This isn't intended to be a detailed investigation of the nature
of the relationship between gaming and societal issues, there are
a number of issues every game developer/designer should stop and
think about.
Do games contribute to cultural problems by
promoting violence or stereotypes?
What is the developer/designer's ethical responsibility
for who gets exposed to game content, and the impact
of that exposure?
What is the developer/designer's ethical responsibility
for online interaction between players?
Are you as a developer prepared for any publicity or
criticism you may be subjected to due to your game's content?
What is your stance on what you will/will not produce,
and what measures are you willing to take to "protect"
the public?
Demographics
Designers and developers need to be cognizant of the makeup of
the game playing public.
The statistics below are taken from recent ESA
industry figures for the United States.
(Note: one should always consider the source when
examining any figures, and try to be aware of any potential bias in the way
facts or information is presented.)
2007 North American ESA statistics
56% of gamers are male, 44% female
38% of gamers are adult men, 33% are adult women
(i.e. 18% are males under 18, 11% are females under 18)
The average gamer is 35 (up from 29 in 2003) and has been playing for 13 years
26% of people 50 and older are game players
Game sales by platform were
console games/software: 154 million
computer games/software: 36 million
portable games/software: 78 million
Game ratings assigned were:
Mature/adult: 15% (up from 10% in 2003)
Teen: 29% (down from 32% in 2003)
Everyone/EC/10+: 56% (down from 58% in 2003)
The average game buyer is age 40 (up from 36 in 2003)
94% of players under the age of 18 report their parents are
present when buying/renting games