People who play video games have better family lives, are more social and make more money than people who do not, according to two new studies.
The Canadian and American studies dispel stereotypes surrounding gamers -- largely that they are solitary, overweight teenagers who are wasting their time. According to the Canadian study, one in two Canadians can be considered a gamer, having actively played video games within the past month.
The average age of a gamer is 40, and half are women. More than 82% play video games an average of 7.1 hours each week.
The U.S. study, compiled by Ipsos MediaCT for video game review website IGN Entertainment, found that far from being loners, 55% of all gamers are married, 48% have children and 57% of those who are parents regularly play video games with their children.
"Families are getting very involved and parents are becoming more supportive about gaming," Judit Nagy, vice-president of consumer insights with Fox Interactive, IGN's parent company, says. "It's fun and interactive and a nice way to play with mom and dad."
Just as board games brought families together decades ago, video games have become a family unifier, Nagy says. Many young parents who already suffer from hectic work schedules nonetheless find it easy to make time to sit down with their children for a quick game.
"Family gaming is becoming a big part of Canadian families' pastime. Mom, dad and the kids are all playing together," said Nicole Helsburg, spokeswoman for the Entertainment Software Association of Canada.
"Those who grew up playing games have taken that into their adult lives and are now embracing that as a way to spend time with their kids."
The U.S. study also found that gamers who are young and single are far more social than their non-gaming counterparts.
Single gamers are twice as likely to go out on a date in any given month. They are also nine% more likely to go out with their friends than people who do not play video games.
In addition, gamers are 11% more likely to play sports than non-gamers and spend the same amount of time per week reading books as those who don't play video games.
"All this underscores the fact that gaming has become a mainstream medium in this country that appeals to people from all walks of life," said Adam Wright, director of research for Ipsos MediaCT.
While their social lives seem to soar above their Xbox-less peers, gamers also make more money than those who do not play video games, the study found.
According to the IGN study, the average income of a gaming household in the U.S. is $79,000 US, compared to $55,000 for those households that do not play.
Anil Somayagi, associate professor in the department of computer sciences at Carleton University, wasn't surprised by the discrepancy in income. He said many gamers are highly educated and technology savvy, traits coveted by employers offering higher salaries.
"If you are good at games, you probably have some aptitude for computer science," he said. "One of the things games teach you to do is experiment. That is exactly the skill you need to learn. In effect, games are ways of teaching computer skills."