More than half (52%) of 2,425 US and UK mobile phone owners surveyed have played a game on a mobile phone at some time in the past, according to [pdf] a new report from casual video game provider PopCap Games and Information Solutions Group (ISG). UK respondents were much more likely (73%) than US respondents (44%) to have played a mobile game at least once.
In addition, about 33% of respondents have played a game on their mobile phone handset in the past month, qualifying them as “mobile phone gamers” for the purposes of the survey, and nearly a quarter (24.6%) have played in the past week, qualifying them as “avid mobile phone gamers.” Both of these categories also skew more favorably among UK respondents than US respondents.
Fully 83% of mobile phone gamers who own a smartphone said they’d played in the past week, compared to 58% of mobile phone gamers who own a feature phone.
Male Percentage of Mobile Gamers Rises
At 55% of the total mobile gaming population, slightly more males than females (45%) play games on their mobile phone. The male edge in mobile phone gaming has risen close to 10% since 2009, when a PopCap Games survey conducted with AT&T indicated 51% of mobile phone gamers were male.
Average Mobile Gamer is 39
While the stereotypical video gamer and mobile phone users are both teenagers, survey data shows the average mobile gamers is actually 39.3 years old, with avid gamers averaging a slightly younger 38. Forty-four percent of mobile gamers are younger than 34, and another 40% are 35 to 54. Only 16% are 55 or older.
In addition, mobile phone gamers who own a smartphone tend to be younger (37.3 years) than those who have a standard or web-enabled phone (42.4 years). Mobile phone gamers from the UK are also slightly younger (38.5 years) than those in the US (39.8).
Half of Mobile Gamers Earn Less than $50K
The annual household income of mobile phone gamers and avid mobile phone gamers is comparable, with half earning less than $50,000, one out of five earning between $50,000 and $74,999 and the remainder earning more the $75,000 annually.
Those who own a smartphone earn more annually, with one-third (32%) earning more than $75,000 and 42% earning less than $50,000.
On average, mobile phone gamers in the US earn more annually than those in the UK.
comScore: 23% of US Mobile Subscribers Play Games
About 23% of US mobile subscribers played games at some point between October and December 2010, according to recent comScore data. This made games the ninth-most popular US mobile activity during that period, with texting leading (68% participation).
About the Data: This international research was conducted by Information Solutions Group for PopCap Games. The results are based on 2,425 online surveys completed by mobile phone owners in the US and UK between January 25 and January 31, 2011.
