One in five PC gamers are considered 'heavy core' players, study finds

• Taycat wrote on 2014-09-12 10:04
  [Image: http://www.techspot.com/images2/news/bigimage/2014-09-11-image-6.jpg]

  
  
  

  If you spend five or more hours each week playing shooters or strategy games on your PC, you’re considered a “heavy core” gamer according to a new report from The NPD Group.
  
  In its “Understanding PC Gaming: 2014” study, the analytics firm breaks down PC gamers into three categories: heavy core, light core and casual. In order to qualify as a core gamer, respondents had to currently play action/adventure, fighting, flight, massively multiplayer, racing, real time strategy, role-playing, shooter or sport games on a PC or Mac.
  
  Light core gamers still enjoy core games but play for less than five hours a week while casual gamers only play non-core titles.
  
  Of those surveyed, 56 percent were considered casual gamers, 24 percent classified themselves as light core gamers while just 20 percent ranked as heavy core gamers. Even though heavy core gamers make up the smallest segment, they spend roughly twice as much money on physical or digital games compared to casual gamers.
  
  The study also found that PC gamers are just as likely to be men as they are women – in this case, it was a 51 percent to 49 percent split, respectively. Gender differences become apparent by the type of gamer, however. Heavy and light core gamers are mostly men while casual PC players are overwhelmingly female.
  
  PC gamers also tend to be older at an average age of 38 and have an average income of $69,000 annually.
  
  Data for the study was collected from 6,225 individuals ages nine and older between June 2, 2014 and June 16, 2014.

  
  
  Source
  
  and now they're coining a term to people who can't get off their video games
• Campylobacter jejuni wrote on 2014-09-12 10:11
  It's for marketing, not for problematising video game consumption. I think it's ok. Of course that report is a bit simplistic for the age of big data.
• Snowie Stormflower wrote on 2014-09-12 10:15
  I feel like they didn't have enough test subjects for this, the results seem a bit off to me.
  
  Also, "Heavy Core" gamers spend only roughly twice as much as casuals? I'm pretty sure they spend a lot more than that, at least I do;
• Space Pirate Nithiel wrote on 2014-09-12 10:36
  Only 5 hours a week? Pansies.
• Osayidan wrote on 2014-09-12 11:36
  If they call 5 hours of shooters a week "heavy core" what do they call 40+ hours of MMO per week?
  To some people 40 hours probably is considered casual even.
• Campylobacter jejuni wrote on 2014-09-12 12:32

  Quote from Osayidan;1246797:

  If they call 5 hours of shooters a week "heavy core" what do they call 40+ hours of MMO per week?
  To some people 40 hours probably is considered casual even.

  
  40+ hours of anything per week is probably a job. If it isn't a job, then I daresay it's not quite just a normal hobby anymore.
• Kefka wrote on 2014-09-12 12:33
  "Gamer" is the new "N" word to the ignorant media.
  
  People act so much like dumb cattle, it's disgusting.
• Osayidan wrote on 2014-09-12 12:40

  Quote from Campylobacter jejuni;1246804:

  40+ hours of anything per week is probably a job. If it isn't a job, then I daresay it's not quite just a normal hobby anymore.

  
  Plenty of people spend most of their day every day playing MMOs. Instead of being paid they pay cash shops and the like. Anywhere from 5 to over 10 hours per day, 7 days a week.
  
  It's not a good thing, but it puts into question the 5h number this article obtained.
• Tropa wrote on 2014-09-12 12:48

  Quote from Osayidan;1246809:

  Plenty of people spend most of their day every day playing MMOs. Instead of being paid they pay cash shops and the like. Anywhere from 5 to over 10 hours per day, 7 days a week.

  
  
  Basically my life as of now.
• Campylobacter jejuni wrote on 2014-09-13 23:11

  Quote from Osayidan;1246809:

  Plenty of people spend most of their day every day playing MMOs. Instead of being paid they pay cash shops and the like. Anywhere from 5 to over 10 hours per day, 7 days a week.
  
  It's not a good thing, but it puts into question the 5h number this article obtained.

  
  Not really. Just beause there are very heavy users doesn't make heavy use not heavy use, you know what I mean?
  
  I suppose it can be said to represent the heterogenous mass of people who consider gaming a primary hobby. 5 hours per week seem okay for that.
• TLCBonaparte wrote on 2014-09-14 14:42
  1. There will be error in data because survey of this kind likely makes people want to lie about how much they play to appear "normal" (I know I would) thus the percentage they have will likely be wrong.
  
  2. The categories are way too broad. Like you guys said, more than 5 hours a week is an absurd cutting point. "heavy core" gamer will have large standard deviation because lack of more categories, which leads to larger variance. If you want to be precise, variance is not your friend.
  
  3. The data pool should be fine though. 6k is a good number. I guess they are not doing actual regression so no need for large number of variables.
• Kefka wrote on 2014-09-16 05:31
  After all this, their information is very well absurd... No, no, no, Real hard core gamers buy lots and lots of Doritos and Mountain dew.
• Zekkii wrote on 2014-09-16 07:18
  Five hours a week is 2.9% of your time, unless you're working and sleeping for 22 hours a day including weekends, I really don't think that qualifies people as hardcore. Even with a 40 hour work week and a 56 hour sleeping schedule that leaves 72 hours of free time; it would take less than 10% of your free time. Keep in mind this is the top denomination, core gamers would have to barely touch games and if a casual so much as looked a real game they'd be in danger of switching.
• Kyishi wrote on 2014-09-17 16:19
  obviously 1 out of 5 people are going to be considered "heavy core" if their stupid ass qualification is that you must play 5 hrs a week
• Brynn wrote on 2014-09-17 16:39
  5 hours a week makes you a hardcore gamer?
  
  wat.