Some kids never grow up

Price drops, multiple entertainment functions or hyped-up big-game releases are all reasons people are jumping into the video-game pool in record numbers.

There's still a segment of people out there who believe video games are fodder for 14-year-old boys locked away in their bedrooms.

New figures released by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada show some interesting figures.

Four of 10 households in Canada own a game console. And even if they don't, it seems lots of people are playing, as 75 per cent of all Canadian adults said they had played games at some point and 64 per cent have played in the last year.

The average age of the Canadian gamer keeps going up to, with it being 40 now. And what about the girls? Well, it's not a bastion of just guys anymore, 49 per cent of Canadian gamers are female.

Those that play are playing a lot, which may be a contributing factor in the things like dropping TV ratings, as gaming is increasingly becoming an everyday activity. Those surveyed reported that 34 per cent of them play every day.

The quality of games is certainly one reason why people are using games as a more standard form of entertainment, but the advent of playing games online against other people is a big selling point.

Seven out of 10 gamers say they've played games online recently.

Other interesting notes from the survey:

- Action and family games are the most popular genres, with those categories each selling 22 per cent of the total of games sold last year; sports, shooters and racing games were next, all tied at 10 per cent each.

- Six out of 10 gaming parents say they play games with their kids, and 81 per cent say they monitor games their kids play closely, using the rating system.

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