Video Game Target: The Family

Look for Microsoft and other gaming system makers to go after a wider audience this year, beyond the stereotpyical teenage boy gamers and young adult guys. Yes, they want the entire family.

And why not? Sales of video games and portable and console gaming hardware, software, and accessories hit nearly $12.5 billion in 2006, up from $10.5 billion the year before, according to the NPD Group. USA Today reports that while teens are gamers, they make up only one quarter of players. Nearly half are ages 18 to 49, and another quarter are 50 and over. So to keep the party going, the video game industry needs to widen the net of players.

Taking a page from the success of the Nintendo Wii, which has caught on as a social gaming system for casual gamers of all ages, Microsoft is looking to curry favor with families, too. Look for a new ad campaign featuring family members smiling and playing Xbox games together.

Halo 3 may be getting lots of attention, but Microsoft is hawking more genteel, family-friendly (read: less violent) Xbox games, including Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action for $60. The movie trivia game features several puzzles.

As Ben Patterson told us, you'll also be able to find a less-expensive Xbox 360 Arcade gaming console designed with families in mind for $280, significantly less than the $350 Xbox 360 and the $450 Xbox Elite. The Arcade console comes with games such as Uno and Pac-Man.

Intrigued? Do you foresee playing video games as a family activity this year, or something only the kids do?  

LINK: Microsoft works family angle in new Xbox ads [USA Today] 

Related: Confirmed: Xbox 360 Arcade Goes on Sale