The NPD Group Reports 34 Million Core Gamers Spend an Average of 22 Hours per Week Playing Video Games

There are 34 million core gamers in the U.S. spending an average of 22 hours per week playing video games, according to Core Gaming 2014, the latest report from global information company, The NPD Group.

These 34 million core gamers, defined for this report as those individuals who play video games five or more hours a week on a PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, or Mac, and who play Action, Adventure, Fighting, Flight, Massively Multi-Player, Racing, Real Time Strategy, Role-Playing, Shooter, or Sport genres on any of those devices.

"Core gamers are really the lifeblood of the industry, spending tremendous amounts of time on their hobby of choice," said Liam Callahan, Industry Analyst. "With the new console generation off to a great start, we can expect the amount of time spent gaming to increase as more core gamers adopt them."

While core gamers are most likely to play on consoles and computers simply based on the definition of the core gamer, phones and mobile devices are also a popular method of play by two-thirds of these gamers. Multiplayer gaming also plays a significant role within the core ecosystem, with close to 70 percent of core gamers playing multiplayer games either regularly or occasionally.

When given a choice in game format, 74 percent claim they would opt for the physical format over digital if the price was the same. However, the preference for digital is still on the move, up 5 percentage points from 21 percent to 26 percent this year.

"Core gamers are an important part of the games industry and understanding their behavior is critical to anyone invested in the games space - especially considering the launch of the new consoles and the continued evolution of digital gaming," said Callahan.