Tapjoy research: When do people play mobile games?
A recent Accenture study found that 87% of consumers use a mobile device while watching TV, and we now know that many of those consumers are using their second screen to play mobile games.
That was one of the findings from our “Changing Face of Mobile Gamers” research report, which looks at everything brands need to know to connect with today’s 1.9 million mobile gamers. We’ve been diving further into each of the report’s section here on the Tapjoy blog (you can read more about Who, What and Why in previous installments), and today we’ll answer the question of “When do gamers play?”
Many gamers play while watching TV
Our survey revealed that consumers tend to play mobile games most often while watching television, with 70% of respondents admitting that they play games while sitting in front of the TV. Women are even more likely to play games while watching TV (73%) than men (62%), while the behavior remains fairly consistent across all age ranges.
Wealthier gamers seem to play games in front of their TVs more than lower income gamers do, with 75% of those whose household income is more than $100,000 playing while watching TV compared to just 64% of those who make less than $25,000.
Nighttime is more popular than the morning for gaming
Mobile gamers are more than twice as likely to play games at night right before they go to bed than in the morning right when they wake up, 59% to 27%. Women are even more likely than men to play at night, with 66% of them reporting they play right before they go to sleep at night. Meanwhile, only 22% of men report playing games right when they wake up in the morning.
Millennials are 24% more likely to play games before they go to sleep at night than older players and 42% more likely to play right when they wake up in the morning as well. In fact, Millennials seem to play more consistently throughout the day, over-indexing for just about every activity.
Gamers play at home more than at work
Consumers are more than twice as likely to play mobile games while relaxing at home than they are while at work or commuting. Women, in particular, are likely to play while relaxing at home — 70% compared to 62% for men. On the other hand, men are more likely than women to play while at work — 21% compared to 15% for women.
Younger generations are also more likely to play games at work than older gamers, with those in the 25–34 age range the most likely to play at work. Those between 18 and 24 are the most likely to play during their commutes.
There are no significant differences on this measure related to household income.
Actionable Insights
What should advertisers do with this research? The first step is to target mobile gamers with cross-screen or multi-screen ads as they conduct “second screen” activities on both their televisions and mobile devices. Another action item is to consider day-parting campaigns to target mobile gamers at night, when they are more active. And yet a third actionable insight is to incorporate creative and calls to action that take into the account the fact that the audience is most likely at home as opposed to being in an office or on the road.
To learn more about how Tapjoy can help you engage with mobile gamers, contact us today for a free consultation.
