Spending spree
Microsoft has revealed that British Xbox 360 gamers spend an average of £64 a month feeding their gaming habit.
According to a survey conducted by the software giant's ad sales department, Microsoft Advertising, 13 percent of users in the UK splash out on more than £100 of games every month, MCV reported.
While the survey was relatively small with just 251 respondents between the ages of 25 and 34, it demonstrates how lucrative the games console market remains, even as social games on smartphones are increasingly adopted by many people.
Microsoft reportedly found that Xbox 360 owners typically play an average of 7 different games every month and that 83 percent play between 4 to 5 times a week, while a dedicated 41 percent of respondents spend around 3 or 4 hours glued to their console on a daily basis.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, shooters were apparently the most popular type of game, followed by racing and RPGs, while a third of Xbox Live gamers play casual titles or MMOs, with over a third indulging in some gambling titles, according to the study.
Microsoft reportedly said that its Xbox 360 gamers go online almost every day, in contrast to the average male who checks websites 5 days a week.
Microsoft Advertising's head of research for data and analytics Julie Forey told the website: "Compared against the average male, gamers represent an attractive proposition for marketers. Earning a higher wage, being advocates of premium goods and over half playing for more than three hours each day, this provides firms with a profile from which they can base their message."
In related news, another survey has just been released that warned playing games just before bed time can lead to sleeplessness.
A US study by The National Sleep Foundation warned that playing games consoles late at night, watching TV and checking messages just before going to bed could be interfering with Americans' sleep habits, Reuters reported.
Russell Rosenberg, the vice chairman of the Foundation reportedly said: "Unfortunately, cell phones and computers, which make our lives more productive and enjoyable, may be abused to the point that they contribute to getting less sleep at night leaving millions of Americans functioning poorly the next day."
Apparently 95 percent of people questioned admitted to using an electronic device within an hour of going to bed, with two thirds claiming they do not get enough shut-eye during the week.
Charles Czeisler, of Harvard Medical School reportedly reckons that the artificial light given off by various gadgets can increase alertness in people and stop the release of a sleepy hormone called melatonin.
"Technology has invaded the bedroom. Invasion of such alerting technologies into the bedroom may contribute to the high proportion of respondents who reported they routinely get less sleep than they need," he apparently added.
The survey found a third of 13 to 18 year olds and 28 percent of 19 to 29 year olds played videogames before bedtime, while over 60 percent of all those surveyed said they use their computer in the evenings a few times a week.
