New York - Sixty-two percent of U.S. gamers are now playing online, with the majority playing online PC games, while a growing number are utilizing the broadband connections on their Xbox 360 or other game console, according to a report from market research firm NPD Group.

Of gamers who play online, NPD found that 85% use a PC, while 29% use a game console. Microsoft's Xbox 360 claimed 54% of online console gamers, followed by Sony's PlayStation 3 (45%).

U.S. gamers most often play casual games (card, puzzle, arcade) online (44%), followed by family-oriented titles (25%), massively multiplayer online games (19%) and gambling-themed titles (17%).

"What I find really interesting is that although the MMOGs have attracted a lot of attention due to the huge revenues that can be produced by the most successful of them, PC gaming (both online and offline) is still dominated by casual game genres," NPD Group's Anita Frazier told GameDaily.

"As we found with the success of non-traditional content over the last 18 months or so, these kinds of games have arguably the most potential for broadening the gaming demographic and helping to expand the games industry."

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