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Nintendo shares gender and age breakdown of US Switch buyers

Nirolak

Nirolak

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,660
I thought this was one thing from Nintendo's fiscal call that could have used its own thread, but didn't get it yet.

I suspect the audience so far is primarily people who grew up with Nintendo given the age range and what they're purchasing, though it will be interesting to see how this changes over time, especially as the price goes down and a possible revision comes out.

Mind, it says purchasers, so a father or mother who bought the system to both play the system and play with their children would probably only count as themselves, whereas someone filling out the survey for only their kids (or teens filling it out themselves) would end up in the lower brackets. I'm not 100% sure how they asked though.

switchdemographicsqcue6.png


Source: https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2017/171031_2e.pdf
 
Weltall Zero

Weltall Zero

Game Developer
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
19,343
Madrid
I admit I'm very surprised at the huge male / female disparity. I would have guessed something closer to 60-40. O_o
 
Benji

Benji

Self Requested Ban
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
8,114
That Male vs Female split is something else. Dang

Also age group makes sense. This would be the consumers, as you mentioned, who grew up with Nintendo systems.
 
A Syrian Communist

A Syrian Communist

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
4,466
It's sad to see the gender demographic still so skewed in favor of males after all these years. Maybe one day it'll even out. I assume the 25-34 range is inflated a bit by young parents buying for their kids (my sister counts as this) so I wonder where the actual use demographics lie.
 
Escalario

Escalario

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,156
I guess more female gamers will get a Switch when stuff like Pokemon and Animal Crossing release. IIRC that happened with 3DS.
 
maximumzero

maximumzero

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,927
New Orleans, LA
Not terribly surprising on the age range there. $300 is a bit too expensive for parents looking to get their kids a game system. The 2DS at $79 looks like a much better value.
 
KillerMan91

KillerMan91

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,355
Sami said:
It's sad to see the gender demographic still so skewed in favor of males after all these years. Maybe one day it'll even out. I assume the 25-34 range is inflated a bit by young parents buying for their kids (my sister counts as this) so I wonder where the actual use demographics lie.
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I would guess the more hardcore gaming audience still skews largely to males so early adopters being mostly males is not that surprising.
 
gcwy

gcwy

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,685
Houston, TX
Very different from the Wii days which had a majority female if I remember correctly. And since the majority of players are female, this should be looked into in my opinion. I thought Nintendo games attracted all kind of audiences?
 
Mark H

Mark H

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,679
I guess we'll have to wait for Pokemon and Animal Crossing Switch to get more kids and female players?
 
JershJopstin

JershJopstin

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,332
I wouldn't be surprised at this split for most systems, but for some reason I thought the Switch would have a closer gap than this. No reason other than random gut feelings though.
 

Deleted member 249

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Oct 25, 2017
28,828
This is interesting, I know more of my female friends who own/are interested in owning a Switch than male friends.
 

Deleted member 2809

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Oct 25, 2017
25,478
Difference is huge but I'm not suprised that early adopters are heavily male, it should get closer to a 65-35 or 60-40 when the library flls up
 
freakybj

freakybj

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,428
What does Nintendo do with this data? I feel they don't really do much since mostly adults are buying the console but all of their 1st party games are still rated E for everyone.
 
shinken

shinken

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,917
The age makes sense, it's still rather expensive for the younger audience and Nintendo knows that, that's why they are pushing the New 2DS XL. Female gamers though. I wonder if Pokemon and Animal Crossing are enough. I really want to see the gender/age breakdown for the PS4.
 
Comet

Comet

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,532
Remember Nintendo's "kiddie" image a few generations ago? Those kiddies are now late 20s early 30s.
 
RobFox64tm

RobFox64tm

Member
Oct 30, 2017
305
I'm surprised it's mostly male because Nintendo is usually very good at creating content that is typically gender-neutral. I'm curious if the disparity will improve after the holiday season.

On another note, it's nice to see that the older crowd is into the Switch. In terms of design, the system is a lot more sophisticated than any other hardware Nintendo has ever released, and I'm sure that's the reason for these numbers.
 
gcncontroller

gcncontroller

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
306
FL
i was expecting a bit of a gulf between men and women but i wasn't expecting that big of one. interesting. i suppose it really is down to early adopters tending to be "hardcore" and hardcore tending to skew heavily towards men :/ hopefully the holidays see this ratio equalize a bit. i don't recall getting a survey so i can't even say i was part of the 11% lol
 
freakybj

freakybj

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,428
maximumzero said:
I don't understand this post. You're saying Nintendo should target "Mature" audiences instead of "Everyone".

In any situation the "Everyone" group will be larger.
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I'm saying that Nintendo should diversify it's first party output. Instead of just Mario, Zelda, etc. they should also come out with games that older audiences can relate to more. Look at Sony for example with titles like The Last of Us, Uncharted, Days Gone, etc.
 
Mochi

Mochi

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
1,704
Seattle
Might this be because of purchasing habits and preorder culture? I feel that the switch with its current lineup of games actually has broader appeal with women, but that's just a baseless hunch.
 
Renna Hazel

Renna Hazel

Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,579
jdmonmou said:
I'm saying that Nintendo should diversify it's first party output. Instead of just Mario, Zelda, etc. they should also come out with games that older audiences can relate to more. Look at Sony for example with titles like The Last of Us, Uncharted, Days Gone, etc.
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But older audiences are buying these games. Clearly, we like them.
 
Bandage

Bandage

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,626
The Internet
I have a little neice that loves Mario Kart and Splatoon, but outside of that, there's really nothing for young kids which is so odd to me.
One of the few times I wish Nintendo actually was making "kiddy" games.
 
Aiii

Aiii

何これ
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Oct 24, 2017
8,190
jdmonmou said:
What does Nintendo do with this data? I feel they don't really do much since mostly adults are buying the console but all of their 1st party games are still rated E for everyone.
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Their own games are loved by all age-groups, and so they don't need to change that.

What they are doing is publishing games like Skyrim and Doom for Bethesda and actively working to get Mature games to their system. I bet this data went a long way into the Doom-decision, at least.
 
Carthago Delenda Est

Carthago Delenda Est

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
6,119
CaviarMeths said:
I honestly have to question the method of gathering data if it's showing a gender gap that significant.
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That, or you have to question the method of gathering data of other studies. If you ignore the studies that say 60/40 split or whatever, this lines up with what I'd probably expect. Females, especially in the 20+ age range, have still been heavily socialized not to play games. In a decade or so, that 60/40 split will probably be closer to reality.

What I do question based on the method of gathering data is the age range split. To even be eligible for the survey, you have to have a Nintendo account. That's already going to cut out a bunch of younger kids. Then you have to voluntarily answer the survey, which is going to cut out even more as parents aren't going to care to answer for their kids. I'd say the age range thing is completely insignificant. The gender part is the only thing in this survey worth discussing.
 
Carthago Delenda Est

Carthago Delenda Est

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
6,119
Bandage said:
I have a little neice that loves Mario Kart and Splatoon, but outside of that, there's really nothing for young kids which is so odd to me.
One of the few times I wish Nintendo actually was making "kiddy" games.
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Basically every launch game including Zelda? Mario? All of their games are "kiddy" games. Nintendo doesn't often make games that aren't. That's not, of course, to say these games can't be enjoyed by all. We all know Zelda and Mario are excellent, among others.
 
Bob Beat

Bob Beat

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Oct 25, 2017
3,916
You just knew who the demographic is based on the sales. Typical gamer with disposable income. 3rd parties better show out next year.
 
mute

mute

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Oct 25, 2017
25,097
I wish we had a better method to see who was the primary user of a given system.
 
Einbroch

Einbroch

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Oct 25, 2017
18,000
Early adopters of 'expensive' gaming hardware, with games like Zelda and ARMS, are going to primarily be male, it's kinda how it is.

I can definitely see over the life of the system a more 50/50 split.
 
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