CESA outlines Japanese gamer statistics

The general public in Japan is not playing too many games, according to a report by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA). The latest issue of Famitsu picks up on the core statistics disclosed by CESA, which reveals that about three out of 10 Japanese citizens regularly play games.

According to CESA's statistics taken from a wide sample of 1,043 average Japanese citizens, 31.9 percent of people in the country get their game on. Many of those polled (37.7 percent) have played gamed in the past but no longer do so. 16 percent have dabbled in gaming a few times in their lives, while 14.1 percent are video game virgins. The remaining 0.3 percent declined from answering the question.

When the same sample was asked if they had any interest in playing games, 43 percent said they would do so if there were games of interest to them, 27.6 percent said they aren't really interested, and 16.1 percent said they have no desire to play games at all. Only 12.7 percent said that they would like to proactively enjoy games. 0.6 percent remained unanswered.

CESA also took statistics of attendees of last year's Tokyo Game Show, an event that generally attracts hardcore gamers. As expected, most polled replied that they play either daily or at least several times per week. According to a sample of 1,107 gamers, 32.1 percent said they play games every day, and 25.8 percent said they play games once every two to three days. 13.3 percent said they play games every four to five days, and the same percentage said they play games once per week. 6.6 percent play games two to three times a month, and the remaining 8.9 percent play games less than once a month.

CESA also asked the same group how long they played games per day. 32 percent answered 41 to 60 minutes on weekdays. Weekend numbers typically ranged between 41 minutes to more than three hours, with the biggest lump saying they played between 91 minutes and 120 minutes.

Japan's network conditions have been dramatically improving since 2000. The total population of Internet users in Japan reached 79.5 million as of 2004, approximately 62 percent of the country's whole population. Independent research by CESA suggests that high-speed connections are becoming standard, with nearly 92 percent of Internet users in Japan having broadband connections in their households. According to CESA, 58.3 percent of those households have DSL connections, 16.7 percent have fiber-optic connections, and 16.6 percent have cable Internet. 3.1 percent have ISDN lines, and only 2.2 percent use dial-up connections. The remaining Internet users have other kinds of connections, don't know their connections, or don't have Internet access at home.

The report goes on to say that 48 percent of Internet users in Japan have played online games, but that figure plummets to 12.1 percent when the game requires a subscription fee.

In terms of platforms for online gaming, CESA reports that the PC is the top choice for 90.1 percent of online gamers. The PlayStation 2 comes in second place at 19.4 percent, followed by the GameCube at 3.3 percent, the Xbox at 2.6 percent, and the Dreamcast at 1.8 percent. Multiple answers were allowed for Internet platforms.