Survey: 11 Percent Of Gamers Own Unopened Games

A new packaging-related study conducted by analyst firm The NPD Group reveals that the average video game collection has 48 titles, and also confronts the demons of unplayed games, revealing that 11% percent of all households have bought games that are still shrinkwrapped. The study, which was commissioned by the Content Delivery and Storage Association (CDSA) and the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA), polled 562 gamers, all of which have purchased a retail-based physical video game in the past six months. According to those polled in this amusingly specific survey, 88 percent of video game owners store their DVDs and video games in their original cases. 8 percent store the discs in plastic sleeves but keep the cases, while 5 percent keep the game but throw away or recycle the cases. When gamers no longer want to own a title, 54 percent of them will trade it in or sell it, 24 percent will give the game to someone else, 17 percent will store the discs, and 2 percent will throw away or recycle the disc. "In packaged home entertainment, consumers view the packaging cases as part of the product and not something to be tossed," says EMA CEO and president Bo Andersen. "The cases provide product protection, allow easy title identification, and carry the artwork that is integral to the consumer’s association with the title."