Kristy SharrowHere’s how it tends to play out…
Step 1: Hear gamification.
Step 2: Think gaming.
Step 3: Form thought along the lines of: Could be interesting for a team of fresh-out-of-college 20 somethings who “still” play video games.
Can you relate? If so, fair enough. But we do think you should read these five stats (courtesy of the Entertainment Software Association) before settling on Step 3:
1. The average gamer is 30 years old and has been playing games for 13 years.
2. The average age of the most frequent game purchaser is 35 years old.
3. 85% of parents who play games with their kids say it’s fun for the entire family. (Note: This is the top reason parents play with their kids; it beats out options like: “because they were asked to” and “it’s a good opportunity to socialize with their child.”)
4. More people play games who are 50+ years old than under 18 years old. (26% of gamers are 50+, 25% are under 18.)
5. 49% of parents who play games with their kids say they enjoy playing video games as much as their child does.
Gamification is a broad term with a lot of uses. But regardless of whether you’re talking sales gamification, consumer gamification, marketing gamification or something entirely different, in most cases, it does involve some gaming components. We just want to make sure that if you’re going to assume what the ideal audience would be based on those components, you’ve got your facts straight.
MORE READING:
