America’s Love for Video Gaming

America could truly be said to be the video gaming capital of the world. Playing these games is popular in most countries, but in the United States it is on a whole other level.

The latest research into the gaming habits of Americans revealed that 65% of people in the country are now video gamers. Furthermore, the people playing are incredibly diverse, across age, gender and ethnicity.

That is something that has changed in recent years. The traditional image of video gaming was of an activity for teenage boys, but the average player age is now 32 and 46% of them are women.

It seems fair to say that they are among the top leisure activities in the US, but what has led to that? There is more than one reason for the growth in video gaming across America.

There is no question that video gaming has experienced very impressive growth in the US market during the past decade. There are now 190 million people throughout the country who play these games. That adds up to profits of $42.1 billion for the industry.

In terms of time spent on it, gaming is the second biggest leisure activity, behind television. People aged between 10 and 35 spend more time each week on video games than watching television though – which suggests gaming will eventually surpass television in terms of popularity.

Part of the enthusiasm for video gaming in America may be down to restrictions on other forms of gaming such as online casino. More states are starting to legalize this now that it is a matter for the individual states, but it takes time for that sort of change to filter through society as a whole.

Plus, in some states – notably here in California – it is still illegal. People can look for and play at social casinos, but not ones where real money is involved. That seems sure to change soon and it might eat into some of the video gaming audience when it does.

At the moment though, the most popular video game niches are very lucrative.

Top US Video Game Niches

• Action

This genre is typified by the Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty franchises, both of which have been tremendously successful in the US. Action games are the genre that is enjoying the most spectacular growth, with 28.2% of the overall video games market.

These games feature high octane and explosive scenarios with lots of fighting and a hectic pace. They can be very exhilarating experiences for the player.

• First Person Shooter

A first-person shooter game has some similarities to action games, but all of the play is seen from a first-person perspective. They are also more firmly based on gun battles and playing them well is about having ultra fast reflexes and reactions to get your shot off more quickly than the antagonist.

Battlefield and Counter Strike are examples of top first person shooter games. This genre accounts for 21.7% of the market.

• Sport

Sport games make up 13.3% of the US market and it is not just games based on American sports that are popular. The FIFA and Premier League soccer video games have helped to make that sport bigger in the US than it has ever been before.

This shows the power that good video games have to spark new interests in those who play them.

• Role Playing

These are most often fantasy games. They are more popular among female players than any of the other big genres, as are puzzle games. They tend to feature highly complex narratives and immersive play.

The History and the Future of Video Gaming in the US

The first video games were launched in the US during the 1970s, but it was in the following decade that they became really big. They have retained their popularity ever since, but will that continue in the future?

The growing demographic diversity of the people playing them is clearly a positive sign and there is also the matter of exciting new technologies. The video games of the next generation will come with augmented and virtual reality. That will make them far more immersive for the player than anything that has been seen before. It is hard to imagine how that would not bring about further growth in the numbers of people playing the games.

Then there is the rise of competitive gaming in the shape of e-sports. These offer people the chance to make a career out of their passion for video games. The potential to earn money from gaming will inevitably boost its popularity.

The US video gaming market will surely continue to grow, but it will be rivaled by the online casino one as more states legalize it.