“These findings underscore gaming ’s broadening reach, ” said Ralph Rivera, Vice President of AOL Games. “It's not about eating dots and shooting pixilated aliens anymore. Today, games are multi-million dollar productions that range from kid-friendly to adults-only fare. ”

Gaming as a Family Activity:

When parents were asked how many hours a week they spend playing video games with their kids, 43% stated that they never play with their kids, while 30% stated less than an hour. Younger parents were found to be more likely to play games with their kids than older parents.

Holiday Season:

18% of those surveyed said they were very or somewhat likely to purchase a video game console like an XBox, Nintendo, or Playstation during the upcoming holiday season, while 35% stated they were very or somewhat likely to purchase video games. When it comes to selecting a video console, a majority (51%) of those planning to purchase a console during the holiday season stated that price was the most important factor followed by recommendations from friends and family (34%).

Adult Gamers:

The poll finds that more than half of all adult gamers are under 40 years old, while 27% are under the age of 30. Only a third of all adult gamers are married and have children. The typical adult gamer spends 2 hours each week playing video games. This number increases to 4 hours per week for fans of shooter games, and 5 hours for fans of adventure and role playing games. 93% stated they usually play online games at home, while 5% admitted to playing at work or school.

Hardcore vs Light Gamers:

41% of all gamers are classified as “hardcore gamers, ” those who spend at least 3 hours per week playing video games, while light gamers (31%) play less than an hour per week on average. Hardcore gamers are younger than other gamers with 59% under the age of 40 and 32% under 30. 58% of hardcore gamers are male, while 42% are female. Light gamers are more likely to be female, in their 40 ’s and employed full-time. A majority (68%) of light gamers are married versus 50% of hardcore gamers.

* The AP-AOL Games poll of 2,016 adults and 770 gamers was conducted from October 9-11 and 16-18 by Ispos, an international public opinion company. The margin of error for all adults is ±2.2 for all adults, ±3.5 for Gamers.