Over 79 percent of Aussie homes have a gaming device, with women and the over 60s being the fastest growing audiences for computer and video games, new research has found.
According to a national study by the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia (IEAA), the number of Australian homes with a device for playing computer and video games has increased by three percent since 2005 to reach 79 percent of households.
But the research also revealed that face of gaming was changing with more women, families and older people playing games than ever before. IEAA found 41 percent of gamers are female (up from 38 percent) and eight percent are seniors. Parents were also found to be increasingly playing games with their kids.
The average age of Australian gamers is now 28 years (up from 24 years) and the research predicts that by 2014 the average age of gamers will be the same as non-gamers, at 42 years.
Online gaming was also found to be rising in popularity and ranks 10th among activities Australian’s often use the internet for – ahead of music downloads and online shopping.
