The segment of “extreme gamers” represents 4% of the entire American gaming population. This is the first fact that stands out from the NPD Group’s Gamer Segmentation 2010 report.
The report categorizes the different kinds of gamers into seven different groups: Extreme Gamers, Avid PC Gamers, Heavy Portable Gamers, Console Gamers, Online PC Gamers, Offline PC Gamers, and Secondary Gamers. Compared to the extreme segment, Avid PC Gamers account for 11% of the gaming population, while Offline PC Gamers account for 9%. The average age of both these segments is 42 years.
Surprised at the 4% figure? Don’t be. According to NPD research, “extreme gamers” game for a whopping 48.5 hours per week on average — significantly higher than the overall gaming population’s average playtime of 13 hours per week.
