Although video game sales have increased steadily over the past 3 years, Conclusion we can expect a reversal of this trend in the very near future. Support Historically, over three quarters of video games sold have been purchased by people from 13 to 16 years of age, and Support the number of people in this age group is expected to decline steadily over the next 10 years.
The author concludes that video game sales will soon decrease, despite their recent growth. This is because most video games have been sold to people from 13 to 16 years old, and this age group is set to decline over the next decade.
The author assumes that people currently aged 13 to 16 won’t continue to buy video games at a substantial rate once they leave that age group. The author also assumes that other age groups are unlikely to become more interested in video games.
Which one of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the argument?
Most people 17 years old or older have never purchased a video game.
This isn't relevant, because it doesn't allow us to predict any future trends. We already know that people 17 and up don't buy as many games, this doesn't tell us anything new.
Video game rentals have declined over the past 3 years.
Because we don't know how video game rentals correlate with sales (if at all) this doesn't have any impact on the argument.
New technology will undoubtedly make entirely new entertainment options available over the next 10 years.
We have no idea what effect the availability of other options would have on video game sales. If anything, this would strengthen the claim that sales will decline due to greater competition, not weaken it.
The number of different types of video games available is unlikely to decrease in the near future.
This is irrelevant, because it doesn’t affect the demographics of video game sales. This just tells us that one factor won't change, which doesn't weaken the argument.
Most of the people who have purchased video games over the past 3 years are over the age of 16.
In other words, the key demographic for video games has shifted older compared to historically. This suggests that the historical trend doesn't necessarily predict future trends, undermining the argument.
Answer five questions and we'll estimate your score.
It takes about five minutes.
Take the free diagnostic