nline games are the stickiest category of content sites, with surfers spending more than two hours a month playing, a new report says.
Nielsen//NetRatings found that users spent more time playing online games than visiting sports sites during May, and more than 46 million -- or nearly 1 in 3-- Americans visited an online game site during this period.
Slingo was the stickiest -- meaning able to retain the attention of visitors for long periods of time -- destination with surfers spending an average of four hours and eight minutes on the site. Visitors to EA Online spent an average of 2.5 hours on the site, while visitors to MSB Games spent about two hours there. AOL Games came in fourth, with Jigzone.com fifth, keeping visitors on their sites for nearly two hours and 1.5 hours, respectively.
"The diversity of online game offerings showcases the popularity of games in the U.S.," says Kaizad Gotla, Internet analyst of Nielsen//NetRatings. "Ranging from sites that offer original games to content sites that offer the latest information on popular console and PC games, the gaming industry's presence online is indisputable."
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Nielsen//NetRatings Stickiest Online Game Sites*
May 2004
(U.S., Home and Work)
|
| Brand or Channel |
Time Per
Person
(hh:mm:ss) |
| 1. Slingo |
4:08:38 |
| 2. EA Online |
2:29:40 |
| 3. MSN Games |
2:04:26 |
| 4. AOL Games |
1:51:51 |
| 5. jigzone.com |
1:34:50 | |
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Middle-aged women were the largest demographic group for online game sites (see Table 2). Nielsen//NetRatings found that 15 percent of online gamers were women between the ages of 35 to 49, making up a larger percentage than their male counterparts and teen males.
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Nielsen//NetRatings Detail Gender Demographic of Online Game Sites Visitors
May 2004
(U.S., Home and Work)
|
| Ages |
Male Unique Audience
Composition
(%)
|
Female Unique
Audience
Composition
(%) |
| 2-11 |
3.7 |
3.5 |
| 12 - 17 |
9 |
5.7 |
| 18 - 24 |
4.6 |
3.5 |
| 25 - 34 |
8.8 |
7.8 |
| 35 - 49 |
14.4 |
15.2 |
| 55 - 64 |
4.1 |
6 |
| 65+ |
2.4 |
2.7 | |
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"Contrary to popular belief, the online games category is not dominated by males or by teens," says Gotla. "Rather, the popularity of online games appeals to a broad demographic online, especially among middle-aged women."
The gender make-up of the online game audience is nearly equal. Of the 46 million online game users in May, 51 percent were male while 49 percent were female. (see Table 3) Kids ages 2 to 11 made up 7 percent of the audience, while teens ages 12 to 17 made up 15 percent of online gamers. Those between ages 35 to 49 made up the largest age demographic for online games with 30 percent or 13.7 million users in May.
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Nielsen//NetRatings Detail Demographic of Online Game Sites Visitors
May 2004
(U.S., Home and Work)
|
| Category |
Target |
Unique
Audience
Composition
(%) |
| Gender |
Male |
50.8 |
| |
Female |
49.2 |
| |
2-11 |
7.2 |
| |
12-17 |
14.7 |
| |
18-24 |
8.1 |
| |
25-34 |
16.6 |
| |
35-49 |
29.6 |
| |
55-64 |
10.1 |
| |
65+ |
5.1 | |
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