[:en]
If you’re one of the 180 million adults in the U.S. that play games on a mobile device, you probably play them very frequently — maybe even more than you realize. The majority of people that play games on their mobile devices — 68% to be exact — do so at least three times per day. And not just for a minute or two; 71% play for an hour or more every day, and 21% play for more than three hours a day.
Which is to say that over 122 million adults in the U.S. play mobile games for more than three times a day. And yet, when this group was asked whether they consider themselves a “gamer,” the answer was a surprising and resounding “No.” Only about one in three respondents (38%) identified as a “gamer.”
This is especially true for women and people aged 45 and over. The vast majority of female respondents (70%) said that they do not identify as a gamer, even though 57% of them play games at least ten times per week. Similarly, most respondents aged 45 and over (77%) did not identify themselves as a gamer, despite the fact that 55% play games more than ten times a week.
This is just one key finding in an upcoming research report about mobile gaming that Tapjoy will release this quarter. Other insights include: what types of games people play on their mobile device, when they are most likely to play, how playing games make people feel, and more.
This research shows that there is significant discrepancy between perception and reality. The fact that most people who play mobile games frequently do not identify as a “gamer” suggests that the perception of what a “gamer” looks and acts like is not only outdated — it’s incorrect.
The commonly-held perception, or stereotype, of a “gamer” seems to be that of someone whose identity is wrapped up in video games, particularly those played on PCs and consoles. Perhaps this stereotype carried a bit of truth at a time when most gaming was done on computers and consoles — which is to say, before the proliferation of mobile devices opened up electronic vgames to the masses.
The new reality is that the majority of game play is happening on mobile devices. Today, there are over three times as many mobile gamers as console gamers (180 million versus 52 million). As cited earlier, a huge part of this audience is women and people over age 45 — both groups play games on their mobile more than ten times a week.
The popular perception of what a “gamer” looks like does not reflect this reality, and is due for an update.
Stay tuned to the Tapjoy blog to hear more about our research, and keep an eye out for our complete report on mobile games and the people that play them, coming soon.
Interested in reaching this audience? Tapjoy’s mobile advertising platform reaches over 120million people in the US that play mobile games. Email us at advertise@tapjoy.com.
[:]
