What to Play When You're Away: Video Games Mandatory for Fun-Filled Summer Travel

WILSONVILLE, Ore., July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- School's out, families are hitting the road for summer vacations and, according to a survey from national video game retailer Game Crazy, 96 percent of kids are bringing their handheld player or video game console along for the ride. The Game Crazy/Weekly Reader Research Summer Travel Survey released today reveals that eight in ten children need at least one video game with them on vacation. Video games make family travel more fun and eliminate the refrain of "are we there yet?" from backseats of cars across the nation.

"These survey findings demonstrate the significant role that video games will play this summer travel season, and we're here to help," said Wes Sand, senior vice president at Game Crazy, the second-largest specialty game retailer in the country. "What differentiates Game Crazy is that our employees are game enthusiasts, and they thrive on helping customers choose the right products to fit their interests."

Why We Play While We're Away

According to the survey, kids enjoy bringing their video games on summer vacation for a variety of reasons. More than three-quarters say the main reason to bring video games on vacation is to provide a break from other siblings, make the trip easier and serve as an escape from parents. As for parents, 82 percent indicate that video games help make family trips easier and more enjoyable.

While video games serve as great individual activity on summer vacation, they also provide a solid bonding activity to bring the family together. Parents want in on the interactive fun, with one-third of parents more likely than usual to play video games with their kids while on vacation. But they better prepare for the ride - 41 percent of parents surveyed said having the batteries die would be the worst thing that could happen to their child's video game, while more than a third of parents are worried kids will get bored if they don't bring enough game options.

Almost all kids are willing to play video games anywhere on summer vacation, whether they are traveling by car, plane, bus or train, or at the final destination - even in the bathroom! Video games have become so important to summer travel that kids would rather lose their cell phone (52 percent) or MP3 player (57 percent) than a video game.

Summer Credit

About one-third of children don't currently own the one game they most want to take on vacation with them, a perfect reason to take advantage of Game Crazy's trade-in program. In fact, a whopping seventy-four percent of kids surveyed said they are willing to trade in one of their old games for a new one. With the Game Crazy trade-in program, customers can trade in their old titles for store credit toward the purchase of a game, accessory or console. Game Crazy guarantees the best trade-in prices of any video game retailer, allowing kids to spend less on the hot new summer titles they purchase. According to the survey, the top games that kids want but don't already have are Mario Games and Guitar Hero.

The Hot Games of Summer

Fifty-nine percent of kids consider video game systems the most important form of entertainment they bring on vacation. With its unique Try Before You Buy program, Game Crazy allows customers to test-drive games before making their purchase. According to the survey, though, kids have strong opinions about what the hottest games for the summer will be. The top three games that kids most likely will take on vacation are:

    -- Mario Kart
    -- Guitar Hero On Tour
    -- Mario Party

Most of these games appeal to both genders, but the popular games specifically among boys and girls are:

    BOYS                           GIRLS
    -- Guitar Hero on Tour         -- Hannah Montana
    -- Pokemon                     -- High School Musical
    -- Madden '09                  -- Petz Games

To find a Game Crazy store location in your area, please visit: http://www.gamecrazy.com/storelocator/mappoint.aspx#startaddress.

Survey Methodology

The 2008 Game Crazy Summer Travel Survey was conducted online May 20-25, 2008 by Weekly Reader Research. Weekly Reader Research serves as the expert on tween-to-teen market research, providing rich insight into youth markets. One thousand U.S. male and female participants (500 parents, 500 children 8-16 years of age) were recruited from Weekly Reader Research's INSIDERS survey research community. Quotas were established by age: one-third children and parents of children 8-10 years of age, one-third children and parents of children 11-13 years of age, and one- third children and parents of children 14-16 years of age. Sampling procedures were employed to ensure the respondents accurately reflect the nation's 42.7 million 8-16 years old in terms of age, race/ethnicity, gender and census region. The margin of error is +/- 4.4 percent at the 95 percent confidence interval.

About Game Crazy

Game Crazy(R) (www.gamecrazy.com) is the nation's second largest specialty game retailer with more than 580 locations across the country. Hollywood Entertainment ofWilsonville, Oregon, was acquired in 2005 by Movie Gallery, Inc. and operates Game Crazy. Movie Gallery, Inc. is the second largest North American home entertainment specialty retailer with more than 4,000 stores located in all 50 U.S. states andCanada.

SOURCE Game Crazy

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