Core gamers have heavy impact on economy [update 1]
Definition: a heavy gamer (also known as core gamer) is one who buys eight or more games per year and plays at least 10 hours per week.
Correlation: according to a recent study by Ziff Davis Games Group, heavy gamers spend notably more money than casual gamers (those who buy at most one game per year and play five or fewer hours per week). Some relative figures:
Heavy gamers spent $710 on clothing over the last six months, nearly double that of casual gamers. That equates to approximately $1,420 annually.
Heavy gamers spent $116 on DVDs over the last six months (or $232 annually), while casual gamers only shelled out $64.
Similar trends hold for consumer electronics, online music downloads, athletic shoes, and CDs.
Conclusion: heavy gamers, by way of their spending trends, have an impact on the economy as a whole. Companies who take notice of the trend will try to cater more to the gamer audience. The effect is a greater push for in-game advertising, but to what extent? Lest they forget, gamers hate in-game ads. Keep in mind that the converse ("those who spend a lot of money buy a lot of games") is not necessarily true.
See Also:
Picture it: special status for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii console owners
Economies of scale don't apply to virtual worlds?
Joystiq's coverage on in-game advertising
[Update 1: clarified some language in the conclusion.]
