Last week, I was invited to attend the Digital New Zealand 2018 (#DNZ18) presentation by the International Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA). DNZ18 is the fifth report of it’s kind undertaken in New Zealand and is in fact on of the longest running research projects about game audiences in the world.
Through the DNZ studies, which began in 2009, IGEA have illustrated that almost all homes have a device on which someone in the home plays games; that the average player age has gone from the low- to mid-30s; and that there are nearly equal gender representation among players.
The studies also show growing awareness and acceptance of the positive potential of games for culture and cohesion, for imagination and social interaction.
At present, interactive games provide us with fun. Their purpose is mainly to entertain and engage. Their progress is to inform and persuade, to educate and illuminate. They are used in schools and workplaces, in hospitals and other health care settings They are played by billions and made by millions all over the world. They are a celebration of human imagination, innovation and culture.
The presentation I attended, led by Dr Jeff Brand, a Bond University Professor, highlights the findings of the DNZ18 report, which follows four key themes: Function, Motive, Intention and Advantage. The report showed that 67% of New Zealanders play video games in some form, 47% of gamers are female and that the average age of gamers in New Zealand is 34 years.
The findings which were of most importance to me was the positive effects video games have on mental well-being and the fact that video game streaming and watching video game broadcasts, particularly in terms of e-sports, is growing significantly.
It is my hypothesis that soon, e-sports will dominate the market as being the most viewed ‘sporting game’, especially with e-sports now being treated as a major sporting event, with more fans watching than playing. After all, this year’s Intel Extreme Masters (“IEM”) e-sports event alone had over 40 million viewers tuning in.
From the DNZ18 report, it is quite evident that video games are becoming more of a staple in our lives, with a multitude of positive uses to benefit society. For more on IGEA and the DNZ18 report, go here.