Ultra gamers make up 22% of the market
by Justin Murray 
{ Dec 22nd 2006 at 1:25AM }
An important aspect game publishers need to consider is their market. How many people are out there that buy games and of them, what are their buying habits? Jupiter Research, a market research company, has some answers.
Ultra gamers, as Jupiter calls them, make up 22% of the game buying population. The ultra gamers are gamers that spend more than 5 hours per week playing games and more than $50 in the last six months buying them. This means the other 78% is the casual market.
The ultra gamer tag (that would be most of the folks reading this) is certainly odd. We find $50 in six months to be a strangely low number, given the number of games many of us play in the course of a year; even the more economical GameFly subscription would run $132 in that period. Maybe the hardcore segment is a small portion of the ultra gamer segment.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rabish12 @ Dec 22nd 2006 1:39AM
Most of my friends who aren't gamers at all have spent more than $50 on games in the past six months. A single game costs more than that.
Ritz @ Dec 22nd 2006 1:38AM
Are we that few? I guess that might be, if you take into consideration all the "non-gamers" that play flash games and other low key applications for entertainment during their spare time.
Here I would normaly say "and here's where Nintendo will cash in huge!" but the thing is, I think the reason why a casual game market exist is due to the cost of most other games. I imagine a very large portion of casual gamers are only gamers because they don't have to spend a dime. That makes Wii $250 too expensive for many...
And here is will I shall say Nintendo has a better chance at trying to tap that market than the PS3 or Xbox 360.
Matt @ Dec 22nd 2006 1:57AM
or maybe i pirate the shit out of software. $50 if they're lucky! SNAP!
dan(o) @ Dec 22nd 2006 2:04AM
their definition, while clearly spelled out, doesn't reflect actuality.
Just like any other social stratification, there are different levels of "Ultra Gamer" which they fail to acknowledge. In my mind their definition of an "Ultra Gamer" is the bare minimum, as my friends and I spend a lot more time. Hell, my roommate plays WoW for literally 5 hours a day.
Also, if my mom plays Tetris on her 20$ kohls brand tetris toy thing for 5 hours a week does this mean she meets half of the requirements for being an Ultra Gamer?
A better system of gaming hierarchy needs to be established. Anyone up to the task of making a better list of criteria?
joseph @ Dec 22nd 2006 2:16AM
not only does the ultra gamer spend 5+ hours / wk playing games, he also posts 10 comments a wk on gaming blogs like joystiq
Gavin @ Dec 22nd 2006 2:16AM
I bet Bart is playing Bonestorm.
WarchildX @ Dec 22nd 2006 2:22AM
Hehe, Bonestorm. Its just a gateway to the real meat and potatoes:
Cup'N Ball.
That Ultra Gamer is way off. My casual gaming friends spend more than in a period of three months...let alone six.
Count Zero @ Dec 22nd 2006 3:09AM
more then 50 in the last six months? So like buying 1-2 games?
Joe Cam @ Dec 22nd 2006 2:39AM
$50 in 6 months? I've done more than that in the past 6 DAYS. And ALMOST $50 in the past 6 HOURS. A Wiimote alone was $40. Let's not forget that Pink DS Lite I grabbed last night just because it was the last one in the store. Nevermind the fact that I own the red Mario Kart DS and a White Lite already...
Oh, and I grabbed Metal Slug Anthology (Wii) this week.
And a Wii Point Card.
And 2 1600 Marketplace cards (one was a gift, does that count?).
And Sega Genesis Collection (PSP version).
AND THIS WAS A SLOW WEEK!!!
And it's not like I'm rich here. I'm a full time employee at a retail store. I make just over $8 an hour and pay plenty of bills, so I don't roll in the cash. But only $50 in 6 months?
Could they possibly mean an AVERAGE of $50 a month over a 6 month span? That might be more reasonable...
JustinL @ Dec 22nd 2006 2:42AM
Even if only 22% of gamers pay more than $100 a year, those gamers are the market. Considering that publishers only make a couple bucks of every 50, that means that 78% of the claimed market is giving them less than 5 dollars of profit per year. Under their definition of 'gamer' and 'ultra gamer,' appealing to casual gamers makes no economic sense.
The market is not how many people are willing to pay for games, it's where you make your money. Unless you can get non-ultra gamers to fork over more money, they remain on the outside of the market.
Jonathan @ Dec 22nd 2006 2:47AM
I think the reason Wii stands to be successful is because casual/non/lapsed gamers have never had a system specifically targeted at them before.
Consider the original iMac. It's a computer that actually wasn't that much different than the G3 All-In-One computer that preceded it, but it was very aggressively targeted at a wider audience.
The result? Apple's consumer sales of Macs skyrocketed from where they were, and suddenly the company became relevant again (paving the way for the eventual iPod).
Whether you like the Wii or not, that's not the point. The point is that it's a _very_ smart business move by Nintendo. If they had just released another conventional "me too" system similar to the 360 or PS3, they'd have another lukewarm success like the Gamecube (GC actually made money, unlike the colossal failure of the XBOX losing billions)
By taking the steps to differentiate their product and go after an untapped market, they now have Wiis flying off the shelves at breakneck speed. It's still too early to say anything for certain, but whether Wii ends up the winner of the "console war" or not, it definitely looks like Nintendo's share of the home console market could increase dramatically compared to the Gamecube generation. And if that's not a success, then I don't know what is.
hobo rowe @ Dec 22nd 2006 4:21AM
These seem to be your typical BS numbers. No one really can agree on the definition of a 'gamer,' so any study on that elusive demographic and its size are meaningless. I'd expound further on this point, but I'm really just commenting to test my Wii browser. Working so far! :D
tack @ Dec 22nd 2006 4:11AM
hi from my wii =)
Padriac @ Dec 22nd 2006 4:10AM
I posted this comment from the Wii browser that just came out. Everything works pretty well. Typing is like typing on a keyboard with one finger... slow, but manageable. I don't have a USB keyboard (just bluetooth), so I can't test that.
rainking187 @ Dec 22nd 2006 4:19AM
What exactly would they consider a normal gamer? Someone that's touched a console at least once in the last 20 years? Those qualifications to be an ultra gamer essentially mean that you've bought one game in the last six months and played it. Hardly seems ultra to me.
Kevin B @ Dec 22nd 2006 4:16AM
Hello World! From my Wii! Ha ha 360ers! LoLz!11ZOMG
Hobo Rowe @ Dec 22nd 2006 4:28AM
Awesome. Soon a storm of Wii Posts will clog the intertubes. :P
Shaun @ Dec 22nd 2006 4:38AM
1 game every 6 months and it's played for 130 hours? WoW clearly screwed up the figures!
[Note: This message was typed with my penis]
nicer @ Dec 22nd 2006 4:42AM
Wii browser test
Markusdragon @ Dec 22nd 2006 6:08AM
This year I spent (lets see... both guitar hero games were released over here, I bought buzz, I didn't own a Nintendo DS before this year and I now have at least 25 games... I got addicted to city of heroes...) £1000 ($1800ish) on gaming, played an average of about 8 hours a day (those 18 hours a day MMO days skew the average a bit), so what does that make me.
Personally I like the term Nerdcore. Because it's both nerdy, hardcore, and the true core of gaming.
FSK405K @ Dec 22nd 2006 6:13AM
No, there's not two criteria for becoming an ultra-gamer; anyone who spends five hours per week or more is one. What they're saying about the $50 per six months is, according to the 1up synopsis, "has spent $50 or more on games in the last six months." Whether this is the minimum of any of those people or an average is not clear by 1up's reporting.
Colin @ Dec 22nd 2006 6:43AM
five hours is not really alot of time to be honest!
I think you have to add super for every other 5 hours you play!
Psaakyrn @ Dec 22nd 2006 6:59AM
For that matter, just because I spend little on games does not mean I'm any less a gamer. Maybe I'm just frugal and play only beta/free games?
unimental @ Dec 22nd 2006 7:03AM
Does this mean I`m an Optimus Gamer? I`m cool with that. (posted from my Wii. Don`t tell my 360 how cool this is.)
Will @ Dec 22nd 2006 8:08AM
I want Bonestorm, I want Bonestorm! Seriously though $50? I've spent more on just Live Arcade games this year, let alone all the rest of the games I've bought just for the 360. With these numbers I guess were all "Ultra" gamers. $50 really? What have they been smoking? Do they know the cost of games, even if you buy just one? Hogwash I tell you.
gotjpeg @ Dec 22nd 2006 8:10AM
Darn when I read the article I thought it was gonna talk about Ultra Games rememeber that company? Aw those were the days.
WillyFourEyes @ Dec 22nd 2006 8:24AM
The threshold for ultra-gamerdom is only FIVE hours per week? I play five non-consecutive hours on an average Saturday. Wimps.
Thryon @ Dec 22nd 2006 8:25AM
Even my non-gaming whife spent more than $50 in six months (NHL2K7 for the X360)
Seriously, then what category am I? This is my November/December spending
Xbox 360 HD-DVD
MS Wireless Racing Wheel
MS Wireless Headset
(all games are for Xbox 360)
Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Rainbow Six: Vegas
FEAR
Gears of War
Viva Pinata
Star Trek Legacy
Need For Speed Carbon
WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007
Call of Duty 3
Enchanted Arms
5000 MS points
All in all, I spent about $1100 Canadian in November and December (mind you, the rest of the year, I am budgeted at $100 monthly).
baby sea tuna @ Dec 22nd 2006 8:51AM
Ugh, I don't ever want to be called an "Ultra-gamer."
White Rose Duelist @ Dec 22nd 2006 9:18AM
Pokémon Pearl alone will fulfill my criteria for ultra gamer for 2007.
/not posted from a Wii, but only because I'm at work
32_Footsteps @ Dec 22nd 2006 9:40AM
Wait, you're basically saying that the entry bar to being the most dedicated gamer is so low, my mom passes it? My mom, who swung a controller to move her Tetris blocks back in 1990 (I'm convinced my mom is the one who convinced Nintendo to make the Wiimote), qualifies as an "ultra gamer."
I'm mostly curious as to what she will think of this.
Beaudry @ Dec 22nd 2006 9:48AM
I am a casual gamer by this articles definition. Over the course of a year, I would be lucky to be 4 games.
Everybody here needs to realize that they are on the extreme 5% of people who play video games. Your friends who only play video games 10 hours a week are not just casual gamers. They just aren't the gaming freaks that you are!
And your mom doesn't play frickin' Tetris for 5 hours/week every week of the year. Give me a break. She'll probably go three of four months not playing one single game.
White Rose Duelist @ Dec 22nd 2006 10:11AM
Beaudry - five hours a week is nothing if you use public transportation. I probably log 8-10 hours a week just on my DS on the subway.
bubbastump @ Dec 22nd 2006 10:34AM
I've purchased 9 360 games this year and the HD-DVD add on. Definately more than all of my friends who have probably purchased between 3-5 games this year.
Gears Of War
Call of Duty 3
Viva Pinata
King Kong
Need For Speed
Perfect Dark
GRAW
Prey
Fight Night Round 3
Beaudry @ Dec 22nd 2006 10:17AM
Most people don't use public transporation. That's really a non-issue.
Beaudry @ Dec 22nd 2006 10:21AM
#28 "Even my non-gaming wife spent more than $50 in six months (NHL2K7 for the X360)"
No, she spends $60/year for one game, which would be $30 every six months.
Also, your wife is not a non-gamer if she buys and plays NHL2k7 on the 360.
General.disregard @ Dec 22nd 2006 11:02AM
If you count hardware, id say in the quarter I've spent about $1200
this article is seriously fuxored.
"ultra gamer"!?? nix the "ultra" and it might be a valid article. does spending $60 on toilet paper in 6 months make me an "ultra crapper"?
32_Footsteps @ Dec 22nd 2006 11:05AM
That's true, my mom doesn't spend 5 hours per week on Tetris.
That's only about an hour or two. Online canasta and Scrabble, that's where the hours rack up. Though she also has fun with Ape Escape (my mom is of the opinion that monkeys make any game better - who am I to argue?) and she's been asking me about Guitar Hero.
Justagirl @ Dec 22nd 2006 1:35PM
I went and read through what I think is the Jupiter report in question. The report is about teen gamers, ages 13-17 and though it classifies the ultra-gamer as spending more than 5 hours per week playing video games and spending over $50 in the last six months, they found that the average "ultra-gamer" spent over $50. Dunno about you but when I was 13-17, I didn't have very much disposable income and had to spend accordingly.
Bob @ Dec 23rd 2006 9:00PM
That's bullshit. I know cusual gamers who buy more than one game per 6 months. Polls are lame.