Interesting information from market researchers ironically named Odyssey. Would you believe that music-based video games are more popular than sports games nowadays? Well, that's what the studies from Odyssey tell us. We already have knowledge that the Rock Band and Guitar Hero franchises so far have accounted for nearly a third of industry growth this year at 32%. But Odyssey shows that now the music game genre is the 2nd most played genre only behind the action game genre.
I know the new equation has your brain sizzling. Keep on readin'...
The market researcher came to this conclusion based on the results from its Homefront study, a quarterly study conducted since 1994 that tracks ownership and usage of home media products/services within U.S. households. "Homefront" sends the message home that the hierarchy of game genre popularity goes from #1 action genre at 65% of gameplayers; #2 music genre at 58%; #3 sports genre at 50%; #4 adventure/role-playing game genres at 36%; and #5 genres labeled as "other simulations" at 32%.
Check Odyssey's figures on the sports genre's declining audience in 2005 when it tallied 62% of players falling by 2007 down to the 55% level. Also feel free to focus on another finding from Odyssey's study find that more players of the music game genre are female, 53% more. This high feminine representation isn't quite so visible in other videogaming genres.
Nick Donatiello, Odyssey's President and Chief Executive Officer, and Erik Whiteford, Odyssey's Managing Director, can add some flavor to these findings with some quotes of choice.
First, Mr. Donatiello:
"We have seen an explosion in the music simulation category. The phenomenal success of the Rock Band and Guitar Hero franchises in the past year has reshaped the landscape of the console game market. While sports is still one of the critical categories, sports games are becoming relatively less important."
Now, Mr. Whiteford:
"Typically males have dominated the major console game genres. The fact that females make up the majority of a key category may be the first meaningful indication that console gaming is beginning to expand its audience, but it is too soon to tell."
Leave it to the resident Nintendo-head to add the Kyoto cardmaker's perspective but what do you think will happen to this category in the wake of the just-recently released Wii Music? I'd love to see Odyssey's Homefront studies on the subject for 2009. The only constant is change so prepare yourselves, game business watchers. The way you once knew is no more. Adapt or die, says the morbid motto.
Fame fairly from GameDaily.com.
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