Gaming Demographics among College Students - Statistics Project Example

GAMING DEMOGRAPHICS AMONG COLLEGE Introduction This quantitative research study examines gaming demographics, in terms of age and gender, among college students. The rationalization for deciding on this research topic follows a brief summary that recognizes the rudimentary need for liberal and pioneering research on gaming demographics among college students. It is intended that the results of this research will deliver valuable insights for game marketers. That is, by assessing gaming predilections and patterns of use across different age groups and age groups, marketers may be better able to custom-tailor their marketing strategies to their target markets. When most of today’s college students were born in the late 1980s, the video gaming era was just beginning. Early gaming devices were limited in their user interactions and graphics. Over time more versatile and computationally gaming devices were introduced into the market (Greenberg et al., 2010). Most research on gaming demographics have noted that college males spent more time playing video games than females. At a young age, children attribute certain video games as more appropriate for boys than for girls (Funk & Buchman, 1996). A survey conducted on teenagers in Britain determined that 75 percent of the male respondents had a gaming system at home, compared to 50 percent of their female counterparts, indicating that gaming may be more popular among males across several age levels (Livingstone, 2002). Why do females play less than their male counterparts? Casell and Jenkins (1998) reported that a sizable body of research has been dedicated to males and females gaming patterns variance determination. They further noted that the origins of gender variance in game-playing habits had not yet been recognized. Walkerdine (2004) argued that games presented a different forum in which gender roles were projected, and that female gamers were obligated to participate in interactive conducts that are essentially masculine in nature while retaining some of their feminine characteristics. Mayra (2002) further contended that the physical background in which games are played is often a male dominated one, intrinsically eliminating females and socially constructing gaming as a male portent. Social factors such as these may reduce females’ motivational forte to play games and motivate different fulfillments to be achieved from gaming. Lucas and Sherry (2004) disclosed that among college students motivational patterns reflected real world arrays of play differences between males and females. They found that most video games reflected the types of games that boys stereotypically play and emphasized game contexts that enticed males more because of the rubrics and configurations of those games. Most interactive games have direct antagonism, distinct role descriptions, and unambiguous objectives, all features that instinctively appeal more to the males. Based on the research on gender preferences for gaming, this research hypothesizes that: Hypothesis 1 (H1): More male college students will be gamers than their female counterparts. Unlike research on gaming gender differences, research on gaming age differences has received very little attention. Given the well-documented developmental differences across different-age groups, it would be prudent to explore the effect of age differences on gaming patterns. Developmental differences in comprehension and information processing are an important consideration in understanding age group gaming preferences. Past research indicates that children older than 10 of age may be better able to understand and process plot points and character attributes as opposed to their younger counterparts who are drawn more to the formal features of mediated information (Singer & Singer, 2001). More attentive information processing typically continues until about the age of 12 (Comstock, 1991), after which interest in mediated information in general declines. This decline is attributed to a reduction in amount of leisure time and an increase in social interaction, which may then become a critical motive for the use of any medium. Further, developmental research suggests that identity formation may be an especially important motive for early teens’ media use (Huston, Wartella, & Donnerstein, 1998). Based on the research on age group preferences for gaming, this research hypothesizes that: Hypothesis 2 (H2): Younger individuals will spend more time as gamers than their older counterparts. Methodology Data was collected from 30 participants who consented to participate in the survey. This research study applied a quantitative approach to research that is founded on principles of positivist paradigm of exploring social realities. The principles highlight the use of observation and reason obtain an explicit appreciation of human behavior. The principles also proclaim that factual knowledge can only be picked up by experimentation and observation. Subsequently, studies that apply the principles make use of scientific approaches. To adapt to the principles, this research study has used structured questionnaire to collect data from selected pre-qualified respondents, and address the research purpose (Miles & Huberman, 1994). The key features of quantitative research include the management of factors that might influence the research, collection of data, and use of statistical and numerical approaches. Deductive thought processes that tend to change from the common features to the specific aspects are the key features of quantitative research. The soundness of results is supposed to be reliant on one or more principles being applied. If the basis of an argument is erroneous, then the argument is erroneous (Creswell, 2007). The two hypotheses presented acted as the premises in this research. Primary data was collected using a pre-structured questionnaire. The choice of primary data collection tool was based on the need for detail, control, flexibility, accuracy, research timetable, budgetary considerations, and definitive data collection. Use of questionnaires adds detail, accuracy, flexibility and control to the research process, but increase time and cost of conducting the research (Kaplowitz, 2000). Sampling for this research has been conducted through a non-probability method whereby the participants are selected purposively and through random selection. This research proposes the adoption of a purposive sampling technique to choose the participants for the research, since there are certain characteristics that must be present for the collected data to be valid (Creswell, 2007; Neuman, 2002). The inclusion criteria for the participants was their being college students and available to participate in the survey. Results The quantitative results presentation involved scrutiny of statistical data from the questionnaires. For the purposes of this research, quantitative result presentation was carried out using SPSS software. Result analysis has been done for the 30 respondents who gave their consent to participate in the research. All the 30 respondents gave their verbal consent to be included in the survey. Gender analysis of the 30 respondents who participated in the survey shows that 40 percent (12/30) are female while the remaining 60 percent (18/30) are male (see table 1). Table 1. Respondents analysis in terms of gender Gender Count Percent (%) Male 18 60 Female 12 40 Total 30 100 Age group analysis of the 30 respondents who participated in the research survey shows that 70 percent (21/30) of the respondents are less than 25 years of age while the remaining 30 percent (9/30) are between 25 and 34 years of age. 5 of the females are under 25 years of age while the remaining 7 are between 25 and 34 years of age. 14 of the males are under 25 years of age while the remaining 4 are between 25 and 34 years of age (see table 2). Table 2. Respondents analysis in terms of age and gender group Gender Age group (years) Count Percent (%) Male Female Under 25 21 70 14 5 25 to 34 9 30 4 7 35 to 44 0 0 0 0 45 or older 0 0 0 0 Total 30 100 18 12 Only 76.7 percent (23/30) of the respondents are gamers while the remaining 23.3 percent (7/30) are not gamers (see figure 1). The gamers were asked to proceed with completing the questionnaire. The results show that of the 7 respondents who gamed for less than 1 hour, 2 were male while the remaining 5 were female. Of the 12 who gamed for between 1 and 2 hours, 2 were female while the remaining 10 were male. Of the 4 who gamed for between 2 and 3 hours, all were male (see table 3). Figure 1. Analysis of gamers in terms of gender Table 3. Respondents analysis in terms of time spent gaming and gender group Gender Average daily gaming time (hours) Count Percent (%) Male Female Less than 1 7 30.4 2 5 1 to 2 12 52.2 10 2 2 to 3 4 17.4 4 0 More than 3 0 0 0 0 Total 23 100 16 7 All the gamers were below 25 years of age. Analysis of the results shows a pattern of males playing more games than their female counterparts. In terms of age, the younger respondents spent more time gaming than their older counterparts. These results approve the two presented hypotheses. H1 is that more male students will be gamers than their female counterparts. This is true as 77 percent of college gamers are male while the remaining 23 percent are female. H2 is that young individuals will spend more time as gamers than their older counterparts. This is true as all the gamers are less than 25 years of age. Conclusion These research results offer a social description of the different orientations of college gamers. It has been determined that in terms of age, younger college students are more inclined to be gamers, while in terms of gender males are more inclined to be gamers. Given that the research topic is evolving, this research is time-bound, as is any survey, to the period when data were collected. It is also secured to college settings. Obviously a longitudinal research using a national sample would be more generalizable. The core of these results examines gender and age relationships and gaming. As gaming evolves and undergoes continuing significant changes, there is need to replicate these results. The collected data could be used by game marketers and designers to target specific groups. References Cassell, J. & Jenkins, H. (1998). From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and computer games. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Comstock, G. (1991). Television and the American child. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Creswell, W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Funk, B. & Buchman, D. (1996). Children’s perceptions of gender differences in social approval for playing electronic games. Sex Roles, 35, 219-231. Greenberg, B., Sherry, J., Lachlan, K., Lucas, K. & Holstrom, A. (2010). Orientations to Video Games Among Gender and Age Groups. Simulation& Gaming, 41(2), 238-259. Huston, C., Wartella, E. & Donnerstein, E. (1998). Measuring the effects of sexual content in the media: A Report to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Menlo Park, CA: Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaplowitz, M. (2000). Statistical Analysis of Sensitive Topics in Group and Individual Interviews. Quality and Quantity, 34, 419-431. Livingstone, S. (2002). Young people and new media: Childhood and the changing media environment. London: Sage. Lucas, K. & Sherry, L. (2004). Sex differences in video game play: A communication-based explanation. Communication Research, 31, 499-523. Mayra, F. (2002). Computer games and digital cultures. Tampere: Tampere University Press. Miles, M. & Huberman, M. (1994). Qualitative Data Analysis. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publishers. Neuman, L. (2002). Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, 5th ed. New Jersey: Allyn & Bacon Publishers. Singer, G. & Singer, L. (1991). Handbook of children and the media. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Walkerdine, V. (2004). Remember not to die: Young girls and video games. Papers: Explorations into Children’s Literature, 14(2), 28-37. Read More