People love to play games. Games are a part of our daily lives. Who doesn’t
remember playing cops and robbers in the neighborhood, kick ball at
recess or softball after school? From playing marbles or jacks as a kid to
rolling the dice at craps in a casino, games are a part of our history and culture.
Games can be entertaining and fun or educational and challenging.
There’s as many different reasons to play games as there are players.
Adults love to play games. How prevalent are games in our daily lives as
adults? Seventy-fi ve percent of American heads of households play computer
and video games.

• Super Bowl XXX on January 28, 1996 attracted 138.5 million viewers
• The Super Mario video game series has sold over 180 million
  games
• In May 2005 there were 1,841,100 active online poker players
• Chess first appeared in India in the sixth century A.D. Today more
  than 10 million Americans know how to play chess
• The game of Monopoly is sold in 75 countries. It is printed in 26
  languages, including French, Italian, Spanish, German, Japanese,
  Chinese,
  Arabic and Russian
• In 2004, 19 percent of Americans over the age of 50 played video
  games, an increase from nine percent in 1999.

It’s no wonder adults are immersed in playing games. Games are about
goals, rules and creating social environments. Games are fun. Fast-paced games create an adrenaline rush and a thrill. Strategy games make
you think. Games are also about escape. Sometimes life can become
boring or mundane. We look for ways to escape reality if only for
twenty minutes. Games often promote social interaction. Seventy-
fi ve percent of online gamers say building relationships is a primary
reason they play games online. Internet and mobile games connect
people.
Growth in the Leisure Industry
Electronic gaming is part of the leisure industry along with travel,
lodging and recreation. Recreation and leisure is the world’s leading
industry with spending of approximately one trillion dollars a year.
In the U.S. nearly ten percent of all employment is in the leisure and
hospitality sector.
Demographics are an important consideration. In the U.S. there are
78 million Baby Boomers, with $2 trillion in disposable income to be
used for personal “look and feel good” items, fi nances, nesting, life
and leisure enjoyment and experiences of exploration and escape.
Those last two items are a boon for the leisure industry.
Reasons for leisure industry growth:

• Increased leisure time. The number of hours in the working
  week has decreased. This means people have more time for
  leisure activities.
• Paid holidays. People no longer need to save up their
  income through unpaid holidays. Now people have that
  extra money to spend.
• More disposable income. People are paid more now so
  they are able to spend money on less important items like
  leisure activities.
• Wider choice. There is now a wider choice of leisure activities
  so there is something for everyone to enjoy.