The very latest figures from research group Nielsen Entertainment confirm that - in the same way that sky is blue and the sea notably wet - men like video games and are spending increasing amounts of wonga to feed their lust for console-based gratification.

Indeed, the numbers suggest that chaps now shell out more cash on games than on music, although DVDs still hold the number one spot in blokes' affections. What's more, the gaming demographic is getting older, with almost a quarter of all gamers over the age of 40.

The Nielsen Entertainment survey probed the habits of 1,500 people. It also unearthed the interesting factoids that Blacks and Hispanics spend more wedge each month on games than Whites and the average active gamer spends five hours a week playing alone, plus three hours a week in group or online gaming.

What's more, 40 per cent of US households now have some form of gaming set-up, be it a PC-based system, console or handheld device. And regarding the hardcore gaming aficionados, eight per cent of those quizzed admitted to owning three consoles - PS2, Xbox and GameCube. ®

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