More People Play Board Games Than Video Games

According to the 2004-05 Statistical Abstract on the United States, more adults play board games than video games. Abstract number 1238, based on data from the fall of 2003, shows that in the preceeding 12 months 17.7 percent of the population had played a board game. (About 2.7 percent of the population played a board game at least once a week.) Meanwhile, only 14.0 percent of the population had played a video game in the preceeding 12 months.

In terms of raw numbers, the Statistical Abstract on the United States estimates that 37.1 million people had played a board game in the preceeding 12 months.

These categories were separate from board games:

Backgammon, 2.3 percent (4.9 million)
Chess, 4.6 percent (9.5 million)
Trivia games, 6.6 percent (13.7 million)
Word games, 7.7 percent (16.1 million)

Abstract number 1238 is available here in PDF format (on page 771).