing more video games than they did thee years ago are
spending less time –
 48% watching TV
 47% going to the movies
 47% watching movies at home
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PARENTS AND GAMES
88% of parents whose children play games believe the ESRB rating system is
either very or somewhat helpful in choosing games for their children
85% of parents are aware of the ESRB rating system
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory
organization that assigns age and content ratings, enforces industryadopted advertising guidelines, and ensures responsible online privacy
principles for computer and video games in the United States and Canada.
The ESRB was established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software
Association in response to criticism of violent content found in video games
such as Night Trap, Mortal Kombat, and other controversial video games
portraying excessively violent or intense sexual situations.
The board assigns ratings to games based on their content, using judgment
similar to the motion picture rating systems used in many countries, using a
combination of six age-based levels intended to aid consumers in
determining a game's content and suitability, along with a system of
"content descriptors" which detail specific types of content present in a
particular game. The ESRB also maintains a code of ethics for the advertising
and promotion of video games, ensuring that marketing materials for games
display their ESRB ratings information, and are targeted to appropriate
audiences.
ESRB ratings have three parts:
 Rating Categories suggest age appropriateness
 Content Descriptors indicate content that may have triggered a
particular rating and/or may be of interest or concern
 Interactive Elements inform about interactive aspects of a product,
including users' ability to interact, the sharing of users' location with
other users, or the fact that personal information may be shared with
third parties
Rating Categories:
 Early Childhood – content is intended for young children
 Everyone – content is generally suitable for all ages. May contain minimal
cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language
 Everyone 10+ – content is generally suitable for ages 10 and up. May
contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or
minimal suggestive themes
 Teen – content is generally suitable for ages 13 and up. May contain
violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated
gambling and/or infrequent use of strong language
 Mature – content is generally suitable for ages 17 and up. May contain
intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language
 Adults Only – content suitable only for adults ages 18 and up. May
include prolonged scenes of intense violence, graphic sexual content
and/or gambling with real currency
 Rating Pending – not yet assigned a final ESRB rating. Appears only in
advertising, marketing and promotional materials related to a game that
is expected to carry an ESRB rating, and should be replaced by a game's
rating once it has been assigned
The US has no significant “ban list” for games. Most game censorship in the
US is self-censorship by companies which desire positive public perception.
For example, when Manhunt 2 received an Adults Only rating, it was not
legally banned from sale in the US, but neither Sony nor Nintendo would
allow it to be published, and GameStop wouldn’t have carried it as policy.
Many games out of Japan, especially during the NES and SNES eras, were
stripped of blood and nudity to appeal to what was perceived as a more
conservative American audience.
87% of parents believe that the parental controls available in all new video game
consoles are useful
95% of parents pay attention to the content of the games their children play
56% of parents believe video games are a positive part of their child’s life
Families with Children Under 18 at Home See Benefits of Playing Computer and
Video Games –
 68% believe game play provides mental stimulation or education


58% believe game play helps to connect with friends
55% believe game play helps the family spend time together
Top 5 reasons parents play games with their kids –
 88% - It’s fun for the entire family
 84% - Because they’re asked to
 75% - It’s a good opportunity to socialize with their child
 61% - It’s a good opportunity to monitor game content
 47% - They enjoy playing video games as much as their child does
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Total consumer spend on games industry in 2013 –
 Content - $15.39 bn
 Hardware - $4.26 bn
 Accessories - $1.88 bn
TOTAL – $21.53 bn
Source: http://www.statista.com/statistics/201093/revenue-of-the-us-videogame-industry/
Top 10 selling video games of 2013 and their ESRB rating –
1. Grand Theft Auto V – Mature
2. Call of Duty: Ghosts – Mature
3. Madden Infl 25 – Everyone
4. Battlefield 4 – Mature
5. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag – Mature
6. NBA 2K14 – Everyone
7. Call of Duty: Black Ops II – Mature
8. Just Dance 2014 – Everyone 10+
9. Minecraft – Everyone 10+
10. Disney Infinity – Everyone 10+
Top 10 selling computer games of 2013 and their ESRB rating –
1. Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm Expansion Pack – Teen
2. Sim City 2013 – Everyone 10+
3. The Sims 3: University Life Expansion Pack – Teen
4. The Sims 3: Starter Pack – Teen
5. The Sims 3 – Teen
6. The Sims 3: Island Paradise Expansion Pack – Teen
7. Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty – Teen
8. World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Expansion Pack – Teen
9. Diablo III – Mature
10. The Sims 3: Supernatural Expansion Pack – Teen
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------REFERENCES
All statistics - http://www.theesa.com/
Ratings Guide - http://www.esrb.org/ratings/ratings_guide.jsp
UK
Fourth largest video game market in the world; second largest in Europe
currently
In 2009, the profits of Britain's video game industry exceeded those from its film
industry for the first time.
Total number of gamers in the UK – 34.7 M
The United Kingdom's video game industry is estimated to employ a total of
7,000 people.
According to the 2014 TIGA (The Independent Game developer Association)
survey, reported in Making Games in the UK Today, the UK games industry
employed 9,896 developers, and contributed £1 billion to GDP in 2013.
Data from UCAS, the web portal for undergraduate degrees, reveal that 115
(higher education) institutions in the UK offered 315 specialist video games
degrees (in 2013/14). We detect evidence of a positive link between the
presence of games specialist courses and games industry clustering.
Many major video game franchises are developed in the UK, including Grand
Theft Auto, Tomb Raider, Burnout, LittleBigPlanet, Wipeout and Dirt. The
country's main video game publisher is the ELSPA, and the primary video game
developer is currently Tiga.
The best-selling video game series made in the UK is Grand Theft Auto (primarily
developed by Rockstar North in Edinburgh, Scotland) which the series has sold
over 150 million copies as of September 2013, the recent instalment Grand Theft
Auto V became the fastest-selling video game of all time by making $815.7
million (£511.8 million) in sales worldwide during the first 24 hours of the
game's sale.
Grand Theft Auto V went on to break several other records such as Bestselling action-adventure video game in 24 hours, Fastest entertainment
property to gross $1 billion, Fastest video game to gross $1 billion, Highest
grossing video game in 24 hours, Highest revenue generated by an
entertainment product in 24 hours and Most viewed trailer for an actionadventure video game. (Reports as per Guinness World Records)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------GAMER DEMOGRAPHICS
Average gamer is 35, married, earns £23k a year
Gender ratio of gamers –
 Male – 55%
 Female – 45%
The profile of gamers is fairly evenly distributed across age and gender, although
there are more YOUNGER MALE gamers (16-25) than female.
Average weekly hours per gamer – 8 hours
Frequency of gaming –
 24% weekly
 7% monthly
 9% less frequently
1 in 4 adults are playing games on a weekly basis. For non-gamers, a lack of
interest in the category is the main barrier.
Owns two consoles, 18 games and takes a month to complete one game
Device used to game (Based on report by GameTrack Digest: Quarter 1 2014) –
 Consoles – 27%
 Handhelds – 12%
 Computers – 26%
 Smartphones – 23%
 Tablets – 16%
Gamers’ activities and interests –
 Internet – 91%
 Travelling – 84%
 Television – 86%
 Music – 89%
 Film – 88%
 News/Current affairs – 73%
 Latest Technology – 76%
 Literature/Art – 49%
 Going out to bars/clubs – 50%
 Sports – 42%
 News about celebs/famous – 38%
 Gaming – 65%
Why do gamers game? –
 Fun – 58%
 Entertaining – 56%
 Good at providing escapism – 45%
 Competitive – 42%
 Immersive – 34%
 Sociable – 22%
 Family oriented – 17%
 Informative/Educational – 8%
Research has revealed that gaming isn’t always good news for relationships, with
the average gamer rowing with their partner twice a week over their pastime.
More than one in twenty of those in relationships say it is a constant source of
their rows while 15 per cent have broken up with someone because of it.
More than three quarters even admitted they don’t think they will ever grow out
of their love for computer games.
While the games are usually switched off by 11pm, gamers have stayed up as late
as 1.12am engrossed in their contests.
They will also spend around four hours queuing for a new game at a midnight
store opening once a year.
It also revealed that gamers have one child, work an average of 32 hours a week
and drive a Ford, Vauxhall or BMW.
The study also found the average video game fan has five online friends in the
gaming community, with 29 per cent saying they have met at least one of those
face-to-face.
And while a third say they are most like to play games with ‘real-life’ friends in
the same room, almost a quarter tend to play with friends remotely.
It also emerged that the Wii is the most popular console to own, followed by a
PlayStation 3 and an Xbox 360.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The organizations responsible for rating video games in the UK are the British
Board of Film Classification and PEGI (Pan European Game Information),
the latter of which was elected to rate British games in 2009 and subsequently
began doing so in July 2012.
The PEGI Ratings:
 PEGI 3 - The content of games given this rating is considered suitable for
all age groups. Some violence in a comical context (typically Bugs Bunny
or Tom & Jerry cartoon-like forms of violence) is acceptable. The child
should not be able to associate the character on the screen with real life
characters, they should be totally fantasy. The game should not contain
any sounds or pictures that are likely to scare or frighten young children.
No bad language should be heard.

PEGI 7 - Any game that would normally be rated at 3 but contains some
possibly frightening scenes or sounds may be considered suitable in this
category.

PEGI 12 - Videogames that show violence of a slightly more graphic
nature towards fantasy character and/or non graphic violence towards
human-looking characters or recognisable animals, as well as videogames
that show nudity of a slightly more graphic nature would fall in this age
category. Any bad language in this category must be mild and fall short of
sexual expletives.

PEGI 16 - This rating is applied once the depiction of violence (or sexual
activity) reaches a stage that looks the same as would be expected in real
life. More extreme bad language, the concept of the use of tobacco and
drugs and the depiction of criminal activities can be content of games that
are rated 16.

PEGI 18 - The adult classification is applied when the level of violence
reaches a stage where it becomes a depiction of gross violence and/or
includes elements of specific types of violence. Gross violence is the most
difficult to define since it can be very subjective in many cases, but in
general terms it can be classed as the depictions of violence that would
make the viewer feel a sense of revulsion.
For more info on the PEGI ratings board and restrictions, visit
http://www.pegi.info/en/index/
The most recent controversy involved Manhunt 2, though Rockstar’s murderfest caused a stir everywhere. The British Board of Film Classification
rejected the game, and its sale became illegal. David Cooke, director of the
BBFC, commented, “There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the
way in which these killings are committed.” But with some fairly significant
edits (which were also required in the US and elsewhere), the game was
eventually released in the UK. The only other controversy in recent memory
involved Carmageddon. In order to be released, the game’s hapless
pedestrians were replaced with robots, but after an appeal the game was
released with its originally intended bloodiness intact.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PARENTS AND GAMES
61% parents have children who play games
UKIE (The Association of UK Interactive Entertainment) reveals results of a poll
of over 1,000 parents of children under 18, highlighting that:
92% of parents recognise the benefits that playing video games can have on their
children –
 Educational benefits - 58%
 Allow children to be creative - 53%
 Provide entertainment - 77%
Other benefits cited include increased co-ordination, strategic thinking and
team-work
Parents would benefit from guidance on which video games are suitable for their
families. Over 1 in 3 parents (34%) admit to having given in and bought a video
game that was unsuitable for their child (before the PEGI system was put in
place)
26% never play video games with their children, with mums and dads both
equally unlikely to join in with the potential for family fun
Top 5 reasons parents play games with their kids –
 To spend time with them – 42%
 They ask me to – 42%






It’s a fun activity for the entire family – 39%
Enjoy playing with them – 36%
Health and fitness benefits – 20%
Educational benefits – 19%
Monitor what games they play – 14%
Monitor how long they play for – 13%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------REFERENCES
http://www.newzoo.com/infographics/infographic-the-uk-games-market/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk
Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) Study
JAPAN
Main features of Japanese games –
 Realistic
 Philosophical (symbolic world, emphasis on diligence and tasks, exotic
settings)
 Huge infusion of anime/manga
World no.1 alongside China when it comes to iPhone/iPad games
Console gaming in Japan –
 1970s: Atari started the market
 1980s: NEC, Nintendo and Sega
 2000s: Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft
Top Consoles Today –
 PlayStation 3
 XBOX 360
 Wii
Consoles unique to Japanese market –
 PSX - hybrid of PS1, PS2 and XMB
 Panasonic Q - Hybrid of GameCube and DVD Player
 Dreamcast Divers 2000 CX1
 Nintendo Astro Boy Game Boy
 Sony Gold Gundam PlayStation 2
PC gaming in Japan –
 1970-1995 was the golden age of PC gaming, with NEC and Toshiba
developing their own microprocessor used on PCs
 Advent of windows 95 led to the decline in overall PC gaming in Japan
 PC games share of the market is constantly being eroded by the increase
in social and mobile gaming
 PC gaming lags behind as the least platform of adoption in Japan
 PC gaming in Japan has seen increased growth recently
 Historically PC games are usually a variant of console games
 Decline since mid 1990s
 Least popular game platform today
 Further eroded by social and mobile gaming
 Role playing most popular genre
Trends
 PC gaming in Japan recently growing again
 Shift from physical media to online
 Shift from solo to social
 Good opportunity for foreign titles
Japanese game development is often identified with the golden age of
videogames - particularly Nintendo under Shigeru Miyamoto and Hiroshi
Yamauchi, and Sega during the same time period - and its industry dominated
the field during the 1980's and 1990's, remaining dominant until the 2000's.
Prior to producing video games, Japanese companies like Sega, Taito, Namco and
Nintendo were producers of electro-mechanical arcade games. Soon after the
video game industry began in the early 1970s, many of these companies turned
their attention to producing arcade video games. Japan eventually became a
major exporter of video games during the golden age of arcade video games, an
era that began with the release of Taito's Space Invaders in 1978 and ended
around the mid-1980s.
Following the North American video game crash of 1983, Japan went on to
become the most dominant country within the global video game industry, since
the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System and the third-generation of
consoles. Japan's dominance within the industry would continue for the next two
decades, up until Microsoft's Xbox consoles began challenging Sony and
Nintendo in the 2000s.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------GAMER DEMOGRAPHICS
Japanese gamers are predominantly male
Gender ratio of gamers –
 56% male
 44% female
Older women are increasingly involved in playing arcade games
Age range of hardcore gamers is between 16-45
Age categories –
 36% < 18 years
 28% 18-35 years
 36% > 36 years
Japanese user preferences – Genre –
1. Action – 42.1%
2. RPG – 24.3%
3. Others – 9.4%
4. Action/Adventure – 4.5%
5. Adventure – 4.5%
Preferences driven by culture and brand loyalty –
 Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii dominate
 Xbox 360 has smaller following
 Role playing games popular among both genders
 Portable consoles popular due to long train commutes
Platform usage (Game Consoles) –
 37% less than once a week
 25% everyday
 15% 2/3 days a week
 12% 4/5 days a week

11% once a week
How long do they use the consoles for video games per day –
 29% one hour during weekdays
 22% less than 15 minutes
 18% almost two hours
 17% almost 30 minutes
 14% more than 5 hours per day
SOCIAL/MOBILE GAMING IN JAPAN –
 Early 2000s – Upswing in mobile gaming
 No. 1 platform for gaming in Japan today
 Downloaded as apps on smartphones
Market Drivers –
 Low development costs
 Increase in mobile penetration
 Integration between mobile and social gaming through SNS
 Increased availability of smartphones
 Social gamers with moderate to high disposable income
Mobile social game players in Japan (2011) –
 Engineers – 8%
 School students – 10%
 Part time workers – 12%
 Office workers – 13%
 Full time housewives – 14%
Game developers and publishers continue to view Japan as a key market for
localization, particularly for mobile games.
With half of Japan's $10.8B game industry comprised of smartphone spending,
European-based companies like SuperCell and King ensure key titles continue to
have localization support for Japanese consumers, according to a
2014 VentureBeat article.
Japan has long been considered the video game hotspot, and game developers
and publishers continue to automatically localize their games for the market, as
mobile gaming revenues have grown "five-fold in the last two years," and social
gaming continues to outperform mobile (MarketResearch.com).
Although Japanese video games often do sell well in Western markets, the
reverse is not so in Japan. Foreign games often sell more poorly in Japanese
markets due to differences in escapism.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Censorship in Japan is an interesting subject, and could easily be an entire
article all by itself. The country combines a rather freely exhibited sexuality,
especially with regard to fetishistic material, with a strangely puritanical
censorship regime that seems to date from the late 1940s.
Games are rarely censored in Japan, with the exception of some
pornographic censorship, which relates more to other laws than it does
videogames. The Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO) rates
most games in Japan, and tends to hand out games lower (less mature)
ratings than Western ratings boards. The Ethics Organization of Computer
Software (EOCS) also rates games in Japan.
For more info on the ratings board, please visit
http://www.cero.gr.jp/e/rating.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------REFERENCES
Famitsu by Enterbrain
Marketsurvey.com
GERMANY
Germany has the largest video games market in Europe, outpacing the United
Kingdom. (As per 2013 statistical data collected by Newzoo and G.A.M.E
Association)
World rank revenue - #4
Revenue generated from games by German consumers in 2013 - €2.66 Bn, up
5% from 2012
Germany is no.1 in the world when it comes to the payer/player ratio with 70%
of gamers paying for games
Germany is one of the most important markets in the world – it is the largest
single market within Europe with a share of 5.5% in the world market.
Half of this revenue is “digital”, generated through digital distribution directly to
consoles and PCs, online casual, social and MMO gaming as well as games played
on smartphone and tablets. Consoles remain the largest segment, accounting for
almost 50% of revenues. Tablets & smartphones combined make up 10.9% of
the German games market.
16.8% of the German gamers play on all four screens: the Computer, Personal,
Floating and Entertainment Screen. The Computer Screen is relatively popular in
Germany with 92.7% of all gamers playing on it. Although quite a lot of the
German gamers play on the personal screen/smartphone (68.7%) – the adoption
of tablet gaming is still falling behind and this is one of the reasons that the
floating screen (30.8%) is relatively unpopular in Germany.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------GAMER DEMOGRAPHICS
Gender Ratio –
 Male – 52%
 Female – 48%
23% of adults are playing weekly. For non-gamers, a lack of interest in the
category is the main barrier.
Gaming is perceived as a fun and entertaining activity by the majority of gamers.
There is a strong interest in technology amongst gamers (67% vs. 42% nongamers).
Frequency of gaming –
 23% - Weekly
 10% - Monthly
 10% - Less frequently
Types of games played –
 Any video gaming – 42%
 Any packaged – 23%
 Any apps – 14%
 Any online – 32%
 Downloads – 21%
 Social – 13%
 Websites – 13%
 Multiplayer online – 9%
Who does the gamer play with when connected to the internet?
 26% - Always play on my own
 26% - Play on my own most of the time
 20% - Sometimes on my own/sometimes with other online players
 5% - Play with other online players most of the time
 2% - Always play with other online players
 19% - Never play games online
Who are the ‘others’ when playing with others?
 54% - Friends (met in real life)
 34% - Family/relatives
 27% - Online strangers
 26% - Friends (not met in real life)
Gamer interests and activities –
 Music – 87%
 Internet – 91%
 Film – 84%
 Television – 78%
 Travelling – 75%
 News/Current affairs – 68%
 Latest technology – 67%
 Sports – 55%
 Literature/Art – 44%
 Going out to bars/clubs – 49%


Gaming – 59%
News about celebs/famous – 31%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PARENTS AND GAMES
50% parents have children who play games




30% - Play games with their children
20% - Don’t play games with their children
47% - Their children don’t play games
3% - Don’t know
Reasons parents play games with their children –
 30% - To spend time with them
 24% - Fun activity for all the family
 23% - To monitor how long they play for
 21% - They ask me to
 21% - to monitor what games they play
 20% - I enjoy playing with them
 16% - Educational benefits
 14% - Health and fitness benefits
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Within Germany there is a popular taste for historical trade simulations that
exceeds that of many other countries, including home-grown ones such as 1602
A.D. and its sequels and The Patrician (video game). Indeed, 1503 A.D.: The New
World and 1602 A.D. are considered the most successful German video games
ever.
First-person shooters have also been traditionally quite popular in recent years,
which has become a controversial debate. There has been much discussion about
the violent content of first-person shooter games, and as such these games,
especially uncut versions, are highly coveted in gaming circles. It is possible that
this popularity has arisen out of a desire to "rebel" against the state.
Germany still feels the effects of World War II, and references to Adolf Hitler
or depictions of the Swastika are strictly verboten.
Germany has something unique — an “Index of Bad Things”, maintained by
the impressively named Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien, the
Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons. The Index, as it's
colloquially known, is a listing of materials deemed, per title, harmful to
young persons.
Germany's censorship law specifically prevents material that "glorifies
violence" while, like the rest of Europe, there's very little problem with
depictions of sex or nudity. It’s in stark contrast to the US and Australia,
where violent games are all right as long as everyone agrees to keep their
unmentionables to themselves.
Violence in video games is a controversial subject in Germany, and German
localisations of violent games are often heavily cut by the publishers to
permit a public release. Usually this entails a simple removal or reduction of
depictions of blood and gore, but sometimes extends to cuts in the content or
plot of the game, as was the case in games such as Counter-Strike and Grand
Theft Auto.
PEGI assigns ratings to video games in Germany.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------REFERENCES
Newzoo
Interactive Software Federation of Europe – www.isfe.eu/
SPAIN
Spain is #2 in the world when it comes to gaming on multiple screens, with 31%
of gamers playing on all four screens (computer, personal, floating,
entertainment)
Incidence of gaming amongst the online population is at 40%
Online is the most popular form of gaming amongst the online population in
Spain with higher incidence levels than the traditional packaged format.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GAMER PROFILE
Gender Ratio –
 Male – 55%
 Female – 45%
Device used to game –
 Consoles – 23%
 Handhelds – 12%
 Computers – 23%
 Smartphones – 19%
 Tablets – 10%
Frequency of gaming –
 Weekly – 24%
 Monthly – 8%
 Less frequently – 9%
1 in 4 adults are playing weekly. For non-gamers, a lack of interest in the
category is the main barrier.
Gaming is perceived as an ‘entertaining’ and ‘fun’ activity by the majority of
gamers.
There is a strong interest in ‘technology’ amongst gamers (76% vs. 45% nongamers).
Types of games played –
 Any video gaming – 40%
 Any packaged – 21%
 Any apps – 20%
 Any online – 31%
 Downloads – 17%
 Social – 17%
 Websites – 15%
 Multiplayer online – 10%
Who does the gamer play with when connected to the internet?
 24% - Always play on my own
 19% - Play on my own most of the time
 28% - Sometimes on my own/sometimes with other online players
 8% - Play with other online players most of the time
 4% - Always play with other online players
 15% - Never play games online
Who are the ‘others’ when playing with others?
 56% - Friends (met in real life)
 41% - Family/relatives


29% - Online strangers
29% - Friends (not met in real life)
Gamer interests and activities –
 Music – 86%
 Internet – 90%
 Film – 80%
 Television – 68%
 Travelling – 87%
 News/Current affairs – 79%
 Latest technology – 76%
 Sports – 66%
 Literature/Art – 55%
 Going out to bars/clubs – 66%
 Gaming – 57%
 News about celebs/famous – 20%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PARENTS AND GAMES
50% of parents have children who play games




29% - Play games with their children
22% - Don’t play games with their children
43% - Their children don’t play games
6% - Don’t know
Reasons parents play games with their children –
 33% - To spend time with them
 32% - Fun activity for all the family
 31% - They ask me to
 31% - I enjoy playing with them
 23% - Educational benefits
 19% - Health and fitness benefits
 10% - To monitor how long they play for
 10% - to monitor what games they play
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PEGI assigns ratings to video games in Spain.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------REFERENCES
Newzoo
Interactive Software Federation of Europe – www.isfe.eu/