Mobile Games Growing Up

BuzzCity has released the results of its sixth multi-market survey investigating consumer mobile behavior. The study focuses on the global usage of mobile games, aming to uncover gaming patterns on mobile and how marketers and developers can take advantage of its popularity.

The international survey questioned mobile users across 10 countries in the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Middle East on their use of the mobile as a games device. The results showed that mobile gaming has evolved significantly beyond traditional ideas of casual games, to those with more sophisticated plotlines. 

Although the typical gamer is male in his mid twenties, at least 29 per cent of mobile gamers are female.  In many markets, female mobile gamers are on the increase – in the US and Thailand, 49 per cent of gamers are female, and in S. Africa women make up 47 per cent of the gaming population.

The report also reveals an increasing number of mature mobile gamers. In the US, 12 per cent of gamers are above 40. In S. Africa and Malaysia, gamers above 40 make up 19 per cent 8 per cent of the total respectively. This clearly shows that popular association of cellphones and mobile gaming with younger age groups can be misleading. “Mobile gaming has gone mainstream and there’s a clear need to address specific demographics,” says
BuzzCity CEO, KF Lai.

Some key findings from the survey include:

  • Men and women prefer Action and Adventure oriented games (41 per cent), followed by Sports & Racing (21 per cent)
  • 32 per cent of respondents download games sporadically, while 46 per cent download games either weekly or fortnightly
  • 40 per cent play games daily, while 17 per cent play  throughout the day.
  • 46 per cent play to learn something new or to get the most out of their phones

The above results suggest that game preferences for both men and women are generally similar. Mobile devices, being a convenient entertainment medium, also enable users to maximize their free time and play games as recreational time fillers. Feature phones remain the most popular device for game play activity with Nokia, Samsung and Sony-Ericcsson handsets leading the way.

“Increasing mobile game traffic suggests a viable opportunity for ad supported games and advergames, particularly where branding is a key campaign objective,” says Lai. “As users get more involved with the sophisticated plotlines of games, the level of consumer engagement increases, creating more branding opportunities for marketers.”