3Q04 Gamer Survey: Digital Audio Technologies and the Gamer

SUMMARY

This IDC study analyzes results of the 3Q04 IGN/GameSpy gamer survey, which measured respondents' ownership of digital audio devices and usage of music services, as well as their interest in gaming in combination with an MP3 player. It is common knowledge that gamers tend to be technophiles, in that gamers, and by extension, their households, tend to adopt other consumer technologies earlier than and at a faster rate than the average household. This quarterly IDC survey takes a closer look at one aspect of gamer adoption of consumer technologies: digital audio devices and services.

"The gamer demographic provides an attractive and receptive audience for new audio products, such as portable compressed audio players and paid music services. A number of benefits could result from strategic partnerships between the audio and gaming industries." - Schelley Olhava, program manager, Consumer Markets: Gaming, and Susan Kevorkian, senior research analyst, Consumer Markets

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Table of Contents
• IDC Opinion
• In This Study
  • Methodology
• Situation Overview
  • Demographic Profile
  • Figure: Respondents by Gender
  • Table: Respondents by Age
  • Table: Respondents by Geographic Location
  • Table: Hours per Week Spent Gaming
  • Music Ownership and Consumption
    • Music Ownership
    • Table: CD and Music File Ownership (% of Respondents)
    • Paid Music Service Provider Usage
    • Table: Usage of Paid Music Services (% of Respondents)
    • Table: Monthly Access of Paid Online Music Services (% of Respondents)
    • MP3 Player Ownership
    • Figure: Flash-Based Portable MP3 Player Ownership
    • Figure: Hard Drive-Based Portable MP3 Player Ownership
    • Figure: Apple iPod/iPod Mini Ownership
    • Figure: Satellite Music Service Ownership and Subscription
  • The MP3 Player - Feature Sets
  • Figure: Most Important MP3 Player Features
• Future Outlook
• Figure: MP3 Player Purchase Plans
• Table: Specific MP3 Player Purchase Preference
• Table: Interest in Using MP3 Player as a Game Device (% of Respondents)
• Essential Guidance
• Learn More
  • Related Research
  • Appendix: Survey Questionnaire
  • Synopsis