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Study Finds Most Avid "EverQuest" Players Male, Not Teenagers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 15, 2003 - 2:02am.
London -- The BBC Online recently reported on a survey of enthusiasts of Sony's online game "EverQuest," where Nottingham Trent University research found that active players are just as likely to be a 40-something, well-paid professional as they are to be teenagers with lots of spare time. The study found that over 60 percent of players were older than 19, 85 percent were male, and that a "significant minority" (15 percent) adopt a character gender opposite to their own in the game. It also found that 15 percent said they play the game for more than 50 hours per week. Dr. Mark Davies, co-author of the study and himself one of about 400,000 EverQuest players, said that figure is not necessarily cause for alarm. "Most people I know spend about 3-4 hours a night watching TV... so in many cases it is just a substitution of entertainment rather than some unfortunate development in their lifestyle," Davies told BBC Online. "If you are married with three children, it probably will not go down so well and could cause immense problems. but it is okay for someone who is not in a relationship and does not have other responsibilities," said study co-author Professor Mark Griffiths.
tags: EverQuest | Study | Teenagers |