The number of computer and video-game players using online games is lower than originally expected. NPD Group’s “Online Gaming 2008” report examined computer and video-game use in the United States. Around 72% of Americans now say they play video games in their free time, an increase of nine percent from the previous year. Only 42% of gamers say they also play online. Compared with 2006, growth in this area was only two percent. The PC remains clearly ahead of consoles for online gaming: around 90% of US online gamers reported using a PC, while 19% used a console and about 3% used a mobile phone.
“Despite the considerable industry attention around online games, this segment remains relatively small compared with offline gaming,” said NPD Group analyst Anita Frazier. She believes the computer and video-game market still has untapped potential, particularly online. Frazier expects online games to become substantially more important in the future.
“Online games are a large field comprising several categories,” said Martin Lorber, spokesperson for Electronic Arts Germany. These include browser games and online role-playing games such as Warhammer Online. Lorber said online functionality has become increasingly important to users and few games now reach the market without an online option. He cited new business models such as Battlefield Heroes, scheduled for release in summer 2008. Electronic Arts planned to make the game available free online, financed through website advertising and microtransactions for additional content or items.
Lorber was not surprised that PCs were used more heavily than consoles for online games. He attributed this partly to the computer’s longer online-gaming history. Xbox 360 had held an early lead in console online capability, but Lorber said all next-generation systems had reached parity with PCs in this respect.
