IGN Entertainment today released the results of their "Are You Game?" study. This research was done as an overview of gaming households with focus groups and in-home interview follow ups. The study showed that, among other things, gamers as likely as non-gamers to play sports, attend concerts and go out on dates.

"This study is a first-of-its kind look at how videogames and videogamers are breaking away from stereotypes that have been in place since Pong," said Roy Bahat, General Manager of IGN Entertainment. "This was more than a quantitative survey – we visited gamers in their homes and received incredibly personal feedback about how videogames influence, enhance and affect their daily lives, familial relationships and friendships."

The study reported that 55% of gamers polled are married, 48% have kids, and those who have started gaming in the past two years are on average 32 years old. "Based on the research, it's obvious that the gaming market has outgrown many commonly held stereotypes about the relative homogeneity of video gamers," said Adam Wright, Director of Research for Ipsos MediaCT. "Today's gamers represent a wide variety of demographic groups: men and women, kids, parents and grandparents, younger and older consumers. All this underscores the fact that gaming has become a mainstream medium in this country that appeals to people from all walks of life."

Interestingly, the study shows that the average gaming household income takes in $79,000, higher than the $54,000 that non-gaming households receive and perhaps evidence as to why the gaming industry appears recession-proof. "This study confirms both the active engagement and diversity of the videogaming audience – something our core advertisers have known for a long time," said Charlie Barrett, SVP of Sales for IGN. "For mainstream marketers, this data serves as a great piece of evidence that videogamers represent a valuable audience of smart, influential and active decision makers."