Digital NZ Report 2016: Games Are Popular Mainstream Media

New Zealand's video game audience has broadened well beyond its youthful stereotype, according to the Digital New Zealand Report 2016, released in September 2015 by the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA) and led by Professor Jeff Brand of Bond University. The report's central thesis is that games have become a mainstream medium in New Zealand, used for entertainment, health, education and training, and increasingly as spectator content.

Participation is high and demographically diverse. Two thirds (67 per cent) of New Zealanders play games, and game devices are present in 98 per cent of family homes. The average player is 34 years old, up from 33, and 78 per cent of players are adults. Women make up 48 per cent of the player base. Among those aged 65 and over, participation rose from 32 per cent in 2013 to 43 per cent, and people over 50 are the fastest-growing group of new players at 47 per cent. Large majorities of adults believe games improve thinking skills (84 per cent), coordination and dexterity (76 per cent) and mental stimulation (70 per cent), while 47 per cent say games help fight dementia. Average daily play is 88 minutes.

Social and viewing behaviors are also prominent. Nearly half (48 per cent) of players watch gameplay videos online and 15 per cent have created walkthroughs. Among playing parents, 79 per cent play with their children, and 65 per cent of adults are always present when games are purchased for children. Eighty-three per cent of households have three or more screens. Beyond entertainment, 23 per cent of adults have used games for workplace training and 38 per cent of parents report school curriculum use.

On the economic side, the New Zealand games industry grew 18 per cent since 2013 to $347 million. Digital sales rose 34 per cent while traditional retail fell two per cent. NZGDA figures cite 568 full-time game jobs, including 134 added in FY2015, and revenues to NZ businesses above $78 million.