So, you love to play games on the Internet, or just gaming in general, well you are not alone; here are a few little known facts about playing online games that may help you win a bar bet or something along the lines of the best useless information.

1.  The average age of the game player is 33 and they have been playing for about 12 years.

2.  In 2008 the sales of US video and computer software increased by 10% to $9.5 billion which is almost triple the amount of industry sales since 1996.

3.  Over 70% of the heads of the household in the United States play video and computer online games.

4.   86% of the game players that are under 18 years old state that they do have their parent’s permission when buying or renting games and almost 90% state that their parents are there when they purchase the game.

5.  40% of all players are women; as a matter of fact women over 18 represent a bigger portion of game players, about 35%, than boys that are 17 and younger, about 26%.

6.  Forty percent of parents admit to playing online games and video games and eight five percent of these gaming parents say that they play the games with their kids and sixty eight percent of those feel that it has brought the family closer together.

7. The most frequent game buyer and online games player is about 40 years old; in 2008 94% of computer game buyers and 85% of online games players were over 18 years old.

8.  In 2008 thirty five percent of Americans, over the age of fifty, played video games, an increase from twenty five percent in 2005 and nine percent in 1999.

9.  In 2002 approximately 20% of the heads of households would play games on wireless devices such as PDA’s or cell phones; in 2008 that increased to 40%.

10.  At least 45% of the game players claim that they play online games for 5 hours a week; however, many experts feel that the number of playing hours is likely closer to about 8 hours or more per week.

Curious about what kind of online games are played the most? Here are the results:
53% Board games, puzzles, cards
21% Action, Sports games, strategy
8% Shockwave/Flash games
6% Multiplayer games
12% Other