Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
2010 Computer and Video Game Sales by Rating
by UNITS SOLD
44%
12.3%
19.5%
24%
EVERYONE
(E)
EVERYONE 10+
(E10+)
TEEN
(T)
MATURE
(M)
FiGuRe 5.3
According to the NPD Group, a large percentage of all
games sold are designed for the entire family.
The number of gamers has increased substantially over the past few decades,
and the demographics indicate that more adults, including women, are enjoy-
ing them. Whole families play together, and according to the ESA compilation,
these are the top four reasons they play:
1.
It's fun for the entire family (87%).
2.
Because they're asked to (83%).
3.
It's a good opportunity to socialize with the child (75%).
4.
It's a good opportunity to monitor game content (60%).
Mary Ulicsak, Martha Wright, and Sue Cranmer, in a Futurelab report, came
to similar conclusions: “Video gaming as a family has the potential to bring
generations together, provide experience of digital technologies to all ages, and
develop social skills such as turn-taking—all in activity described as 'fun.'”
The statistics presented here should give you a clear indication that games
aren't just for kids, nor does your demographic have to be extremely narrow.
That said, the demographic is an extremely important aspect to understand
when designing the graphics for a game. If you're designing a game for little
girls, say, 5-8 years old, then working with somber earth tones and using just
stone and rusty metal textures would not be the best way to go. But how do you
know what
will
work for a particular demographic?
Unfortunately, too many game makers rely on their own personal experiences
and likes and dislikes when designing games. One way to work past this dilemma is
to incorporate a thorough research/design phase for any game being constructed.
Do the legwork to learn about your demographic, even if you're working on a
Be sure you research
as much as you can
about your demo-
graphic to under-
stand their likes,
dislikes and the
types of games they
like to play.
