A recent PopCap casual games survey finds parents are more acceptable to casual games than hardcore games, but the responses were a bit startling. Apparently hardcore games are more "okay" if you're a boy and less if you're a girl...
PopCap has always been big on running surveys, typically they're surveys show something positive about their industry, the casual game market. However, once and awhile you get one of those "huh?" moments where you statistics show more than what you bargained for.
In this case, it shows that parents accept some children playing "hardcore" game titles and 60% of those forbidden to play these type of games are...girls?
Seattle, Washington – October 10, 2007 – Nearly three quarters (72%) of parents and grandparents who play “casual” video games – family-friendly puzzle and word games – say they do not allow their kids or grandkids to play “hardcore” video games, according to a recent survey conducted by Information Solutions Group on behalf of PopCap Games. All of these “family gamers” say they allow their children/grandchildren to play “casual” video games, and 80% say they play casual games with them.
However, there’s a sexist undercurrent to the survey responses. While nearly half of parents/grandparents (48%) to children aged 14+ say they do not allow their child/grandchild play hardcore games, 60% forbid girls from playing hardcore games – compared to just 37% forbidding boys.
Dr. Carl Arinoldo, a Stony Brook, New York-based psychologist of 25 years, expert on parent-child relationships and author of the new book Essentials of Smart Parenting, says “Overall, boys do tend to be more active and aggressive than girls, and their choices for play activities are no different. It is generally considered more acceptable for boys to engage in more action-oriented and even somewhat violent activities (such as contact sports) than it is for girls. In addition, parents often tend to be somewhat more protective of their daughters in what they do than they are of their sons, allowing for a bit more independence and leeway for the boys. This is somewhat outdated thinking, but obviously a perspective shared by many parents even today. But most experts agree that exposing children and adolescents to graphically explicit content of a sexual or extremely violent nature should be avoided, and this applies to both genders.”
Parents and grandparents were far more positive about casual video games, and the survey results reveal adults’ perceptions of the casual gaming habits of children of different ages and genders. Parents/grandparents report that benefits most experienced by kids aged 9 and under include:
- Hand-eye coordination/manual dexterity (28%)
- Learning skills – pattern recognition, resource allocation, spelling, etc. (24%)
- Mental workouts/cognitive exercise (11%)
- Positive affirmation/confidence building (11%)
However, in kids aged ten or older, stress relief/relaxation is the clearest benefit:
- Stress relief/relaxation (26%)
- Hand-eye coordination/manual dexterity (22%)
- Learning (17%)
Dr. Arinoldo surmises, “While the cognitive benefits of playing casual computer games (e.g. concentration, focusing, decision-making, etc.) are present in some form for children of all ages, the stress-management benefits understandably become more significant as a child ages toward and through adolescence. From school pressures to puberty, tweens and teens certainly experience more stress, on average, than younger children. Playing casual computer games can be a good choice for parents to encourage as part of their children's stress-management strategies.”
Interestingly, there were differences in play frequency across different age groups:
- 15% of children age 8 or younger play three times a week or more
- 20% of 8- to 10-year olds play three times a week or more
- 30% of 11-to 13-year olds play three times a week or more
- 32% of 14-to 17-year olds play three times a week or more
While this illustrates a natural increase in play as the child gets older – presumably because of longer attention spans and later bedtimes – it also suggests that in the oldest age category where children have more autonomy over their play, they are still choosing to play in moderation.
In terms of game-play sessions, kids keep it brief with most capping their sessions at an hour or less (84% of those less than 8 years old; 76% of 8- to 10-year olds; 63% of 11- to 13-year olds; 58% of those 14 years or older). Compared to hardcore gaming, where one session of Halo or World of Warcraft can easily last over 4 hours, casual games seem to offer parents a “safer,” less all-consuming option.
It seems likely that this “moderation” is a primary reason that parents appear to favor casual games. 63% of casual gaming parents and grandparents say their kids play for four hours or less a week. One of the advantages of casual games is that players don’t need to commit to marathon sessions – they can dip in and out as they wish, fitting the games around their lives – rather than becoming totally immersed for hours on end, as is the case with many hardcore games.
In terms of frequency of play almost one quarter (24%) said the children play casual games daily. The research showed a balance between male and female child’s play – with 72% of males and 71% females playing at least once a week. Whereas there is a clear perception among parents and grandparents that hardcore games are perhaps more suitable for (or at the least far more popular with) boys, casual games are an equally acknowledged unisex pastime.
“Casual computer and video games are family-friendly types of games in which parents and children can enjoy some quality bonding time while playing, as well as after playing when discussing the game and the various strategies used in playing,” says Dr. Arinoldo. “Parents can use the time to encourage their children, talk to their children, and be close to their children while engaging in an activity that has generally very positive associations for most children,” he adds.
Survey Methodology
This international research was conducted by Information Solutions Group (ISG; www.infosolutionsgroup.com) for PopCap Games. Among the nearly 7,500 adult respondents who took part in the survey, nearly a third (31%) indicated they had children or grandchildren under age 18 who play casual games in their home. These results are based on online surveys completed by 2,298 respondents randomly selected between June 15 and June 29, 2007.
About PopCap
PopCap Games (www.popcap.com) is the leading multi-platform provider of “casual games” — fun, easy-to-learn, captivating computer games that appeal to everyone from age 6 to 106. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of over 170 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, B.C. and Dublin. Its games have been downloaded more than 1 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship title, Bejeweled®, has sold more than 10 million units across all platforms. Constantly acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap’s games are played on the Web, desktop computers, myriad mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod and more), popular game consoles (such as Xbox), and in-flight entertainment systems. PopCap is the only casual games developer with leading market share across all major sales channels, including Web portals, retail stores, mobile operators and developers, and game device manufacturers.
