Video Game Buyers Not Effected By Slower Economy This Holiday Season
Consumers Will Buy the Same or More Games This Year Than Last, Reveals Recent Survey of Holiday Game Buyers
San Francisco, CA – 11/26/02 – A recent nationwide survey of video and PC game buyers revealed that 3 out of 4 game buyers plan to buy more or the same number of games this Holiday season, over last. More than 6,400 gamers participated in the survey, and when asked, “How many games do you plan to buy before December 31st?” answered with an average of 3 games each.
This survey is the latest in a series of surveys commissioned by Gigex, Inc., the leading online distributor of video game trailers and demos, was conducted online between October 1st and October 15th, 2002 and is the result of 6,407 responses.
The study reveals that price will not be the driving factor for gamers choosing a new console system this Holiday season. When asked, “What is your most important reason to buy a game platform?” the number one answer was “It has the most games I like to play” (33%), followed by “It has the best quality game play” (30%), “I prefer the manufacturer over the others” (12%), and then “Price” (11%).
When asked which game they plan to buy next, respondents listed the following top 10 games: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2), Hitman 2 (PS2, Xbox, PC), Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (PS2, Xbox, PC), James Bond 007: Nightfire (PS2, Xbox, GC, PC), Everquest: Planes of Power (PC), Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell (Xbox, PC), Sims Online (PC), Tony Hawk 4 (PS2, Xbox, GC), Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (PS2), and Madden 2003 (PS2, Xbox, GC, PC, GBA).
“We are encouraged by these positive sales projections for the coming Holiday buying season,” said Mark Friedler, CEO of Gigex, Inc. “Our audience of over 26 million monthly visitors are mainly 14-40 year old male “entertainment enthusiasts” who are trend setters and early adopters. Our relationship with them gives Gigex the unique opportunity to conduct these timely research studies, as well as provide our marketing partners with custom surveys that are specifically designed to quickly answer critical research questions throughout the year. Our conclusion is the forecast for video game entertainment looks strong for this year.”
The Internet is an increasingly critical part of the buying process for gamers, the study shows. When asked, “After seeing a game advertised on TV, what is the first thing you do?” game buyers top answer was “Go to the Internet to research the game in greater detail” (50%), followed by “Seek more information from gaming magazines” (27%), and “Ask for recommendations from friends” (15%). In the battle for dominance in the online gaming arena, the survey reveals that brand loyalty and installed base will play a key role. When asked, “What video game platform offers the best online gaming experience?” game buyers answered PlayStation 2 (34%), Xbox (20%), and GameCube (8%).
