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Study: gamers like to play games to relieve stress

So who likes to play games to wind down after a busy day? I sure do and I think blasting the bad guys in a virtual world works wonders after a hectic day. According to a new study by the NPD Group, they agree too.

In their study titled "Expanding the Games Market", the NPD Group conducted a survey of 5,039 people and found that "heavier gamers" and "lighter gaming groups" both enjoy playing games as a family or at a party and "that the majority of gamers, especially teens and older gamers ages 15 to 65 and older view playing video games as a way to alleviate stress and to help them unwind."

Other neat facts state that 63% of the U.S. population plays video games ("video games" are defined as "console and portable games, PC games, games on kid-oriented systems or games on devices like cell phones or iPods") with 30% claiming that they spent more time gaming this year than last year.

Anita Frazier, industry analyst for the NPD Group, said, "The new type of game experiences brought to the market over the past several years are succeeding in reaching a broader audience. The challenge for the industry is that consumers are a fickle group, and with the great variety of options pulling at their limited free time, they're going to be easily distracted unless something really compels them to stay with gaming."

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