Game Console Owners More Likely To Visit Theme Parks

78% more likely even!
Entire Article Here

And here's just a sample from Nielsen's findings:

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Besides playing video games, the highest indexing personal interests among console owners are attending theme parks, collecting comic books, and collecting dolls and other figurines. The highest indexing vacation activities in this group are theme parks, water sports, and major sporting events.

Table 2: Highest Indexing Personal Interests and Vacation Activities among Console Owners (U.S.)

Personal Interest------------Composition Index
Theme Parks------------------------178
Comic Book Collecting---------------171
Collecting Dolls/Figurines/Toys-------137

Vacation Activity-----------Composition Index
Theme Parks-----------------------152
Water Sports----------------------144
Major Sporting Event---------------140

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings @Plan, Spring 2007 ReleaseNote: An average composition index is 100. Anything above 100 means a groupis overrepresented for this profile point. For example, console owners are78 percent more likely to have an interest in theme parks than the averageWeb user.

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Interesting stuff. Especially when combined with this:

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The majority of console owners, 71 percent, are married, and 66 percent have at least one child in the household.

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So is there a way for the parks to utilize this info? Immediately I think of things like the recent KW news about bringing in interactive technology and SF with the Wii's in-park, Tony Hawk, etc.

Or is it just the opposite? These people are already more likely to come, we need to draw other groups.

Just found it interesting. :)

If they are already coming to the park, why market to them? The only thing I can think of that would be an addition turn-on for a gamer to come to a park is if the park had some special arcade with like 20' screens where the gamers could play their favorites or if they always had demos of the new up and coming games before they are released to the public. But again, these people seem to already be visiting, so why focus on them anymore than you need to?

Could have something to do with that Nintendo and Six Flags thing that went down not too long ago. Anything ever really materialize from that?

I think games like Roller Coaster Tycoon have a huge impact. I know it did for me.

Silly. I am a video gamer and I would not go to a park for video games. Chances are, if you're into video games, you already know about/own what the parks are going to have on display. And it doesn't make sense to market to a demographic that already gives you business. If parks want to attract a new crowd, market to people interested in organ grinders- I doubt that group is very much into amusement parks.

Well 66 percent of the owners having kids says a lot to me. Kids like video games and parks.

Yeah, but why would anyone want to pay to go an amusement park and play games that they can play at home, or on in-store demo kiosks?

I always wondered that same thing. But I'm not a gamer maybe I just don't know what I'm talking about.

Unless it is an old, rare, unusual, or something else that is hard to find, why hang around an arcade?

It is a different story for parks that have free admission where people can just wander in and do a few things for an a couple hours or so.

Organ grinders? Maybe they have an interest in all mechanical music devices so any park with an operating band organ would attract them!

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Rob Ascough said:
Yeah, but why would anyone want to pay to go an amusement park and play games that they can play at home, or on in-store demo kiosks?

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That's not really the point. The point is that they are similar groups of people, and therefore there are targeted marketing opportunities. You don't market games at a park to gamers, you market the park.

Yes, exactly. You know these people are more likely to visit a park, so you buy in-game advertising to make sure they visit your park.

Things like that.

So it's one-sided? It's not going to get gamers into the park, it's going to get the attention of gamers that are already in the park? In other words, Nintendo benefits, not Six Flags (aside from the money they're being paid, meaning they're essentially whores?)

Not at all.

I have no idea about any money exchange, it may or may not have happened. The news story at the time mentioned that in return, Nintendo will promote SF online with contests and such.

Which falls exactly into what this article says - Gamers are overwhelmingly interested in the Wii at this point and they're more likely to be married with kids and visit theme parks. Six Flags wants their name in front of these people and in turn they want them at their parks. It's a two part strategy the way I see it. (Wii's to lure those crowds away from the living room and SF's name on Nintendo products to remind them when they're on the couch)

A quote from Shapiro:
"This agreement with Nintendo enables us to partner with a company, and a product, that has major relevance in the lives of today's families. When this audience is not in our parks, more often than not they are at home playing video games -- and now they can do both in one place as we continue to build Six Flags into a supermarket of entertainment"

The dude knows his audience. That comment was made almost 3 months before this Nielsen report came out.

I've said it a million times, he's changing the way the amusement park finds and attracts an audience. This is a perfect example of the thinking behind that approach.

What Gonch said. The challenge for the parks in the current world is reaching people who will come to the park and spend money. Throwing a ton of cash at TV and radio doesn't cut it anymore.

I wonder if there's any breakdown between game OWNERS and game PLAYERS...

Had a DreamCast sitting idle for the last couple years, barely EVER used it anyway...

I get the connection but I fail to see how it's going to help. Even casual gamers know about the Nintendo Wii- they don't need to go to Six Flags to find out about it. Likewise, people who like amusement parks already know where they are. It's not like some kind of Nintendo/Six Flags marketing campaign is going to make someone sit up and say, "I had no idea Great Adventure was an hour away! We should really go there."

To me, this doesn't sound like anything more than two companies realizing that their target audiences have a lot in common. I doubt the allure of being able to play a Wii at a Six Flags park is going to be much of a selling point. The parallels are there but it seems neither company has a true plan to take advantage of that. It's like hanging out with a neighbor just because you're the same age and married- just because your "stats" are the same doesn't mean you're going to enjoy each others' company.

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It's not like some kind of Nintendo/Six Flags marketing campaign is going to make someone sit up and say, "I had no idea Great Adventure was an hour away! We should really go there."

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Indeed. But again there's two key things at play:

1. The fact that these gamers with kids are 78% more likely to visit an amusement park.

Come on, if you're going to put your name in front of anyone do you want to randomly throw it out there or do you want to hit the group that's almost twice as likely to visit an amusement park? It's incredibly focused marketing. These people ARE going to go to a park, this is just a chance to remind them about you.

2. The fact these people who are more likely to visit parks are gamers. (no it's not the same idea re-worded)

Say the family wants to visit a park and Dad's not really into the whole coasters and rides thing, but he knows he has to drag the wife and kids out. Is he going to go to a park that offers him nothing but a sit in the shade wasting time or go to a park that offers his favorite home leisure activity? Suddenly, the chance to disappear at one of those little gamestation thingies for the day while the wife and kids ride looks pretty attractive given the options.

I believe that's the logic.

Oh please! If you want to talk about rare and unusual games look no further than the main arcade at CP. They have some cool, older racing games and pinbal games.

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Lord Gonchar said:

A quote from Shapiro:
When this audience is not in our parks, more often than not they are at home playing video games -- and now they can do both in one place as we continue to build Six Flags into a supermarket of entertainment"

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So these people spend all their time playing video games and visiting Six Flags?

That's just sad! ;)

Heh. Add 'stalking the CoasterBuzz forums' and he's pretty much got me pegged. ;)

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Rob Ascough said:
I doubt the allure of being able to play a Wii at a Six Flags park is going to be much of a selling point.

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Who said anything about that being a sell for Six Flags? The crux of the deal is that people in Six Flags get exposure to the Wii (because God knows you can't buy one still), and Six Flags gets their parks plugged in Nintendo marketing or perhaps in games.