Streaming video on game consoles is up over last year, according to Nielsen. An October survey reveals that streaming and video-on-demand represent a larger share of usage on Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii compared to last year.

Nielsen’s Top 20 Games to Watch reveals the most anticipated games of the 2011 holiday season, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 the most coveted among active U.S. gamers.

According to Nielsen surveys and buzz data, consumers are eagerly anticipating Nintendo’s announcement of a new video game console.

Today’s video game consoles offer many entertainment options beyond gaming, including Netflix, ESPN3, Pandora, Last.FM and YouTube on some or all platforms. As part of understanding the potential audience for services like these across the entire family, it is important to think about the household location of gaming platforms.

Recent economic conditions have encouraged American consumers to spend carefully across entertainment categories, and gaming has been no exception.

As U.S. consumers eye a selection of video game consoles this holiday season, their choices offer an increasing array of entertainment features in addition to traditional offline gaming.

With Black Friday rapidly approaching, parents may want to get up early Friday morning to find deals, as a recent survey shows their kids are eyeing some wallet-stretching electronics this holiday season.

Knowing that gamers are among the most engaged consumers when playing an online or console game, we’ve been looking closely at the impact of in-game ads on their buying habits.

Americans spend nearly a quarter of their time online on social networking sites and blogs, up from 15.8 percent just a year ago (a 43 percent increase) according to new research released today from The Nielsen Company.

It has been 12 years since the debut of the PC-based, sci-fi strategy game StarCraft, which has sold more than 11 million copies, captured critical acclaim (widely cited in industry lists for being one of the top games of all time) and created an impressive long tail of gameplay from its fans.