Core gamers have heavy impact on economy [update 1]
by Ross Miller 
{ Oct 3rd 2006 at 4:55PM }
Definition: a heavy gamer (also known as core gamer) is one who buys eight or more games per year and plays at least 10 hours per week.Correlation: according to a recent study by Ziff Davis Games Group, heavy gamers spend notably more money than casual gamers (those who buy at most one game per year and play five or fewer hours per week). Some relative figures:
- Heavy gamers spent $710 on clothing over the last six months, nearly double that of casual gamers. That equates to approximately $1,420 annually.
- Heavy gamers spent $116 on DVDs over the last six months (or $232 annually), while casual gamers only shelled out $64.
- Similar trends hold for consumer electronics, online music downloads, athletic shoes, and CDs.
See Also:
Picture it: special status for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii console owners
Economies of scale don't apply to virtual worlds?
Joystiq's coverage on in-game advertising
[Update 1: clarified some language in the conclusion.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brian @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:01PM
Thanks for doubling the 6-month figures for me. Otherwise I would've been completely lost.
Todd @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:03PM
That's a lot of disposable income!
Pince @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:05PM
that is rather silly. Unless there is more to this study, it could just be that there is a strong correlation between buying lots of games and buying lots of stuff. I imagine a lot of people who get listed as "core gamers" may just be people who spend lots of cash. That is not to say that gamers arent worth advetizing to, I just dont think the correlation is all that profound.
Also, maybe it is because those stats dont fit me at all. I buy well over 8 games a year, but many are older used titles, so it doesnt necessarily reflect my purchasing power. Over the last six months I have spent maybe 100$ on clothing, and only because I needed it and $20 on DVDs. So if big spenders are considered core gamers what does that make me.
ivan @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:09PM
what? so the people who have more money, buy more games and clothes... they have rich parents, care less about getting anywhere and they have more time to just sit back and relax... that's all I understood from this article. not news to me.
Probot @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:10PM
People with money have heavy impact on economy.
Justin @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:17PM
I will say that I'm a hardcore gamer, I purchase at least 50 games a year for sure. I also buy about 4 dvds or so per month and the same can be said about music. Now my shelves are filled from my collection over the past 4 years. Why do I buy all this stuff? I am into games, music, and movies, with occasional book buying as well. Plus i dont spend my money on much else aside from essentials, gf, and vacations. I'm not a sports fan, car person, or any other type... I'm a gamer. It just what I'm into.
pandlcg @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:17PM
So does the study conclude that casual gamers horde their money away refusing to help stimulate the economy? Maybe they just arent spending money on the same things.
Methane47 @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:21PM
"Heavy gamers spent $710 on clothing over the last six months, nearly double that of casual gamers. That equates to approximately $1,420 annually."
So... Are you guys saying that Heavy Gamers are... Girls?
Almack64 @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:21PM
I know if there isn't anything more to this study it doesn't say much. People who like to spend money = buy assortment of things. I also agree with Pince I guess by that defintion I am a "heavy gamer" but don't really spend much money on anything else. I know a lot of people who fall in this category. It makes me question the how deeply this corelation was looked into to get these stats.
Homer @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:28PM
I remember when I could afford the heavy gamer life style, before I graduated college, got married, and my wife started her post-undergrad education.
But now I look back at all the games I bought during that time, and find that fewer than 50% of them I played enough to make it worth the $$, and even fewer I actually finished.
Oh yeah, and I've never spent freaking $1k on cloths in a year, holy crap.
Chymeron @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:33PM
"Conclusion: heavy gamers have a greater impact on the economy as a whole, by means of their spending trends."
INCORRECT CONCLUSION - if heavy gamers constitute a considerably smaller percentage of total target market as compared to casual gamers their "impact" will still be relatively small and ignored by marketers. So while they may spend more per person as compared to casual gamers, they still represent a minority of the gamer market as a whole.
If you don't believe me, get that Vlad guy to do another stupid pie chart.
Tanthala5 @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:42PM
$1400 a year? these people wearing Versace or what? lol
JC @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:44PM
From what I read the whole study just meant that heavy gamers spend more than casual gamers per person. As a whole I am sure casual gamers spend way more than heavy gamers.
But then non-gamers (which the study ignored) probably have a heavier impact on the economy.
nootau @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:48PM
is there an uber gamer category? eight or more games a year? more like 15 or more lol....i guess i toned down my spending after getting gamefly though....lol
$1,420 on clothing? maybe in 5 years or so! lol Thats money for gaming! wow, that reminds me, i havent bought clothes in a few years.....unless you count socks lol
aZn_1080p @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:45PM
this is what makes it so comical to see people bash the ps3 for its pricetag, gamers are willing to spend lots of money when the value is there, and the ps3 has value in spades, easily the most feature-rich and futureproof console in history!
? X ? O @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:46PM
You only have to buy 8 games a *year* and play 10 hours a week to be considered a "core gamer?"
I wonder what that makes the rest of us who have purchased over 20 games so far this year and play over 20 hours a week. Addicts?
Petrie @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:46PM
It really wouldn't be hard to spend a little over $100 a month on clothes, in many instances that covers a pair of jeans and 2 shirts, or even less depending where you shop. Those with that kind of money aren't shopping at your local Wal-Mart people. I almost think that number seems a bit low.
Chris @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:48PM
Chymeron is the only smart person here (this includes whoever wrote this post). What a stupid post and stupid report. Your conclusion is completely off-base because it completely lacks relevant numbers like how many "core gamers" there are for every casual gamer. Do the math sweetheart, if there are 100 casual gamers to every one "core gamer", catering to the one person's wants is a total waste of time.
Colonel @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:54PM
Well, core gamers have more disposable income
i'd be lying if I said I wasn't spoiled
the 1400 dollar estimate seems close enough to me...most of my clothes are abercrombie and hollister (im 17, figures lol)
i buy about a game or two a month, most of the time for my 360, sometimes for my PS2 (that'll change this fall with the PS3), and I got a black infiniti G35 for my birthday. it's good to hear that people like me keep the VG industry going. i love gaming more than anything so no matter how spoiled i'll always support the developers and publishers
Just say no to fanboyism, kids
Homer @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:53PM
$100 a month? I think the last time I bought a new pair of jeans was 10 months ago, and before that, 8-10 more months, so on a so forth. Think there was a leap year in there somewhere, so I might have actuall bought two pairs in 1 year.
.... damn I'm cheap.
Colon D @ Oct 3rd 2006 5:59PM
I don't think I could ever spend £750 on clothing in a year. Even if I tried.
Petrie @ Oct 3rd 2006 6:00PM
Well a lot of people will spend $100 on an outfit just to go out on a Saturday night. I know being a waiter I have a TON of disposable income even though I'm a college student, but the majority of mine is spent dining out, and on games and entertainment. I shop the clearance racks for the most part, thpugh I do buy my share of clothing. Waiting tables is just such quick, easy, and good money though.
? X ? O @ Oct 3rd 2006 6:02PM
Colonel,
Please tell me you at least pay for the insurance on your car. I would be a bit disappointed in your parents if they didn't try to teach you a *little* about responsibility.
Matt @ Oct 3rd 2006 8:27PM
So...
It took a study to learn that people who spend money on things they don't need generally don't restrict their spending habits to only one thing?
Wonder of wonders.
Gangway @ Oct 3rd 2006 8:28PM
AZN_1080P
Ive got to say you are one of the most annoying people on here. You have to post on every Fu@*ing story and its getting to the point where I wish you would chill out........or die. Seriously no one cares about how much you want to munch on Kens pickle or how the PS3 is going to better your life. As a REAL gamer I can recognize that you are not. And besides, your not a core gamer or a casual gamer, your just gay.
1080i ok with me @ Oct 3rd 2006 9:49PM
He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother. The funny thing about statistics, is if you use the right set of numbers you can say anything. I would actually like to see the scientific data.
Erich @ Oct 4th 2006 4:58AM
I prefer to call them "spoiled brats" not "hardcore gamers"
The kids who can buy alot of games are the same ones whose parents buy everything for them, no surprises here.
Wild Homes @ Oct 4th 2006 2:02AM
I have just two thoughts about this.
First, Azn is the biggest idiot I've ever met. not that me saying this now denegrates the countless times each other person on earth has said it.
Second, there seems to be a gap between Core and Casual. the Casual gamer buys one (or less) games per year and plays maybe five hours a week, but the Core gamer buys at least eight games per year and plays at least ten hours a week. I bet they would have learned a lot more if they would have studied the group in between those two extremes. because as it stands, the gist of the entire article is _people who buy a lot of games buy a lot of stuff compared to people who don't buy a lot of stuff._
which is the most useless conclusion ever.
Tim @ Oct 4th 2006 8:29AM
I spend my own money that way, and none of it comes from my parents.
I haven't bought a pair of shoes for under 100$ since my parents stopped buying mine from WalMart. It's just one of those things I guess. I grew up on walmart/goodwill stuff from my folks, so I compensate while I'm in college by spending wild amounts on clothing and shoes.
Or at least, that's why I thought I did it. Apparently it's because I play a lot of Splinter Cell.
Ciaran Gallagher @ Oct 4th 2006 11:47AM
spoiled brats is right.
Heavy gamers DON'T have an impact on economy. RICH people have an impact on economy!
The conclusion is that people with lots of spare money spend more money on video games and therefore play more video games!
cade @ Oct 4th 2006 1:42PM
Would someone please define 'rich' for me. For someone to spend 1400 a year on clothing is not very much, I spend about $35.00 per week on dry cleaning($1820 a year) in addition to that new clothes and shoes are probably another $1200- $1800.
Spoiled brats (I have 2) just do not have the kind of money or the leeway to spend the kind of money that the article is covering.
As far as heavy gamers we do have a strong impact on the economy. Every one I know that is a little more than a casual gamer has at least 2 games systems and an hd television.
Rob @ Oct 5th 2006 9:08AM
$232 Annually on DVDs? WTF? We can do that in one shopping trip.
And 8 games a year? Again, I've do that in one shopping trip (with a record of 20 in one trip. Yay for $5 sales)