Online Gaming Perceptions

Online Gaming Perceptions

Survey

Prepared by Cross-Tab Marketing Services &

Telecommunications Research Group for

Microsoft Corporation

Background

The purpose of these surveys is to

understand awareness and perceptions about online gaming safety and privacy from parents of gamers and gamers themselves. 600 online interviews were conducted between Dec. 1st and Dec. 10th, 2010 300 parents of gamers aged four years or older300 gamers aged 18-24 years.Parents reported behavior for themselves and the child who plays games most often in the householdConducted by Cross-Tab Marketing Services

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Executive Summary

Parents and children spend a lot of time playing online games together

On average, parents and their children play nearly 1.5 hours per dayOver 80% of parents play online games with their child at least once per weekMore than half of parents’ gaming hours are spent playing with their childrenOnline gaming is a social activityThree-quarters of parents and children play with others online. This rises to over 90% for 18-24 gamersNearly 80% of gamers correspond with others while playing online games – this is especially true for gamers, aged 18-24 P2P and Multi-Player interactions are the most popular with parent and child gamers.Over 60% play games at social networking sitesMore than half belong to an online gaming community with Xbox LIVE and Farmville being the two most popular

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Executive Summary

Parents rank the risks from online gaming low compared to other online activities

Online chatting, browsing social networks and the Internet are considered more riskyThere are only minor differences between the concerns parents have for general online activities and online gamingGamers aged 18-24 rank risks associated with “my ability to play” (e.g., hacking my account) high compared to “direct attacks against me” (e.g., poor behavior) Concerns about online gaming are similar between parents who play online games and those who do not86% of parents say the steps they take to protect their children have been effective but most do not use family safety settingsThe most effective steps are direct monitoring by playing with the child or playing in a family area without the door closed53% of parents believe that family settings are too hard to use or are unaware of what is available. A similar number of parents (54%) don’t use family settings because they trust their childrenGamers aged 18-24 rely more heavily on friends to help them decide which games to play. They also pay less attention to game ratings and are more price conscious than parents of gamers under 18

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Executive Summary

Yet, one in

five gamers under 25 has experienced abuse while online gaming Gamers aged 18-24 (24%) are twice as likely as gamers under 18 (12%) to have experienced abuse. Poor behavior, profanity and discriminatory language are the most common incidents reported. Most gamers claim to know how to handle such abuse yet many do not report it 71% claim they know what to do in the event they encounter abusive behaviorAlmost half (44%) do not report the abuse they encounterMost younger gamers alter gaming habits as a result of abuse and a majority of gamers practice gaming etiquetteGamers under 18 (60%) are more likely to have changed their behavior after experiencing abuse versus gamers aged 18-24 (39%). Two-Thirds of gamers under 18 stop or play less often after a bad experience. Only 16% of gamers aged 18-24 stop or play less after an abusive incident. A majority of gamers (61%) report they use gaming etiquette

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Explore online games together

Know the types of games kids play as well as the risks: Kids may download the good with the bad, bump into bullies, or befriend strangersCheck the game ratings for age appropriate guidance: http://www.xbox.com/Marketplace/gameratings Stick to well-know games or gaming sitesReview the game’s terms of playAgree on rules of play: http://www.getgamesmart.com/tools/pact/start/ Teach kids rules for safer gamingKeep personal info a secretProtect accounts with strong passwords: microsoft.com/protect/fraud/passwords/create.aspxCreate safe gamer names that are not suggestive or reveal personally identifiable informationPlay fairNever meet an online “friend” in person without safeguards in placeHelp kids avoid online gambling

Get help from technologyDefend your devices from Internet threats:Install antivirus and antispyware softwareNever turn off your firewallKeep all software current microsoft.com/security/pypc.aspxUse family safety settings: microsoft.com/protect/tools/childsafety/compare.aspx Get family safety tools and expert advice for safer gaming: GetGameSmart.comWhat to do if there are problemsTeach kids to trust their instincts and to ignore, block, and report unsettling conductReport improper behavior and content to the game serviceImmediately report serious threats to NCMEC at (800) 843-5678   

Recommendations

Recommendations for Parents

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Nearly 1.5 Hours per Day are Spent Playing Online Games

Q6A. How many hours per week does your child play online games?; Q6B. How many hours per week do you play online games? Q4. How many hours per week do you play online games?

The average number of hours spent playing online games is similar across parents, their children and online gamers 18-24.On average, 8 out of 10 play online games with others.

Average Hours/Week

Under 18 = 10.2Parents = 10.018-24 = 10.4

Playing online games with others is the norm – especially for 18-24 year olds

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Q6A. How many hours per week does your child play online games?; Q6B. How many hours per week do you play online games? Q4. How many hours per week do you play online games?

Parents Spend Considerable Time with Their Children Playing Online Games

Over 80% play online games with their child at least once per week.58% of parents’ online game time is spent playing with the child online.

Average Hours/Week: Parents + Child = 5.8

Represents 58% of total parents online game time

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Entertainment is the Primary Reason for Playing Online Games

S9. Do you play online games (e.g., World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, Poker, etc..)?; Q1A. What might be possible reasons and/or benefits for your child playing online games? Q1B. Why do you play games online?Q11. Primary reason - Why do you play games online?

75% of parents report they play games online. The primary reasons parents play online games is for entertainment and stress relief.Kids <18 and gamers aged 18-24 cite the # 1 reason for playing online games is entertainment. Kids <18 play to interact with friends/others online and to become various characters in role-playing games.

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 Type of Games PlayedUnder 18 gamersParent gamers18-24 gamersBase300224300Action, Adventure Platform (Super Mario, Castlevania, Castle Crashers, Resident Evil) 66%47%77%Card , Board , Family (Poker, Uno, Monopoly) 34%66%59%Puzzle & Trivia (Hexic, Zuma, Tetris) 35%53%56%Strategy and Simulation (Command and Conquer, Starcraft, Sims) 35%34%49%Shooter (Halo, SOCOM, Counter Strike) 36%31%48%Sports and, Recreation (Wii Sports, Football, Baseball) 42%41%45%Music (Rock Band, Guitar Hero) 41%33%44%Racing & Flying (Forza, Need for Speed, Gran Turismo) 38%32%44%Role Playing (Forza, Need for Speed, Gran Turismo) 31%29%42%Fighting (Street Fighter, Virtua Fighter) 30%30%39%Educational (Carmen Sandiego, Nancy Drew) 32%17%20%Others5%4%2%

Q3A. What types of games does your child play? Q3B. What types of games do you play? Q2. What types of games do you play?

Action/Adventure & Card/Board Games are Most Popular

 Ranked 1st Ranked 2nd Ranked 3rd

Parents and gamers aged 18-24 rank the top game categories similarly. Younger gamers are much more interested in playing Action/Adventure games. Parent gamers are likely to play card and board games.Gamers 18-24 play the most number of games.Kids under 18 rank playing Sports and Music games higher than older gamers.

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Gamers Aged 18-24 Correspond Most Often While Playing

Q8A. How often does your child correspond with other gamers while playing, via voice or text? Q8B. How often do you correspond with other gamers while playing, via voice or text?

Q7. How often do you correspond with other gamers while playing, via voice or text?

Nearly 8 in 10 correspond with others while playing online games at least sometimes via voice or text.Gamers aged 18-24 are much more likely to have interactions than Under 18 gamers and parents.

42%

31%

35%

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Social Networking Sites are Popular Gaming Destinations

Q9A. Does your child visit social networking sites to play online games (e.g., Penguin, RuneScape, Facebook)? Q9B. Do you visit social networking sites to play online games (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, MySpace)?Q8. Do you visit social networking sites to play online games? Q9A. Are you a member of any online gaming communities? Q9B. If yes, please indicate the number of online gaming community (s) of which you are a member?

Kids <18 are less likely to have played games at a social networking site compared to their parents or older gamers.Slightly more than half report membership in an online gaming community.

Average # of communities*

Gamers 18-24 = 2.7

*

not asked of parents/child

 Ranked 1st Ranked 2nd Ranked 3rd

Game CommunityUnder 18 gamersParent gamers18-24 gamersBase164130167Xbox LIVE 34%35%43%Farmville 48%54%38%Cartoon Network: Fusion Fall 13%6%31%The Sims 24%22%27%World of War craft 15%21%23%Mafia Wars 14%28%22%Halo 19%17%22%Counter Strike 4%11%13%RuneScape 15%10%13%What the Future Holds 4%6%9%Xbox 360 Evolved 13%11%8%360 HQ 9%8%5%Webkinz 23%8%5%Free Realms 7%4%4%Club Penguin 34%9%4%Others5%18%1%Don't know 8%2%0%

Xbox LIVE and Farmville are the Most Popular Online Gaming Communities

Q11A. If yes, please indicate the community of which your child is member? Q11B. If yes, please indicate the community of which you are a member?Q10. Please select the names of the communities of which you are a member?

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Concerns About Online Gaming Ranks Low Compared to Other Activities

Q15A. As a parent of a child who plays games, how concerned are you about online risks while gaming? Q15B. Top One Concerns - In terms of online safety, which of the following activities of your child concerns you most?

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st Top Concern2nd Top ConcernOnline chatting43%32%Browsing social networks20%27%Browsing the Internet20%23%Online gaming13%10%Email4%9%

Level of parental concern about online activities

55% report being concerned about online gaming safety. Parents perceive the risks of online gaming lower than other online activities such as chatting, social networks, surfing the web and email. This may be due to the fact that they are unaware that each of these capabilities is available in most popular online games.

55%

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Luring & Unacceptable Content Are the Top Concerns For Parents

Q16A. What concerns you the most about online safety?

Parents are most concerned about luring of their children. Concerns about Malware and Viruses increases in a gaming specific context while concerns about unacceptable content drop.

Parents concerns about online safety Online Safety(General)Online Safety(Gaming)Base164164Luring (net)36%32%Grooming of the child20%19%Luring someone into physical meeting for unsavory reasons16%13%Unacceptable User-generated content (pictures, graphics, texts)21%14%Poor Behavior of others12%10%Violence9%7%Bullying7%4%Nudity4%2%False identity4%3%Discriminatory Language2%3%Malware or Viruses2%10%Profanity1%3%Credit card fraud1%4%Account takeover1%4%Dont know1%1%Attacks on Reputation-1%Billing fraud-1%Others--

Malware/Viruses & Fraud Are the Top Concerns for Gamers Aged 18-24

Q12. As a gamer, how worried are you about the following online risks while playing games? Please rate them on a 5 point scale where in 1 is Extremely worried and 5 is Not at all worried.

Gamers aged 18-24 are more worried about their identity and online accounts while feeling more secure about their personal safety. Overall, not a single concern is reported over 50%.

 18-24 gamers online gaming safety concerns18-24 gamersBase300Malware or Viruses 48%Credit card fraud 44%Billing fraud 43%Account takeover 37%False identity 31%Luring someone into physical meeting for unsavory reasons 29%Sexual Grooming 27%Bullying 27%Discriminatory Language 26%Attacks on Reputation 25%Profanity 25%Poor Behavior of others 24%Unacceptable User-generated content 23%Nudity 21%Violence 14%

Direct attacks

against me

Attacks against

my ability to play

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One In Five Gamers Under 25

Has Experienced Abuse While Online Gaming

Q17B. Thinking specifically about online gaming, has your child ever been a victim of any of the above? Q18. Please indicate which of the following issues your child was a victim of?Q13. Have you ever been a victim of any of the above? Q14A. Which out of the following have you ever experienced?

Gamers aged 18-24 are twice as likely to be victims compared to younger gamers.Profanity is the most common abuse experienced by gamers under 18. Poor behavior by others is experienced most often by gamers aged 18-24.

N=464

N=464

Type of Abuse

 Under 18 gamers18-24 gamersBase2571Profanity 44%51%Discriminatory Language 40%39%Unacceptable User-generated content (pictures, graphics, texts)36%37%Poor Behavior of others 28%62%Bullying 28%30%Attacks on Reputation 28%30%Violence 20%18%Nudity 16%15%Credit card fraud 12%13%False identity 12%13%Grooming of the child/Luring 8%17%Account takeover 8%14%Billing fraud 8%11%Don't know 4%1%Luring someone into physical meeting for unsavory reasons -3%Others-3%

18-24 gamers 2x as likely to be abused

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Two-Thirds Of Under 18 Gamers Stop Or Play Less Often After An Incident

Q19. Did this change your child's gaming behavior? Q19A. What impact did it have on your child's gaming habits?Q15. Did this experience lead to any impact on your gaming habits?

6 in 10 under 18 gamers changed their behavior after experiencing online abuse while gaming. Only 4 in 10 18-24 gamers changed their behavior.

Under 18 gamers18-24 gamersBase1571Have stopped playing online games40%1%My child plays less games now/I play less games now27%15%Have started playing different games20%8%No impact on his/her gaming habits7%61%Others7%3%Have reported the experience to concerned authorities0%11%

Did behavior change?

How did behavior change?

Parents Believe Steps They Take to Protect Their Children Are Effective

Q20. Have you discussed the risks of online gaming with your child before allowing him/her to play games? Q23. Have you enforced any restrictions on how much time your child can play online games? Q24. Do you restrict the types of games they play online? Q25. Do you restrict who they play online with

? Q27. Which of the following steps have you taken to address the online safety of your child while gaming? Q29. Do you believe the steps you've taken to safeguard your child from the risks of gaming online have been effective?

Education - 87% of parents talk to their children about online gaming safety.Restrictions - Over 7 in 10 parents place restrictions on their child’s online gaming activities.Effectiveness - Most parents believe education and restrictions have been effective.

Steps taken to protect your child while online gamingUnder 18 gamersBase300Limit the amount of time my child is gaming online 60%Communicated clear rules and consequences of using gaming sites 57%Discussed the risks of gaming online 56%Monitor my child’s gaming account 49%Online gaming only in a family area (not in room with closed door) 49%Used parental control software to block risky sites 40%Play with my child 27%Others2%Total303%

Steps taken by parents

Steps are consider effective

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 Victim of online abuseSteps TakenNoYesDifferencePlay with my child28%5%23%Online gaming only in a family area (not in room with closed door)53%35%18%Do you restrict who they play online with?81%65%16%Limit the amount of time my child is gaming online67%60%7%Discussed the risks of gaming online59%55%4%Monitor my child’s gaming account 55%53%2%Used parental control software to block risky sites40%40%0%Enforce restrictions on how much time they play online games85%85%0%Restrict the types of games they play online81%85%-4%Communicated clear rules and consequences of using gaming sites 59%65%-6%

Close Monitoring Is Best Defense Against Online Abuse

Q17B. Thinking specifically about online gaming, has your child ever been a victim of any of the above? Q27. Which of the following steps have you taken to address the online safety of your child while gaming?

Parents of children who have not experienced abuse vs. those who have report higher levels of playing online games with their child or allow gaming in a family area only.

Effectiveness of steps taken to protect child from online abuse while gaming

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Poor Usability and Lack of Awareness Limit Family Safety Setting Usage

Q21. Have you used family safety settings to monitor your child's gaming? Q22. Why don't you or haven't you used family safety settings?

53% of parents believe that family settings are too hard to use or are unaware of what is available. A similar number of parents (54%) don’t use family settings because they trust their children.

Reasons why parents

don’t use family safety settings Under 18 gamersBase132I trust my child 54%Don’t believe they are very effective 19%Not aware of safety settings 18%Child knows how to get around them 14%Others13%Aware of the settings, but Don't know how to use 12%Settings are not flexible to my needs 8%Settings require too much oversight and management 7%Takes too much time to set up 5%Not a good value for the money 4%Not easy to use 4%

53%Usability and Awareness issues

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How do you decide which games to play?Under 18 gamers18-24 gamersBase300300Category of game 46%51%Word of mouth from other parents, friends/family *45%61%Online reviews and research 43%45%Game ratings 38%22%Friends 37%55%Self taught 31%41%ESRB ratings 23%6%New articles about the game 18%17%Game publishers and platform manufacturers 14%16%Game publishers website 14%12%Pricing 11%32%Availability of device/platform at home 8%26%Others5%2%

Category of Game, Other Parents & Friends Help Inform Which Games to Play

Gamers aged 18-24 rely more heavily on friends to help them decide which games to play. They also pay less attention to game ratings and are more price conscious than parents of gamers under 18.

Information sources: additional

guidance Under 18 gamersBase300Regular newsletters 34%Online videos and guidance 32%Information through child schooling 31%In-game messages30%Rewards based programs 25%Local educational classes 19%On-platform messages 16%Others10%

 Ranked 1st Ranked 2nd Ranked 3rd

*Attribute wording for 18-24 gamers = Word of mouth from friends/family

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Appendix

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PC & MAC are the Top Platforms for Playing Online Games

Q2A. Which platforms does your child use to play online games?; Q2B. Which platforms do you use to play online games?

Over 8 out of 10 use a PC or Mac to play online games.Kids <18 and gamers aged 18-24 are more likely to play games on a dedicated game console than their parents.Parent gamers are slightly more likely to use a mobile phone and play social networking games.

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Gamers Aged 18-24 Reporting Knowing How to Handle Online Abuse While Gaming Online

Q14B. Do you know how to address these issues as they arise? Q14C. Have you ever reported the abuse/issues you have experienced above to a service provider? Q15. Did this experience lead to any impact on your gaming habits?

Almost half of abuse goes unreported.6 in 10 do not change their online gaming behavior/habits.

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Most Gamers Aged 18-24 Practice Specific Etiquette While Gaming

Q16. Do you follow any specific gaming etiquette while gaming? Q17. Specifically, how do you practice gaming etiquette?

BaseBase184Play Fair (no cheating) 86%Treating other gamers with respect 79%Be a good sport (minimize revenge, compliment good play) 73%Don't send spam communications 71%Use appropriate language 61%Be patient with new players 61%Use reputation systems appropriately 46%Manage your game sessions (remove players for bad behavior) 43%Encouraging other players 42%Report bad behavior 41%Others2%

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Mobile Phone (38%)

PC or Mac(76%)

Shooter (42%)

Educational (81%); Card Board , Family (76%); Sports and, Recreation (76%) ; Puzzle & Trivia (75%)

Massively Multiplayer (41%)

No interaction (86%); Peer to Peer (73%)

Less than 3 hrs (95%)

8-14 hrs (43%)

Always corresponds with other gamers online (50%)

Rarely corresponds with other gamers online (87%)

“Heavy” gamers =

15-22hours + 23-30 hours + More than 30 hours

“Light” gamers =

Less than 3 hours + 3-7hours + 8-14hours

Gamer levels (43%); I can be anonymous while playing online games (43%)

Entertainment

& Fun (75%);

Level of achievement (71%)

13 to over 18 year old Boys (41%)

13 to over 18 year old Girls (24%)

8 to 12 year old Boys (83%)

8 to 12 year old Girls (95%)

Visit social networking site, and are member of online gaming communities, such as Halo (55%), Xbox Live (48%) and The Sims( 45%)

Over 8 in 10 claim that their child does not visit social networking site, and are member of online gaming communities, such as Club penguin (78%) and Farmville (68%),

Webkinz

(68%)

Correspondence with other gamers (voice/text)

Age & Gender

Social

behavior

Reasons for playing online games

Platforms used

Type of games

Type of gaming interaction

Hours per week played with other gamers

S1, D1, Q2a,b, Q3a,b, Q4a,b, Q5a,b, Q6a,b, Q7a,b, Q8a,b, Q9a,b, Q10ab

Profile of “Heavy” vs. “Light” Gamers – Kids

“Light” gamers

“Heavy” gamers

“Heavy” gamers =

15-22hours + 23-30 hours + More than 30 hours

“Light” gamers =

Less than 3 hours + 3-7hours + 8-14hours

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Correspondence with other gamers (voice/text)

Very often correspond with other gamers online (63%)

Sometimes correspond with other gamers online (90%)

“Light” gamers

“Heavy” gamers

“Heavy” gamers =

15-22hours + 23-30 hours + More than 30 hours

“Light” gamers =

Less than 3 hours + 3-7hours + 8-14hours

18-24 (60%)

Almost equal distribution among male and female

65-74 (85%)

Almost equal distribution among male and female

Age & Gender

Social

behavior

Visit social networking site, and are members of online gaming communities, such as Xbox LIVE (44%) and Mafia Wars (38%)

Visit social networking site, and are members of online gaming communities, such as Farmville (70%), Cartoon Network (63%), and Mafia Wars (62%)

Reasons for playing online games

Characters in the game/Fantasy (40%)

Level of achievement (38%)

Entertainment

& Fun (77%), Game relieves stress (73%), and Friends online social networking (71%)

Platforms used

Portable game (Nintendo DS) (51%)

PC or Mac(78%)

Type of games

Educational (41%), Role Playing (39%), Strategy and Simulation (39%)

Puzzle & Trivia (75%); Sports and, Recreation (73%); Card , Board , Family (72%)

Type of gaming interaction

Massively Multiplayer (43%)

No interaction (89%); Peer to Peer (73%)

Hours per week played with other gamers

3-7hrs (86%)

8-14 hrs (41%)

S1, D1, Q2a,b, Q3a,b, Q4a,b, Q5a,b, Q6a,b, Q7a,b, Q8a,b, Q9a,b, Q10ab

Profile of “Heavy” vs. “Light” Gamers – Parents

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© 2011 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation.

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