NPD Group: What Drives Game Purchases?

According to the NPD Group's latest report, entitled, "Games Purchases Drivers Report," the most important aspect of video game sales revolves around demos and simple word of mouth.

NPD looked at six distinct types of gamers: heavy gamers, avid console gamers, mass market gamers, prefer portable gamers, secondary gamers, and infrequent gamers. Then, they examined each group in an effort to conclude exactly what prompts gamers to buy a game. Important sources included were all forms of advertisements and game websites, but in the end, the decision to "buy or not to buy" comes down to word of mouth and demos.

"While various means of allowing consumers to test drive games have long been an important part of most publishers' marketing mixes, the findings of our study now show that it is of particular importance for attracting the broader gaming audience," said Anita Frazier, industry analyst of The NPD Group. "Ads, reviews, and other vehicles are relatively more influential to the heavy gamer, but to attract more casual players, getting games into their hands so they can experience the fun first-hand is essential."

10/27/2006 Ben Dutka

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