he company more known for studying television watching patterns has turned its attention toward video games. The "Benchmarking the Active Gamer" study breaks down gaming habits, purchase decisions, and age, race, and sex.

"The inter-connection between video games and mobile devices is undeniable given consumer demand for flexibility. High technology adopters are more likely to use the internet, use their cell phones and play video games spending greater amounts of time and money on these media. The details revealed in these reports raise actionable items for marketers and developers alike and the result is clear: "emerging" media, they are no longer. Games and Mobile entertainment have arrived as powerful channels to consumers and influencers of our culture."

Among the key findings, evidence that:

--Wait and See: Many active gamers appear to be in a holding pattern,
before making a purchase decision on next-generation consoles, with
nearly 50% of active gamers stating they will likely wait until both
the Xbox 360 and the PS3 are released before making a final decision

--Xbox 360 vs. PS3: While most are taking the wait and see approach, those that own and prefer Xbox are more likely to buy Xbox 360 than
those that own and prefer PS2 are to buy the PS3

--Moving Online: 57% of active gamers have played online with  free casual online games the most used and a notable 21% having played MMO games

-- Women are Playing: While online-enabled console, MMO and gambling gamers are disproportionately male -- 76% vs. 24% -- casual gamers who
play free online games such as puzzles are just as likely to be women
as men, 49% vs. 51% respectively

-- Good Scores on Mobile Gaming: 18% of active gamers have downloaded a game to their cell phone, with nearly two-thirds (63%) rating their experience from good to excellent

-- Jock Games Rule: Traditional Sports is the most preferred game genre followed by Role Playing and First-Person Shooter

-- Men of Opportunity Value: Males 25-34 and Hispanics represent the most valuable emerging market for video games with high entertainment
budgets and higher potential than other segments for increased video
game spending

-- Dominating Leisure Time: Nearly 25% of a gamer's leisure time is spent playing video games, with males playing 12 hours per week on average.

Said Michael Dowling, General Manager, Nielsen Interactive Entertainment, "Games are a part of a broader number of people's leisure time, as evidenced by the findings in our study. Playing video games, once considered the domain of teen boys, has evolved into a medium that is now capable of reaching expanding demographics of gamers, including females, Hispanics and older players. As games continue to increase its share of entertainment leisure time, it's quite possible playing video games will assume a significant role as a common cultural experience, in the way that movies and television do today."