Gamers are getting younger!

Wednesday 6th June 2007 - 11:00

Research suggests games fans are getting younger all the time, Pirates swipes the top spot and Army of Two Xbox 360 screens

As if anybody ever thought otherwise, research has come out of the US to suggest that gamers are getting younger and younger. Consulting group NPD has published a report that states the age at which children begin using games consoles has dropped from 8.1-years-old to 6.7-years-old in 2007

Not surprisingly, affordable handhelds are the order of the day for kiddie gamers with an adoption rate of 39 percent, followed by portable CD players (30 percent), console videogames (29 percent) and TVs (28 percent). "Kids are drawn to the latest and greatest digital devices just as their parents are," said Anita Frazier, industry analyst for The NPD Group. "They appear to have no fear of technology and adopt it easily and without fanfare, making these devices a part of their everyday lives."

Meanwhile, Captain Jack has managed to hold Lara at bay as Pirates of the Caribbean has sailed to the all formats top spot in this week's Top 40. Lara Croft, resplendent in her Tomb Raider Anniversary capers, has made a debut at a highly respectable number two. Spider-Man the superhero who had made it a hat trick of chart pole positions has finally slipped to third spot.

Finally we're proud to present a set of brand spanking new screens shots from EA's forthcoming shooter Army of Two, due out on the Xbox 360 and PS3 at an undisclosed time later this year. Not a game to be played by the soup-for one brigade Army of Two will throw gamers into hot spots ripped from current day headlines where they will utilise unique two man strategies and tactics while seamlessly transitioning between playing with intelligent Partner AI (PAI) and a live player. When one man is not enough, it will take an army of two to fight through war, political turmoil and a conspiracy so vast it threatens the entire world. It sounds like a very smooth co-op game if you ask us - which is no bad thing in our books!

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