The European Game Market

[GameBanshee News]

Nielsen Games recently did a survey of the European game market, including tastes and preferences of those falling under such an umbrella. Sadly no details on platform preferences are revealed, but there's a fun tidbit included stating that the European gaming market is now bigger than the US gaming market (without specifying what "Europe" includes, exactly).

In a document which revels in shattering stereotypes, there’s some incredible news for the industry’s money men: the European Union is now the second-largest videogaming territory in the world, generating €7.3bn during 2007, compared with €7.4bn in Asia and €6.9bn in the US. This also reflects in the year on figures with UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Scandinavia enjoying an average 25% growth in software sales.

Videogamers are growing up, too, with the UK boasting the most mature players. The average age of an gamer in the UK is now 33 – the highest out of the territories surveyed. In Finland they are, on average 30 while in Spain they are 26.

British parents are also regularly grabbing controllers to play games. Some 42 per cent of games players have children compared to 31 per cent in Finland and 23 per cent in Spain. Across Europe 81 per cent of parents say they enjoy playing games with their children. More than half of Europe’s gaming parents monitor what their children are playing and 59 per cent keep a close eye on what games their children are playing.

[Celos]

...without specifying what "Europe" includes, exactly...

It does, though:

...the European Union is now the second-largest videogaming territory in the world...

[Brother None]

Originally Posted by Celos

It does, though:

Weird that I missed that.

It goes on to state later In conducting its Video Gamers In Europe 2008 report Nielsen surveyed 6000 active gamers, aged 16-49, across 15 countries– the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Benelux, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Czech Republic, Poland and Latvia.

Which kind of threw me off. Still, the survey and the numbers probably are separate.

[Xandax]

But Norway is as far as I know not a part of the European Union....so how to do the statements match?