As part of National Video Game Day, a survey conducted by the Portland PR Firm reveals some interesting statistics regarding gamers' habits. This survey took answers from 1000 Americans and has some pretty interesting results. Participants were asked what they consider the best console and video game franchise, as well as how often they play video games.
National Video Game Day is July 8th, and is a pseudo tradition that has been upheld since its believed conception in 1991. Today, fans are using it as a chance to share their favorite video games, talk about their experiences with gaming, and come together to celebrate video games in general.
Analyzing this survey reveals some rather interesting trends, and will surely pique the interest of anyone that enjoys this sort of thing. National Today also provides some options for gamers wanting some ideas on how to celebrate this most momentous of holidays.
Those hoping that this survey might finally put some concrete evidence on the table to end the console wars between PlayStation and Xbox will find themselves disappointed, as the number of votes for each console was exactly even. 38% of participants claimed that PlayStation is the better console, 38% prefer the Xbox, and 21% say they prefer Nintendo. This may not come as a surprise to most, but it is still interesting to see that the numbers are all so very close. And yet, despite Nintendo ranking third on the favorite consoles question, its games are featured prominently in the next question.
Regarding which video game franchises are best, Super Mario comes out on top by quite a bit, garnering 47% of participants' votes. Trailing behind it is the Call of Duty franchise, with an impressive 21%, and then a surprising entry with Donkey Kong at 19%. Just below the big ape is the Grand Theft Auto series, followed by Pokemon, Sonic, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Halo, and Crash Bandicoot. Most of these are pretty big names, so it isn't that odd to see them make the top ten, but it is very surprising to see a game like Crash Bandicoot somehow beat out franchises like Assassin's Creed, God of War, and Minecraft.
Finally, gamers were also asked how frequently they play video games, and the responses "everyday" and "rarely" tied for first at 31%, followed closely by 2-3x a week at 21%. In regards to mobile games, 66% of people shared that they typically play them "Whenever [they're] bored."
Source: National Today