You know who you are. Extreme gamers spend an average of 48.5 hours a week playing video games, according to research by market analyst NPD Group.
This “Extreme Gamers” segment represents 4 percent of the total U.S. gaming population. On average, gamers ages 2 and older spend 13 hours per week playing games, up from 12.3 hours in 2009.
The study provides a detailed look at the behaviors of these extreme gamers, who do more of everything when it comes to games, such as downloading games, engaging in micro-transactions, and buying games for consoles, smartphones, portable gaming systems, and computers.
The survey shows that hours spent playing both console and PC games was up markedly over last yaer, with console game play increasing 9 percent and PC game play increasing 6 percent. But the number of gamers playing portable games on game handhelds fell 16 percent (perhaps an effect of smartphone/iPhone/iPod Touch popularity).
The average age of gamers is now 32, up from 31 last year. Avid PC gamers, who are 11 percent of the population, have an average age of 42. NPD conducted the survey in January, with more than 18,872 people filling out the online survey. [photo credit: videogamesblogger]
