After listening for years that games are mostly played by teens, Entertainment Software Association came forward today and released their annual booklet of facts. The booklet titled "Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry in 2008" is 14 mind-numbing pages filled with facts about the US video game industry – and some of those facts are definite eye-openers.

According to statistics, 49% of all gamers belong to 18-49 age bracket – yes that’s a huge bracket. What is more interesting is the fact that 26% of all gamers are 50 years or older, while 25% of gamers are below 18. This is a significant change from previous years and clearly shows the growth of casual games market, but also displays the shift from simple and aggressive games to games that are rated "Everyone". This also bodes well for digital distribution methods, since adults are more prone to buy the games online.

Looking at gender statistics, numbers are even more impressive - there are more women aged 35 or older playing games than teens in sub-18 category. Of course, this statistic lumps all games in the same pot, but that is the point of overall statistics.

You can read the entire article at TG Daily.