In-Stat/MDR is predicting the total online gaming market is going to explode, as in growth from just over $1 billion last year to almost $4 billion by the end of 2008, spurred by advertising and anticipated millions of new players expected by the end of that year.
In-Stat also predicted in an August 31 report that about half the population of the United States would take part in online games by the end of 2008, with multiplayer online role playing peaking by 2005.
The report did not include figures for online gambling.
Last month, the NPD Group issued a report saying most of today’s 13-44 year old computer game players can play online and the personal computer is the dominant platform now, surpassing the traditional electronic game console. About 90 percent of those NPD surveyed who play games online use one of the three Internet-capale game systems (the PC or the Mac computer, PlayStation 2, Xbox), and 60 percent of those using online-capable game systems play online – while “a significant percentage” of those who own PlayStation2, Xbox, or both, playing online instead of on their console systems.
“The seeds of online gaming were planted when the Internet was made available for commercial use in the early 1990’s, so it’s not surprising to see that PC games have the home-court advantage when it comes to online gaming,” said NPD senior industry analyst Richard Ow. “On the other hand, the mobile-based gaming market - a market still very much in its infancy - showing a 10 percent user base [among general gamers who also play online] is what really stands out. And with most mobile platforms being online-ready, they’re close to competing with the console systems for the attention of online gamers.”
And if there was a kind of gender gap in online gaming, it’s been shrinking of late. Nielsen//NetRatings said males make up 51 percent of the online gaming community, while finding women 35-49 spent the most time at online game sites in May, and America Online found women over forty are among the more avid online gamers.