Author: Amanda Giasson

Mobile gamers spend an average of two hours playing mobile games, daily.

According to the recently published NPD Group’s Mobile Gaming 2014 report, mobile users are spending more time playing games on their tablets or smartphones now (an average of two hours per day) compared to two years ago (an average of 80 minutes a day).

Between 2012 and 2014 the amount of time consumers spent playing mobile games increased by 57 percent.

The latest mobile gaming survey from NPD Group included 5,566 participants that varied in age (U.S. gamers aged 2 years and older). The participants answered online survey questions, with those who were under the age of 18, requiring parental guidance to complete the survey.

The report found that mobile consumers who spend the most time gaming per day are those aged six to 44. That being said, it was found that children just under 13 (tweens) tend to have the longest gaming sessions. In addition, the survey discovered that children aged two to 12 years are playing more games (an average of five) and are the group that is also the most likely to play paid games.

Tablets appear to be driving the mobile gaming trend.

Although tablets lack the popularity of smartphones and affordable notebooks, the survey discovered that when it comes to gaming, tablets are not only thriving, but they are the gadgets that appear to be driving the gaming trend among mobile devices.

In fact, tablet users play more mobile games and play these games for longer than iPod Touch and smartphone users. They are also far more likely to purchase game apps and make in-app purchases compared to smartphone and Touch owners.

Nevertheless, the fact that tablets seem to be the leading mobile gaming device isn’t all that surprising when considering the research that was conducted by NPD Group, which looked at the device habits of both adults and children. After all, the group that was found to spend the most time playing games, playing more games and playing paid games, were children. Thus, it is less likely that participants in this group would have a personal smatphone device. It is far more likely that these children would play their games on a family tablet and not on a parent’s personal smartphone.

Vungle gives mobile gamers incentive to watch video ads.

While ads keep mobile gaming apps free, one of the main complaints mobile gamers have with regard to these advertisements is that they pop-up while they are playing and this disrupts the game. However, in-app advertising platform Vungle has created a technique that actually gives gamers incentive to watch the ads.

Vungle delivers ads without interrupting the player’s gaming experience.

The ads that Vungle puts inside a mobile game promote other games or smartphone apps. That said, unlike other traditional forms of in-app advertising that disrupts the game, Vungle provides an opt-in approach that also includes a benefit for the player.

Ville Heijari of Vungle explains that “when we do an opt-in approach, people actually want to see the ads.” He also went on to say that “gamers download the other applications that are being advertised, but they also gain some kind of benefit within the game or app.”

Vungle helps game developers make money from free mobile gaming apps and provides advertisers with a new audience.

The in-app video advertising company is helping developers of mobile games earn money from mobile users who, on average, are not interested in paying for apps. It also provides advertisers with a mobile audience for their ads.

For instance, RGB Express is a puzzle game on the Vungle platform. The games developer, Markus Kaikkonen, says that while the game was launched as a paid app for Apple devices, he decided to offer the Android version of the app for free in December 2014. In order to make money from it, Kaikkonene joined Vungle, which places video ads inside his game that rewards players with a game credit or hint, simply for watching a 15-second ad.

Kaikkonen explained that in the Android version, “the player can use hints to watch the solutions for the problems.” He added that the player can purchase more hints if they desire, but if they want to continue enjoying additions to the game for free, they can watch a Vungle video ad and obtain a hint at no cost.

In order to create space to plug in advertisements for consumer brands, Vungle’s strategy is to build up a customer base and boost overall mobile gaming app usage. Half of the ads Vungle puts into mobile games promotes games and smartphone apps, and the other half of the advertisements on the firm’s platform are paid for by companies like Nokia and Unilever.