Pre teenagers in the US account for 24 per cent of video revenues: research

Kids in the US under 12 years of age and younger account for 24 per cent of video game industry unit sales, while households with kids in this age group present comprise 45 per cent of total industry dollar sales, according to Kids & Cross-Entertainment Behaviors, the most recent report from the US-based leading market research company, The NPD Group.

With an average of 68 leisure hours each week, and the largest share of the kids leisure time going to entertainment, kids have a major influence on the games industry, said the report.

According to the report, which compiles a broad array of recent research on kids including how they spend their leisure time, share of wallet, content acquisition, and top brands and licenses, 57 per cent of kid's aged between 2-12 play video games, and 62 per cent of them use a computer.

So, while it is a big market for games, this consumer segment is far from penetrated, representing an area for future industry expansion, said the research company.

''According to the US Census Bureau, there are 53.4 million of them aged 12 and under in the US, accounting for 17 per cent of the population.

Yet for many industries, games included, they account for a much larger portion of total sales,'' said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. ''For the 12-months ending June 2009, this group of consumers comprised 24 per cent of games industry unit sales.

Teens in particular are a highly involved group of consumers as 75 per cent of this age group play video games and 81 per cent are on the computer for non-homework related activities,'' she added.