More than half of US adults play computer games

And one in five of them play games every day.

More than half of American adults play computer games and one in five play every day, according to a survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

The survey of 2,054 US adults showed that while younger adults are far more likely to play than older people, computer games are clearly mainstream entertainment these days.

More than 81 per cent of respondents between 18 and 29 said they play games, compared with 23 per cent of people 65 and older. More than 97 per cent of teenagers play games.

Amanda Lenhart, senior research specialist at Pew, said that computer game fans are not just young men who need to get out more. Half of women and 55 per cent of men play computer games. They could still need to get out more, but at least they aren't all young men.

Computer games are played by people who have a college education more than those who don't. More than 57 per cent of people who went to at least some college are gamers, compared with 51 per cent of high school graduates and just 40 per cent of people having less than a high school education.

Parents of young children and teenagers are big gamers, because they are younger than parents with adult children. Fully 66 per cent of parents or guardians of children under 17 play video games, but only 31 per cent of parents with teenagers play video games with their kids.

If people don't have kids they are less likely to play video games.

There you go.