I would be shocked if more than 5% of computer buyers took PC gaming into account when making purchasing decisions. I would be surprised if it's more than a fraction of a percent.
It depends. The average PC gamer is usually somehow involved in IT. His experiences from developing his own machine trickle down to other consumers as recommendations. Case in point: I worked at BestBuy for three years. Nine out of ten times I recommended AMD processors because I had a personal experience with them. While PC gaming may not have a direct impact, its indirect impact is big. Furthermore, what do you describe a "gamer" to be? Yes, the average image of a gamer (the 29 year old male) is a small minority. However, if I have a 6 year old daughter and she wants the new Barbie game, chances are it runs best on PC. If I have a 12 year old son and he wants to play COD, chances are it's on a PC. Yes, the moms and pops of the world do not play PC games, but their children do. Back to the topic at hand, if you have a mac you need handbrake. It is amazing.
Somebody's testy. I meant exactly what I said - that the vast majority of people don't take computer gaming into account when buying a computer. The fact that you take it into account for people when making recommendations doesn't make a difference to me. It has nothing to do with that I am posting on a Macbook. It has to do with the fact that personally I have never known anyone that is/was a PC gamer. I tend to buy in to the adage that was mentioned earlier that 90% of people don't use their computers for more than email, internet, and word processing. I do fully recognize there are people that prefer playing video games on computers compared to consoles. I just don't see the majority of computer buyers taking computer gaming into consideration when buying a computer. I have an MIS degree if that makes any difference to you.
