We know a little bit about the age and gender of the average Xbox 360 owner, and a little more about where those demographics are skewing in terms of Obama versus McCain. We also have this intriguing new initiative by Microsoft which launched yesterday in conjunction with the Democratic National Convention to bring youth vote-recruiter Rock the Vote to Xbox 360 owners through the console's dashboard.
How's it work? Nothing to it, just...
1. Log into your Xbox Live account.
2. Go to the 'Marketplace' tab, then click on the Rock the Vote splash picture.
3. In the Rock the Vote overlay, choose 'Register', download a tiny 108 KB 'I Registered' gamer pic, and a registration form will be automatically emailed to you.
4. Don't forget to actually register.
Microsoft's goal? Register "2 million young Americans" by this fall. Their target demographic? Voters under 30, a group that Obama carries commandingly.
However...
Consumer research firm Experian pegs the majority of Xbox 360 owners as between 35 and 44 years old. And while women are a rising force in gaming -- the ESA's 2008 Essential Facts lists overall gender demographics as 40% female to 60% male -- Xbox 360 owners remain predominantly male, though I'm having difficulty locating statistics that show by precisely how much.
According to a June Zogby poll, Obama leads among voters under the age of 35, while McCain leads among voters ages 55 to 69. The two are deadlocked among voters ages 70 and older, and essentially at percentage parity when it comes to the largest bloc of voters (and the most salient one here) ages 35 to 54.
In terms of gender, according to a Gallup poll in April, men ages 18 to 49 tend to favor McCain over Obama 48% to 45%, while women favor Obama over McCain 53% to 39%.
Assuming the above data's accurate, the law of averages suggests that voters registering via the Xbox 360 may slightly favor McCain over Obama based principally on gender disparity (the sampling error in the Gallup poll was only +/- 1 percentage point). I say "suggests," but cautiously. I have no idea what the gender composition of Xbox Live members is, whether it differs from general console ownership, or whether a survey of "gamers most likely to register to vote through a console gaming service" might reflect something entirely different.
So who benefits? Everyone, never mind the demographics. Whichever candidate you favor, the more people registered to vote and the more opportunities and avenues to get our electorate involved, the better.
You are missing one important right . MMO players should have the right to sue the developers of MMO's that we pay monthly fees for ,yet allow hackers (some of which are employees) to take the joy out of playing the game.