Report: 37 percent of Brits play games

Gaming is getting more and more popular as it slinks toward being accepted as a mainstream form of entertainment, and gamers are getting older, according to research commissioned by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe.

In the UK specifically, it was found that 37 percent of the general population aged between 18 and 49 enjoyed playing games and would call themselves "active gamers" in that they were currently regularly playing games on a console, handheld, or PC. In Spain and Finland, the total was 28 percent.

UK gamers are also the oldest in Europe, with Brits clocking in at an ancient 33-years-old average age, and the youngest being the Spanish at a 26-years-old average.

When asked why they played games, the top reason given was "because it's fun," followed by "to relax/de-stress," and "because I'm bored/to pass time." Other reasons were "for the challenge," because "it's exciting," and "to use my imagination."

European gamers were happy to share their hobby with their offspring, with over 81 percent of parents with children under 16 playing games with their youngsters.

In 2007, the European Union became the second-largest gaming territory in the world, bringing in some €7.3 billion ($11.4 billion), which compares to €7.4 billion ($11.6 billion) from the current number one, Asia, and €6.9 billion ($10.8 billion) in the US. Of the EU figure, the UK alone brought in some €2.3 billion ($3.6 billion) in revenue, followed by France with €1.6 billion ($2.5 billion), and Germany with €1.4 billion ($2.2 billion).

The report was compiled by Nielsen Games, which surveyed 6,000 people (400 from each of the European territories) who would consider themselves active gamers. Their ages ranged from between 16 and 49, with 70 percent being male and 30 percent female.