The Economics of Electronic Gaming

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Thanks largely to the introduction of the Wii, today's audience for video games extends beyond the young male gamer stereotype. Though the obsessive gamers who frequent GameSpot and IGN.com are largely youthful and male, the population of casual gamers has grown much more diverse. According to the video and computer game industry's main trade group, the Entertainment Software Association, the average game player is thirty years old and has been playing games for twelve years. Women constitute 47 percent of game players, and 36 percent of Americans over age thirty-six play video games; 72 percent of American households play computer or video games.10 These numbers speak to the economic health of the electronic gaming industry, which has proved recession-proof so far. Electronic gaming companies can make money selling not just consoles and games but also online subscriptions, companion books, and movie rights.