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.
Mobile games may be in Amazon’s future
Amazon has been a leading name in the e-commerce scene for several years. The online retailer has managed to establish itself as a global name, with a reach that extends well beyond the U.S., even establishing a presence in China, a market that is notorious for its highly competitive nature. Over the years, Amazon has been involved in numerous industries, but the company may soon enter into the arena of mobile games.
Rumors hint at Amazon game console
Rumors are circulating concerning Amazon’s interest in the game industry, and its interest in mobile games and how they can be used to engage consumers. These types of games have become rampantly popular among consumers, many of whom spend significant amounts of money through these mobile games. Despite the portability of mobile games, the majority of people that play these games do so from home, which is why Amazon may be looking into developing its own game console.
Console could compete with Nvidia Shield and Ouya
Rumors suggest that Amazon plans to release its own game console by November of this year. This console is speculated to compete with similar consoles, such as the Nvidia Shield and the Ouya. Both the Nvidia and Ouya consoles are designed with mobile games in mind and allow consumers to play these games from the comfort of their homes in the same way they would play games from more traditional consoles. Rumors claim that Amazon has a strong interest in this concept because of the growing demand among consumers for mobile games that are free from the constraints of smartphones and tablets.
Amazon may be able to win consumer support with focus on mobile games
Amazon’s rumored mobile games console could cost less than $100, but would be significantly less powerful than other consoles, especially when compared to the forthcoming Playstation 3 and Xbox One. Despite this, however, Amazon’s console may be able to appeal to consumers by providing them with a favorable experience when it comes to mobile games. This has been a tricky issue for those involved in this sector, as evidenced by the problematic launch and generally poor reviews of the Ouya console.
