UK gaming has grown up

The UK gaming market has grown up – and that’s why old-favourites such as Mario and Sonic and retro titles are performing so well at retail.

That’s according to games analyst firm GameVision, which told MCV that UK gamers’ average age is the highest in Europe. 29 per cent of male active gamers, and 30 per cent of female active gamers are said to be 35 years old or over in the UK, compared with 24 per cent and 25 per cent in major markets Spain and Italy.

But the company warned against making generalisations about games consumers:

Generally any chat about the average gamer is a bit nuts – it’s a mass market pursuit now with the associated niches and segments – you can’t sell anything to gamers en-masse, you have to pitch it at the appropriate niche,” explained GameVision’s Sean Droomgoole.

It’s just like with television, or films, or even literature.”

GameVision’s Crawford Christie believes that the growth in adult gamers will mean that continuing franchises and retro games would continue to perform well and be popular due to older players’ affinity with established brands:

Older gamers have less interest in learning how to play new games. They are more likely to stick to the brands they already know well. An example of that is Gran Turismo, which is a big hit among older gamers.

But keeping these known and trusted brands fresh is the challenge,” she concluded.