Gaming Still America's Favorite (Online) Pastime

YouTube and MySpace are big--but still not bigger than playing video games online, according to a study released this week by research firm Parks Associates. The group claims 34% of American internet users of adult age in Q2 2007 played video games online on a weekly basis, beating out watching short video clips online, the second most reported activity with 29% of users, and using social networking sites, the next with 19%. Furthermore, Parks points to a 79% growth rate for the gaming figure from Q2 of 2006, beating out the growth rate for social networking--but not for watching short video clips online and its massive 123% growth. Despite Parks' ostensibly encouraging news for the game industry, there are a few factors not addressed in its press release. Notably, it does not divulge the qualification for "game"--as the study in question is entitled the Casual Gaming Market Update, it is likely to have a broad scope, but how broad? Even more significantly, the release does not compare time spent on these activities; it may well be that users are spending more time--and generating more advertising revenue--from, say, watching short video clips online.