The Gaming Generation is Here to Stay
A survey conducted by Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) supports the idea that the generation that has grown up with computer and video games is not planning on shelving the joystick or mouse any time soon.
As indicated in the study of 1,500 game-playing households in the U.S., about six in 10 gamers aim to still be playing games in ten years and 56 percent of the total have been playing games for six or more years already.
"There's no doubt that video games are deeply embedded in our society," said Doug Lowenstein, president of the IDSA. "It's clear that the industry's surging growth is no passing fancy and that the millions of Americans who played video games yesterday play them today, and will still be playing them tomorrow."
The study also found that 37 percent of American gamers play games using mobile devices. Thirty-five percent of computer game players favor puzzle, board or card games and 62 percent of gamers playing for less than one year are women.
Russia's Mobile Market Set to Double
Mobile subscriber numbers in Russia are predicted to double this year, says Russian Communications Minister Leonid Reiman.
According to Reiman, the number of mobile subscribers is on pace to double in 2002 thanks to the decline in mobile tariffs and an increase in consumer spending on average.
By April 1 of this year, 10.5 million handsets had been sold in Russia. In 2001, the mobile market witnessed a growth rate of 231 percent.
Many Germans Resist Call of Internet
A telephone poll, conducted by eMind@emnid, aiming to map the digital divide in Germany has found that many Germans are choosing to renounce the Internet and not use it at all.
The poll found nearly half of the German population doesn't access, nor do they desire to access, the Internet. The bulk of the "abstainers" are female, elderly and in the lower income brackets. Most live in urban areas and have a lower level of completed education.
""The digital gap in Germany is no purely social problem. The high rate of Internet abstainers is an obstacle to economic growth and to a reduction of the unemployment rate. Political and economic efforts must tackle this problem together," IBM CEO Erwin Staudt explained.
In Berlin, last year's leader in Internet penetration in Germany, this year's results show a 6 percent increase in Internet abstainers, and Frankfurt took over as having the highest Internet penetration in the country.
UK Broadband Uptake Lagging
In spite of falling broadband rates, British Internet users are still reluctant to adopt high-speed access, more so than many other Western countries, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The OECD study maintains that of the world's 30 richest countries, England places 22nd in the adoption of broadband technology. Another study by the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA) reveals that England is 12th out of 15 countries in broadband connections per population.
Egyptian Internet Use Rises Dramatically
According to the Arab Advisors Group, the number of Egyptians using the Internet has begun a dramatic increase that is expected to continue until 2006.
Data from the study suggests that by 2006, there will be more than 2.6 million Internet users in Egypt, up from 540,000 in 2001. The report also predicts Internet access revenues will increase from US$19.1 million in 2001 to $81.5 million in 2006.
The landscape of Internet providers in Egypt is also set to change, according to the Arab Advisors Group; privately branded ISPs are estimated to rise from a total of 65 companies in 2001 to 145 companies over the same timeframe.