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[Slightly Live]

Demographics

Between the 25th of June and 13th of July 2007 1,165 elementary school children (or people claiming to be children :lol ) responded to a public questionnaire available on the Kids goo web site. The sample was 60.0% girls, 3.4% in first year of elementary school (ages six or seven), 5.0% in second year, 9.9% in third year, 20.3% in forth year, 26.9% in fifth year, and 34.6% in sixth year (ages eleven or twelve). Note that since this is a public internet-based survey there will definite sampling bias.

There’s so much great data in this survey! Q4SQ is perhaps my favourite; based on my casual observations, not surprisingly the DS totally dominates everything else. However, the other new portable, the PSP, is played less than the ancient Famicon and Super Famicon. I’m surprised that these two machines did so well; is this due to parents being cheap, to them having less worries about graphic violence in the older titles, not wanting to spoil the kids on photo-realism, or do kids really choose themselves to play these machines?

Note that this survey was conducted before the new PSP Slim sold quarter of a million units in one week.

Research results

Q1: Do you play video games?

Yes 80.0%
No (to Q10) 8.7%
Used to, but not now (to Q10) 11.3%

Q2: Where do you play video games?

At home 94.9%
At friends’ homes 31.2%
At game arcade, shop games corner 14.1%
At child care facility, library, etc 2.6%
Other 5.2%

Q3: How many video games machines are there at your home?

One 16.5%
Two 17.0%
Three 17.8%
Four 13.3%
Five or more 34.4%
None 1.0%

Note that this will include siblings and parents’ machines, if applicable. Whether or not general purpose computers with games software is included is not stated.

Q4: What kinds of video games do you often play?

Portable games (PSP, Nintendo DS, etc) (to SQ) 68.8%
PC-based single-player games 67.8%
Television-connected console games (to SQ) 47.5%
Online games 22.5%
Mobile phone games 16.4%
Game arcade or shop game corner 10.8%
Other 6.7%

Q4SQ: What kinds of video games machines do you often play on?
(Console and portable gamers)
Nintendo DS 82.2%
Nintendo Gameboy Advance 39.8%
Sony PlayStation 1, 2 or 3 37.4%
Nintendo Wii 35.3%
Nintendo Gamecube 31.4%
Nintendo Gameboy, Gameboy Micro 19.8%
Nintendo 64 15.2%
Nintendo Super Famicon (SNES) 15.1%
Nintendo Famicon (NES) 11.9%
Sony PlayStation Portable 10.5%
Microsoft Xbox 5.8%
Sega Saturn 5.1%
Sega Dreamcast 4.8%
Other 16.4%

Q5: What kinds of video games do you like?

All Boys Girls

Character nurturing game 65.6% 54.8% 72.8%
Adventure, war, other role playing game 64.1% 71.9% 58.8%
Fighting, action game 38.4% 51.3% 29.8%
Sports game 37.0% 41.2% 34.2%
Brain training game 33.1% 25.9% 37.8%
Card, puzzle game 32.2% 23.5% 38.0%
Quiz game 25.4% 19.5% 29.4%
Drill, other learning game 18.7% 16.0% 20.4%
Other 9.2% 10.4% 8.4%
None in particular 2.4% 1.9% 2.7%

Q6: Do you have any rules at home regarding video game playing?

Length of play 45.9%
Situation for being allowed to play, such as after finishing homework 30.7%
Time of play 19.5%
Place of play 9.6%
Kind of game 5.7%
No particular rules 34.6%
Other 3.5%

Other rules included having to take turns with friends and siblings, letting other siblings have priority, having to ask permission each time, not being allowed to take a portable to the park, having parents vet PC games before play, not being allowed to buy whatever title one want, and only being allowed to play on specific days.

Q7: How long do you play video games on school days?

All Boys Girls

Up to 30 minutes 33.1% 25.1% 38.4%
Thirty minutes to one hour 29.2% 25.7% 31.5%
One to two hours 22.3% 26.5% 19.5%
Two to three hours 6.7% 9.4% 4.8%
More than three hours 8.8% 13.4% 5.7%

Q8: How long do you play video games on non-school days?

All Boys Girls

Up to 30 minutes 16.5% 15.0% 17.6%
Thirty minutes to one hour 24.9% 19.3% 28.7%
One to two hours 25.5% 23.3% 27.1%
Two to three hours 13.1% 12.6% 13.4%
More than three hours 20.0% 30.0% 13.3%

Q9: Who do you most often play video games with at home?
(those who play games at home)

By myself 70.3%
With friends 9.1%
With brothers, sisters 16.4%
With parents, grandparents 2.8%
Other 1.5%

This finishes the questions for video game players.

Q10: Why do you not play video games?

Don’t have time for games 36.5%
Not interested in games 27.0%
Forbidden by parents 20.2%
Don’t own any games 15.5%
Other 16.7%

Other answers include that it’s bad for the eyes, have a machine, used to play but got bored or just didn’t get into it, because there’s so much to choose from one doesn’t know what’s best, and too tired after returning home from school to play.

Source: http://whatjapanthinks.com/2007/09/29/japanese-kids-prefer-the-nes-to-the-psp/

Even the original NES beat the PSP in popularity, ouch.

 

[fernoca]

Even the original NES beat the PSP in popularity, ouch.

Poll was obviously before the launch (over 200k last week) of the slim PSP.

 

[Defuser]

etween the 25th of June and 13th of July 2007 1,165 elementary school children (or people claiming to be children ) responded to a public questionnaire available on the Kids goo web site. The sample was 60.0% girls, 3.4% in first year of elementary school (ages six or seven), 5.0% in second year, 9.9% in third year, 20.3% in forth year, 26.9% in fifth year, and 34.6% in sixth year (ages eleven or twelve). Note that since this is a public internet-based survey there will definite sampling bias.

There you go...

 

[IzumiK]

Often played... I woefully doubt people play their Famicons. It's probably a misunderstanding during the survey.

or people claiming to be children

:lol Where's Chris Hansen?

 

[itxaka]

Q3: How many video games machines are there at your home?

One 16.5%
Two 17.0%
Three 17.8%
Four 13.3%
Five or more 34.4%
None 1.0%

What!? lucky bastards.

Q4SQ: What kinds of video games machines do you often play on?
(Console and portable gamers)
Nintendo DS 82.2%
Nintendo Gameboy Advance 39.8%
Sony PlayStation 1, 2 or 3 37.4%
Nintendo Wii 35.3%
Nintendo Gamecube 31.4%

why they put the psx family onto one and separate the others? totally worthless.

 

[Yoboman]

Uh, you should edit the survey to say "Japanese CHILDREN"

 

[Slightly Live]

Uh, you should edit the survey to say "Japanese CHILDREN"

Tried, but I can't.

Yeah, this was before the launch of the PSP slim, but I doubt it had much impact on the demographic surveyed, doubt Crisis Core would.

 

[Defuser]

What!? lucky bastards.



why they put the psx family onto one and separate the others? totally worthless.

SDF have a Japanese branch.

 

[TheGreatDave]

I'm glad this info comes with the note that the PSP sold 250k in a week. Because that would have a huge impact on things.

To be honestly, it wouldn't surprise me the Famicom is popular; if you have one and a younger brother or a kid it's the perfect thing to give them to play with where you don't have to worry about fragile hardware or software, and lots of the games are nice and simple. I'm sure the results aren't amazingly actuate but I can believe people still play Famicom.