Spending in mobile games driven by whales
The EEDAR, a research firm focused on the game industry, has released a new study concerning mobile games. The study highlights consumer spending on these games and aims to shed light on those spending money on mobile games. These games have proven to be very lucrative for the game industry over the past few years. Their addicting nature and incentives offered through in-game shops have encouraged consumers to spend significant amounts of money on mobile games in order to attain the best experience possible.
Whales tend to be young, male consumers
The study shows that the majority of spending in the mobile games sector comes from a very specific group of consumers, often called “whales” because they account for the top 5% of spending on these games. According to the study, 66% of these whales are young males that primarily play games on their consoles rather than their mobile devices. The study shows that these consumers spend an average of 26.5 hours every week playing games and an average of 11.8 hours playing mobile games specifically.
Spending is low among women and older consumers
Comparatively, those that pay for mobile games but do not fall into the whale category spend an average of 4.9 hours on mobile games per week, but primarily use their smartphones for all their gaming needs. The non-payer demographic is chiefly comprised of women, with this group spending an average of 4.1 hours on mobile games per week and an average of 7.2 hours on general gaming every week.
Study does not account for children’s role in mobile games.
While the study does show that male consumers tend to spend more on mobile games, it does not account for the fact that children typically make use of their parent’s mobile devices to play games. These children are also responsible for mobile spending in the game sector, but typically do so by accident or without their parent’s permission.
Study shows consumers play mobile games on their tablets more so than other platforms
Frank N. Magid Associates, a media and entertainment research firm, has released a new study concerning mobile games. These games have been growing in popularity for some time, experiencing the bulk of this growth over the past five years. As consumers become more involved in their smartphones and tablets, these games are finding a foothold with a larger audience. The prominence of mobile technology has made mobile games a very lucrative and influential part of the game industry.
Tablets account for $914 million in in-game spending
The study shows that mobile games have established a strong following, but that the majority of those that play these games prefer to do so on tablet devices. The study suggests that 69% of tablet users play games on their device, with 31% of these gamers participating in in-game transactions. These gamers spent an average of $48 each on mobile games over the past year. This translates into tablets representing some $914 million of in-game spending.
Tablets offer better experience for mobile games
The reason people seem to prefer tablets over smartphones when it comes to mobile games is relatively straightforward. Tablets feature larger screens that are typically more responsive than those than can be found on smaller mobile devices. This allows for better control in mobile games as well as the opportunity to experience these games on a larger scale rather than be forced to view games on a small, somewhat restrictive screen. The larger size of tablet devices is also accommodating to higher quality hardware, allowing these devices to offer more graphical power to mobile games than smartphones.
Android may be catching up to iOS
Tablets have established themselves as the primary platform for mobile games. This is not likely to change in the immediate future, despite the fact that new smartphones are emerging with better graphics processing units and other such hardware. Currently, the iPad is the most popular tablet for mobile games, but the study shows that Android tablets are beginning to gain momentum among consumers.
