According to the latest report
from research firm Forrester based on a 10,000 household mail survey (the same report we blogged about earlier),
consumer interest in video games is falling. According to the survey results, 43% of North American consumers agreed
that they play less games now than they did two years ago, compared with 34% that disagreed. The reason for this fall
in interest could be partially attributed to the transition between previous and next-generation consoles, but there
are some deeper problems that should be addressed.Firstly, a gender mismatch within the gaming industry still exists. 20% of males consider themselves active gamers, compared to 11% of women that say the same. This is certainly an improvement over previous generations (where the ratio was more like 10 male gamers to every female gamer) but the inequality is still evident today. Our prescription: more games made by women, for women. We'd go as far to suggest that a form of affirmative action within the games industry should be implemented.
Secondly, in the mindset of consumers games are still too expensive. According to 48% of gamers games still fail to offer good value for money. The report finds this surprising when considering a comparison to movies (games typically offer 30 hours of gameplay compared to a 3-5 hour movie with extra features) but we suspect the problem is more a matter of quality rather than quantity. Fortunately, the report provides evidence that advertising in games is acceptable to around 25% of respondents, providing that it meant cheaper games and provided that they don't interfere with gameplay. Publishers - take the hint.
