Tag: game industry

Tablets preferred for mobile games

| July 12, 2013

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.

tablet mobile gamesTablets 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.

Millennials may not love mobile games

| June 16, 2013

Favored demographic appears disinterested in mobile games

Millennials are one of the favored demographics of the game industry. Those born beyond 1981 technically qualify to be associated within this demographic and are considered to be the most tech-savvy generation of modern times. Because this generation grew up steeped in technology, they have a special place within the game industry, especially where mobile games are concerned. As such, developers tend to focus on this demographic a great deal when they make new mobile games. Millennials, however, are not as focused on games as the industry may think.

Report highlights the time spent on mobile games

Flurry, an analytics and market research firm focused on the mobile sector, has released a new report concerning the time that Millennials spend on their mobile devices. The report notes that a massive portion of this generation makes use of smartphones and tablets for one purpose or another. Many of these people play mobile games, but the report shows that mobile games receive the absolute least amount of a consumer’s time.

Mobile Games - MillennialsMillennials spend little of their time on gaming

According to the report, Millennials are not the primary demographic for mobile games. This generation spends significantly more time on social networking applications and other entertainment platforms than they do on gaming. Despite this, however, the majority of the game industry is devoted to marketing to this demographic in the hopes of finding some degree of success. The report shows that Millennials do devote some of their time to mobile games, but not as much as the industry may have hoped.

Popular demographic may not be as interested in games as previously thought

One of the reasons that Millennials do not spend significant amounts of time engaged in mobile games may be due to the very nature of the games themselves. Mobile games are designed to be addicting, but typically only offer small amounts of content. This content can often been experienced in a matter of hours and Millennials have notoriously shallow attention spans. Consumers often play mobile games for a short period of time before moving on to the next experience.