You'd think that online gaming was growing by leaps and bounds. However, according to the NPD Group's new report, the gains aren't what you'd expect.

A survey of gamers 2 years or older reveals that 54% play online. That's a slight dip from 56% in 2009 and 55% in 2008. The NPD says they polled 18,872 NPD Consumer Panel members for their report through an online survey.

However, the gamers who are playing online are playing for longer periods of time. The 2010 study reveals that the average online gamer spends 8 hours a week playing online. That's a 10% increase over the 7.3 hour average reported in 2009.

The PC is the most-used system for online play; 85% of online gamers report using the platform for multiplayer. The Xbox 360 is second, with 48%. The PS3 and Wii are tied at 30%. Xbox 360 online gamers use the console for 7.3 hours/week on average. The average PC and PS3 gamers play online for 6.6 and 5.3 hours/week, respectively.