Survey: Wii most popular among kids 8-13

By Cindy Spielvogel -- Video Business, 9/17/2007

SEPT. 17 | Movie Gallery, despite its impending store closings and difficulty paying bills, is still conducting business and letting the public know about it, especially when it comes to its money-making videogame unit, Game Crazy.

More than 80% of tweens and teens will ask for a videogame title or system as a holiday gift, according to a videogame survey conducted for Game Crazy by teen and tween research firm Weekly Reader Research.

WRR found that the main titles kids in these age groups will be asking for are Guitar Hero, Mario Party DS, Super Mario Galaxy, My Sims and Halo 3.

As for game systems, Nintendo Wii was the most popular among kids ages 8-13, as well as all girls up to age 17, while Sony PlayStation 3 came out on top for boys ages 14-17. Nintendo DS was the second choice for girls ages 8-13, while boys in that age group chose PS3 second. For girls ages 14-17, PS3 ranked second, and for boys in that age group, Xbox 360.

The top game choice for boys in the 14-17 age group was Halo 3; for girls in the age group it was Guitar Hero. Guitar Hero also was the first choice among boys 11-13, while girls in that age group favored My Sims. Boys in the 8-10 age group made Super Mario Galaxy their first choice, while girls chose Nintendogs.

The survey was conducted online Aug. 17-20 and included 1,000 boys and girls ages 8-17 from WRR’s Insiders survey research community.

The total number of Game Crazy outlets stands at about 600 within Hollywood Video stores and freestanding, Movie Gallery reported, while the total number of Movie Gallery-owned stores is down to about 4,000.

Moody's Investor Service downgraded Movie Gallery's bond rating from Caa3 (extremely speculative) to C (in default), citing the retailer's failure to make its latest interest payments on time. Standard & Poor's cut Movie Gallery's rating to default status as well.