Online Games

Just wonder what online games have you ever try before? For myself, I started to expose myself to online games since about 10 years ago. Still remember the first game I played is first-person shooter game, then had been addicted to Neopets for quite a long time before my interest shifted to real-time strategy games. And now I've get myself into Massively mutliplayer online games, which I think is the most popular and the best kind of game I've ever seen. Personally, I like to play MMORPG (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game), but there're also many of my friends playing MMORTS (MMO-real-time strategy) and MMOFPS(MMO_ first-person shooter) games. Others which are gaining more popular nowadays include MMODG(MMO-rhythom games), MMOMG(MMO-manager games), MMOR(MMO-racing games), MMOTG(MMO-tycoon game), MMOSG(MMO-Sports games), etc.
Online games has became popular since late 1990s and its population has increased dramatically in 2000s. Here are top 10 gaming industry facts that prove no doubts that online game has became one of the most important activity in a person's pastime.

TOP 10 INDUSTRY FACTS:
1. US computer and video game software sales grew six percent in 2007 to $9.5 billion – more than tripling industry software sales since 1996.
2. Sixty-seven percent of American heads of households play computer and video games.
3. The average game player is 33 years old and has been playing games for 12 years.
4. The average age of the most frequent game buyer is 38 years old. In 2007, 92 percent of computer game buyers and 80 percent of console game buyers were over the age of 18.
5. Eighty-five percent of all games sold in 2007 were rated "E" for Everyone, "T" for Teen, or "E10+" for Everyone 10+.
6. Eighty-six percent of game players under the age of 18 report that they get their parents’ permission when renting or buying games, and 91 percent say their parents are present when they buy games.
7. Thirty-six percent of American parents say they play computer and video games. Further, 80 percent of gamer parents say they play video games with their kids. Sixty-six percent feel that playing games has brought their families closer together.
8. Thirty-eight percent of all game players are women. In fact, women over the age of 18 represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (31%) than boys age 17 or younger (20%).
9. In 2007, 24 percent of Americans over the age of 50 played video games, an increase from nine percent in 1999.
10. Forty-nine percent of game players say they play games online one or more hours per week. In addition, 34 percent of heads of households play games on a wireless device, such as a cell phone or PDA, up from 20 percent in 2002.

Some interesting facts I found in gamers player data researches in US showing that the average adult woman plays games 7.4 hours per week. The average adult man plays 7.6 hours per week. Though males spend more time playing than do females, the gender/time gap has narrowed significantly. Whereas in 2003, males spent an average of 18 more minutes a day playing games than did their female counterparts, in 2004 they spent ony six minutes more each day doing so. Females spend an average of two hours more per week playing games now than they did a year ago.

So what about you? =)