Game Over For TV?
July 23, 2005
A new study released by Ziff Davis Media finds that about one-fourth of video game players watched less television last year, and 18% say they plan to reduce their TV viewing in the coming year.
Ziff also reported that the time spent watching TV among respondents declined from 18 hours per week to 16 hours per week.
Clearly, many game players hunger for more time to play games. A GMI poll conducted in May 2005 found that 48% of video game players in the US would like to spend more time playing video games, and 35% would like to maintain the same level. Reducing TV watching time is evidently the way quite a few manage to increase their playing time.
Meanwhile, the number of people in the US who play video games will hit 76.2 million in 2005, compared to 67.5 million in 2004, an increase of 11.4%. Ziff Davis credits the rise to new portable game units and reduced prices for older console systems.
The number of video game and PC gaming households in the US is growing slowly. Again, portable gaming is a key part of the growth of gaming — according to the survey, 40% of respondents plan to buy a portable system in the coming year.
