Video games now a legitimate challenger to TV

Americans are now beginning to spend more time watching and playing video games than watching television, according to new data from research group Nielsen.

The data from the “Video Game Handbook” report shows that usage of console video games accounted for 64 billion minutes of usage in the December quarter of 2008. Only four other television networks account for more viewing time in the same period, the company says.

The report also shows that those who spend large amounts of time playing video games also watch a lot of television. Those who averaged 93 minutes of console usage watch as much TV as the weakest video game users.

“Gamers are a sophisticated media consumer, digesting media at a higher rate than the average,” the report says. The report also shows that video game usage peaks at 7pm, compared to television usage at 9pm.

“In general, many gamers give way to the prime time TV hour as it approaches, indicating a complementary approach to the two mediums would be most efficient,” the report says.