PCs are Kids' Choice for Gaming

In a recent study, NPD Group polled the gaming platform of choice for children ages 2-17. Surprisingly, they find the PC to be the most popular.
The study, conducted in August, also found that the average child started using "kid-oriented" systems (think Leapster) as a toddler, eventually moving to PC games at around age six, continuing through age 17, which is the longest term for any platform.

As kids grew older, they "migrated" to plug-and-play systems and other "more established" systems.

"...At about age 10, cell phone gaming begins, and the gaming lifecycle culminates with Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable, and the three next generation console systems (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii)," NPD stated.

NPD Analyst Anita Frazier added, "When kids get to the six- to eight-year-old age range is when we see them turn into more serious gamers. Not only does the amount of time they spend playing games increase the most dramatically, but they migrate from using '˜kid' systems to using more portable and console systems as well.