Overly Positive

Matthew Razak of Destructoid points us to a recent NPD article about how there are now over 170 million gamers in the US, a 4.3 million person jump from last year. Among the seven-section breakdown of gamers includes an increase in the number of female casual gamers, console gamers, and even PC gamers, and the upward trend doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.

Frankly, this is great news for the gaming industry, especially during a time when an economic downturn has hit their sales and their studios particularly hard. The more a potential target audience grows, the more people there are to show all sorts of games. With such a wide-ranging audience that likes everything from puzzle gaming to the hardest of hardcore first person shooters and MMOs, the potential for any game with a good concept and gameplay out there to be a hit is high (see: Scribblenauts).

A wider range of gamers also means that there is greater overall acceptance of the hobby in mainstream society. Sure, there are plenty of naysayers, and the debate about the negative influence of games still continues up to this day. But the fact that there are more of us playing games – millions more – means that games are one step closer from shedding the stigma they carry as a pasttime.

Now, I know the core gamers in my miniscule readership might ruffle their feathers a bit at this, but you have to give credit where credit is due. The Nintendo Wii, and the overall increase in the idea of casual gaming (whether in easy motion control games, iPhone apps, or browser-based lunchtime enjoyment) definitely has something to do with there being more gamers, and therefore, more acceptance of the hobby. Like it or not, gateway gaming is here to stay, and it really has done a lot of good in increasing the sheer number of people that play.

There’s also the wonderful world of the internet to thank for this expansion as well. Now, more than ever, gamers have slipped out of having only a circle of friends close at hand and expanding it outward to far off states and countries. Groups of gamers can come together and represent all sorts of regions, places, beliefs, and cultures, all for common goals. In real time, they can share the enjoyment and leisure that gaming can bring as well. It’s a powerful thing with seemingly limitless possibilities, and the gaming industry continues to take full advantage of it.

The future of games, including further advancements in motion control tech, online multiplayer gameplay, and of course, hardware and software, is pretty bright if millions more can be counted in the US alone. There is something to be said in the consistency of the mission of games no matter what kind they are – and that’s to bring fun and enjoyment to the people playing them. To see more people that have gotten into that mission with games can’t be anything but a good thing.

Besides, 4.3 million more gamers? That’s 4.3 million more possibilities that they might find some terribly optimistic, upbeat blog and subscribe to its rss. Can’t imagine who, though.