35 per cent of US parents play videogames: Survey

Games industry trade organisation the Entertainment Software Association has published a new independent survey which indicates that 35 per cent of US parents regularly play videogames.

The national survey, which was conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, sampled 501 nationally representative parents who have children between the ages of 2 and 17 in their households. Of the respondents who admitted to playing games, 80 per cent said that they do so with their children, and 66 per cent felt that gaming has brought their families closer together.

ESA president, Douglas Lowenstein, commented: "This first ever study of 'gamer parents' dramatizes the increasing and positive role that video games play in American family entertainment."

"The data provides further evidence dispelling the myth that game playing is dominated by teens and single twenty-somethings. It tells us that parents see games both as an enjoyable activity on their own, and one that allows them to engage with their children as well," Lowenstein added.

The ESA continues to work on behalf of videogames publishers, developers and retailers in an effort to promote self-regulatory standards created by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and combat the perpetual tide of anti-violent videogames campaigns and proposed changes to US state legislation.

According to the survey, three-quarters of gamer parents say they are regular voters, with party affiliation similar to the national average at 36 per cent Democrat and 35 per cent Republican. An overwhelming 85 percent of all voter parents (both gamer and non-gamer) say that they should take the most responsibility in monitoring children'sâ exposure to games that may contain content unsuitable for minors, rather than retailers or governments.

60 per cent of parents surveyed agree that it is not the role of government to regulate game sales in an attempt to protect kids from exposure to violent and/or sexual video game content. A comparatively low 36 per cent agreed that the government should assume responsibility for the legislative protection of minors from violent videogames, showing at least some opposition to the ESA's stance.

"This research suggests that proposals to regulate video games may backfire with American voters who, unlike some elected officials, appear to fully understand that they should control the entertainment that comes into their homes," Lowenstein said.