Let's Play: Or, The World Toys and Games Market to Reach $100B+ by 2015

World Toys and Games Market to Reach US$100 Billion by 2015, According to New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 

GIA announces the release of a comprehensive global outlook on the Toys and Games Industry. The global toys and games industry is driven by the growing popularity of console and computer games, in addition to video games. A peculiar trend driving the market is the growing disenchantment of children towards toys and games at an early age. The span of attention and the desirability to play with the same toys/games for long period of time is gradually, but surely on the decline. This has resulted in the introduction of new and 'different' games and toys at very frequent intervals, each one vying to be more innovative, attractive, and technologically superior than the other. Another key driving factor represents the growth and popularity of interactive and intelligent toys.

San Jose, CA (PRWEB) February 08, 2012

Follow us on LinkedIn - The global toys and games industry is influenced by the constantly varying trends. Today's child is more interested in playing with trendier and smarter electronic toys and video games, rather than the traditional toys. Manufacturers are thus continually striving to innovate and introduce more evolved games for the youngsters of today. Console and computer games, in addition to the video games, are the key driving forces behind the industry's growth. In addition, the rise in stress levels associated with modern living is causing adults to increasingly turn to toys and games that carry an element of excitement and fun, and such factors are also contributing to the market growth. Small children are no longer the prime or in many case the sole attractive targets of manufacturers and retailers. Youngsters and, in several instances, adults too are the target consumers.

Traditionally, the US and European markets are the centers of demand for toys and games, due to better lifestyle and socio-cultural reasons, while Japan remains the global leader in the video games market. Among the European countries, the United Kingdom takes the lead, trailed by Germany and France. The near-term growth of the global toys and games industry is expected to be fueled by emerging economies in Asia Pacific and Latin America regions due to the high GDP in these regions, as well as an increasing shift towards a more westernized lifestyle. Despite the relatively waning popularity of the traditional games in many regions of the world, the segment continues to hold a significant share in the global toys and games market. Growth for the entire toys and games market is dependent upon those sectors, which provide a high degree of innovation and superior technological features. Console and computer games, interactive and intelligent toys, fall under this category.

One of the most significant developments in the recent years has been the growth and popularity of interactive and intelligent toys. These toys, rather than the hitherto market leaders such as traditional toys, are the new growth drivers. This has encouraged other non-toy companies, such as Intel and Microsoft, to jump into the fray by investing in this lucrative market space. An amazing fact about these intelligent toys is that their popularity is not just limited to the new generation of computer savvy youngsters, but in several cases, extends to the adults too. The grown-ups are equally fascinated with the capability to add interesting personality and unique characteristic traits of a cuddly toy.

The popularity of online games has opened up new avenues for the gaming sector. The number of Internet users visiting online game sites surpassed 210 million globally, and is further growing at a rate of 17% annually. The positive aspect of the online console gaming experience is the ease of playing with a console as compared to that of a PC, providing considerable potential to the online console gaming in future.

The research report titled "Toys and Games: A Global Outlook" announced by the Global Industry Analysts, Inc., provides a collection of statistical anecdotes, market briefs, and concise summaries of research findings. The report provides a rudimentary overview of the toys and games industry, highlights latest trends and demand drivers, in addition to providing statistical insights. Regional markets briefly abstracted and covered include North America, the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, The Netherlands, Turkey, The United Kingdom, Asia-Pacific, Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Latin America, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay. The report offers a compilation of recent mergers, acquisitions, and strategic corporate developments. Also included is an indexed, easy-to-refer, fact-finder directory, listing the addresses, and contact details of companies worldwide.

For more details about this comprehensive industry report, please visit -
www.strategyr.com/Toys_and_Games_Industry_Market_Report.asp

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (GIA) is a leading publisher of off-the-shelf market research. Founded in 1987, the company currently employs over 800 people worldwide. Annually, GIA publishes more than 1300 full-scale research reports and analyzes 40,000+ market and technology trends while monitoring more than 126,000 Companies worldwide. Serving over 9500 clients in 27 countries, GIA is recognized today, as one of the world's largest and reputed market research firms.

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Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
Telephone: 408-528-9966
Fax: 408-528-9977
Email: press(at)StrategyR(dot)com
Web Site: www.StrategyR.com/

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Report: Video Games & Creativity

Video game playing tied to creativity

		IMAGE: A study by Linda Jackson, Michigan State University psychology professor, found that kids who play video games are more creative. Click here for more information.

Contact: Linda Jackson
jackso67@msu.edu
517-353-7207
Michigan State University 

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Both boys and girls who play video games tend to be more creative, regardless of whether the games are violent or nonviolent, according to new research by Michigan State University scholars.

A study of nearly 500 12-year-olds found that the more kids played video games, the more creative they were in tasks such as drawing pictures and writing stories. In contrast, use of cell phones, the Internet and computers (other than for video games) was unrelated to creativity, the study found.

Linda Jackson, professor of psychology and lead researcher on the project, said the study appears to be the first evidence-based demonstration of a relationship between technology use and creativity. About 72 percent of U.S. households play video or computer games, according to the Entertainment Software Association.

The MSU findings should motivate game designers to identify the aspects of video game activity that are responsible for the creative effects, Jackson said.

"Once they do that, video games can be designed to optimize the development of creativity while retaining their entertainment values such that a new generation of video games will blur the distinction between education and entertainment," Jackson said.

The researchers surveyed 491 middle-school students as part of MSU's Children and Technology Project, which is funded by the National Science Foundation. The survey assessed how often the students used different forms of technology and gauged their creativity with the widely used Torrance Test of Creativity-Figural.

The Torrance test involved tasks such as drawing an "interesting and exciting" picture from a curved shape, giving the picture a title and then writing a story about it.

Overall, the study found that boys played video games more than girls, and that boys favored games of violence and sports while girls favored games involving interaction with others (human or nonhuman).

Yet, regardless of gender, race or type of game played, greater video game playing was the only technology to be associated with greater creativity.

The study appears online in the research journal Computers in Human Behavior.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/msu-vgp110211.php

New study links video gaming to creativity

by Elizabeth Armstrong Moore  November 2, 2011 4:42 PM PDT

For those who like to play video games, or who let their kids play, a new study linking gaming to creativity in 12-year-olds may be very validating.

It reminds me of the little flutter in my chest that occurs every time I read about the health benefits of dark chocolate. Or perhaps that flutter is due to how quickly I race to the chocolate stash in my pantry.

Are kids who play video games more creative?

(Credit: aperturismo/Flickr)

But I digress. The research out of Michigan State University, published online in the journalComputers in Human Behavior, suggests that of the 491 12-year-olds studied, the ones who play video games tend to be more creative, regardless of whether those games are violent--and that the more they play, the more creative they are.

Head researcher and psychology professorLinda Jackson says these findings should encourage game designers to investigate which aspects of gaming are more responsible for this creative effect.

"Once they do that, video games can be designed to optimize the development of creativity while retaining their entertainment values such that a new generation of video games will blur the distinction between education and entertainment," she says in a news release.

But before we exchange those dusty books for Portal 2 (I drool over this game almost as much as that dark chocolate), a few aspects of the study are worth considering further.

First, there is the issue of how one goes about measuring creativity. Jackson suggests this study provides the first evidence-based demonstration of a relationship between technology use and creativity. Measuring technology use was easy. To measure creativity, her team relied on the "widely-used" Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, which involved having the kids perform various tasks, such as drawing pictures from a curved shape and then naming and writing stories about those pictures.

Some of the resulting work was labeled "interesting and exciting," while other work was, well, not. So what does this tell us? That kids who play video games meet one set of criteria for creativity more than kids who don't.

Even if creativity is an objective quality, this one measure for it might not sufficiently determine one's overall creativity, and risks ignoring other types of creativity altogether. (i.e., one kid might be able to draw creatively, while another can make up new songs creatively, so only measuring the drawing could result in missing other forms of creativity.)

And then there is the issue of what is being compared. Instead of measuring one type of activity against another, this study measures one type against the absence of it, leaving a lot of room for variables. Are the kids who don't play video games watching TV? How would the video game cohort compare to kids building their own puzzles, or making mud pies, or drawing pictures from a curved shape and then naming and writing stories about those pictures?

This study may be the first of many to come. For now, I'll continue enjoying Portal and chocolate, possibly at the same time, with the added pleasure of knowing that I might possibly be maximizing my creativity. Of course, whether it's working will depend upon whom you ask.

Elizabeth Armstrong Moore

Elizabeth Armstrong Moore is based in Portland, Ore., and has written for Wired, The Christian Science Monitor, and public radio. Her semi-obscure hobbies include climbing, billiards, board games that take up a lot of space, and piano. She is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET.

 Creativity to Playing Video Games
ARTICLE DATE : November 3, 2011
By Leslie Horn


Despite what your mother might have told you, a new study suggests that playing video games might not rot your brain.

According to a report from researchers at Michigan State University, as first reported by CNET, children that play video games tend to be more creative.

The study, published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, studied 491 12-year-old boys and girls and found that those who played video games were more creative at performing tasks like drawing pictures and writing stories. It didn’t matter if the games they played were violent or not, the study said.

Linda Jackson, the MSU psychology professor who headed up the study, said game developers should take this information and try to identify which parts of games stimulate creativity

“Once they do that, video games can be designed to optimize the development of creativity while retaining their entertainment values such that a new generation of video games will blur the distinction between education and entertainment,” she said in astatement.

But creativity is a rather subjective trait, so just how is it measured? The study explored how these kids’ technology use affected their creativity using the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking. This “widely used test” charged the subjects with various tasks like drawing an “interesting and exciting” picture based on a curved shape, titling the drawing, and writing a story about it.

The study concluded that there is no link between creativity and the use of other types of technology including cell phones, the Internet, and computers (unless they’re used for video games). However, games of all genres were found to have a distinct correlation with creativity for both boys and girls, regardless of race.

Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article/print/290116