As more and more videogames are created to tie-in with movies, the question arises… what are the attributes of those who typically purchase such games?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, reports Nielsen, families with children between the ages of 6-12 were the most likely to purchase games based on a movie. Households likely to purchase a movie-based game also had a tendency to have some degree of wealth, with household income averaging over $70,000 a year.
When looking at a tendency to purchase such games by ethnic type, non-Caucasians, especially Hispanics and Asians, were most likely to pull the trigger.
Additionally, households that did buy movie-based games typically spent almost twice as much as average families on games and DVDs.
The Nielsen data was obtained from households that purchased at least one game based on a movie over the past two years.
Comments
Re: Who the Heck Buys Videogames Based on Movies?
I played the PC demo of Avatar for 10 minutes. First thing I noticed was that they bound a 180 degree turn to the right mouse button.....honestly......if developers still can't understand that the standard for all shooters is left button to fire, right button for meele/grenade/ironsights/ect....then they can go suck a nice pippin' hot bag of stool
Re: Who the Heck Buys Videogames Based on Movies?
I have yet to find a game that is based off of a movie to be well worth playing......
"It's better to be hated for who you are, then be loved for who you are not." - Montgomery Gentry
Re: Who the Heck Buys Videogames Based on Movies?
I know the answer to this question...
The people who buy videogames based on movies are almost always gift-givers and are the friends/family/significant-others of gamers who themselves do not play games. They aren't aware that there is a difference between the real games that we play and love and the abominations that come charging out of the gate upon a film's release. Instead, what they see is a game based on a movie that, invariably, the gamer in question has expressed interest in and they therefore conclude that the movie-based game will also appeal to us, because they have no real concept of gameplay or what makes a game worth playing or not worth playing.
Re: Who the Heck Buys Videogames Based on Movies?
I do sometimes, and I'm glad I did, if I didn't I never would've gotten to play the awesomeness that was Ghostbusters: The Video Game.
Re: Who the Heck Buys Videogames Based on Movies?
Ghostbusters: The Video Game isn't based on a movie, it's based on a franchise - but more importantly, it exists because someone wanted to make a videogame, not because someone thought they needed to. Its purpose is not to sell a movie but to sell itself. This is why it is able to be a good game.
Re: Who the Heck Buys Videogames Based on Movies?
Uh, it started out as Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2, I'd have to say those are a couple of movies, though unlike more recent games, they had quite the time to work on it.
Re: Who the Heck Buys Videogames Based on Movies?
To clarify, you could say it's based on Ghostbusters in the same way Knights of the Old Republic is based on Star Wars. But really, it's a mostly original plot that happens to play the nostalgia angle. It's not a "game of the movie", it's an entertainment product in its own right. And like you said, time and effort was put in to it (unlike games of the movie) and as a result it didn't suck.
Re: Who the Heck Buys Videogames Based on Movies?
Obviously fans of a show or movie are gonna be more likely to buy license games than the regular gamers. To be fair there are a few good license games but there few and far between these days.
http://www.magicinkgaming.com/
Re: Who the Heck Buys Videogames Based on Movies?
I think the defining trait we're concerned with here is "able to tell the difference between a videogame and a piece of merchandise".
Re: Who the Heck Buys Videogames Based on Movies?
"especially Hispanics and Asians, were most likely to pull the trigger."
Perhaps not the best choice of words...... I'l leave it alone.
in regards to this game specifically, i heard a guy on the radio recently saying that games based on movies are like paying to see a preview.
Re: Who the Heck Buys Videogames Based on Movies?
The article didn't pop up when I hit the link.
At any rate, I wonder if the same is true of games based on TV shows. They, of course, range from Spongebob to Desperate Housewives and beyond.
I know my son has been into the games based on anime shows, like Naruto. I doubt he would have been interested in the game if he hadn't been interested in the show.
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
http://www.facebook.com/nightwing2000
Nightwng2000 is now admin to the group "Parents For Education, Not Legislation" on MySpace as http://groups.myspace.com/pfenl
Re: Who the Heck Buys Videogames Based on Movies?
In my opinion, and according to Metacritic, Naruto games are much better than your average game based on a movie or series. They tried to make a quality game, not just capitalize on the series.
Re: Who the Heck Buys Videogames Based on Movies?
so just as I suspected, people with more money then sense
and kids who care not for quality or parents who dont know what
to buy their kids so they grab anything familiar
Re: Who the Heck Buys Videogames Based on Movies?
It's a scientific fact that as the amount of money a person has increases then their common sense decreases proprotionally.
Re: Who the Heck Buys Videogames Based on Movies?
Blech. Just rented Avatar. I'm glad I didn't buy it like I was going to...
Almost all games-based-on-movies suck. Avatar had a lot more potential than most others, but the controls and method of aiming killed it for me. And it's impossible to control the flying things if you're playing as a human. Also, you literally NEED an HDTV for the game to be at all playable.
-Optimum est pati quod emendare non possis-It is best to endure what you cannot change-