UK workers are being distracted by mobile games
Mobile games are exceedingly popular with a wide range of people all over the world. These games may be so popular, in fact, that they are causing many people to miss work, or at least serving as a significant distraction. In the United Kingdom, the distraction that mobile games represent could be having a significant impact on the economy. A recent survey from FortuneFrenzy highlights the dubious side of the popularity of mobile games and how they are influencing consumers to avoid working.
Survey shows that majority of workers spend their time playing mobile games
According to the survey from FortuneFrenzy, approximately 53% of UK workers spend a significant part of their day on mobile games. The survey suggests that this is costing the economy as much as $400 million every year due to lost productivity. Approximately 57% of respondents to the survey note that they check their mobile devices at least once every 10 minutes, which itself cuts into productivity in a minor way. The survey shows that workers typically spend at least one hour on mobile games while working each day.
Growing popularity of mobile technology changes the work environment
A similar survey conducted by YouGov in 2005 found that 80% of workers throughout the UK considered it unacceptable to send or receive text messages in the workplace. Today, mobile technology plays a bigger role in people’s lives than it did in 2005. More people have access to smartphones and tablets than were available in 2005 and mobile games have become a major craze among consumers that are, in some cases, starved for entertainment.
Mobile games prove addicting for many
Mobile games have for some time now been designed to be as addicting as popular. This has helped enthrall and is a favorable practice in the game industry due to the fact that engagement is directly linked to revenue. The longer a person is engaged in any particular mobile game, the more exposed they are to advertisements and the more likely they are to make in-game purchases.
Google Play posts strong gains with the help of mobile games
Google has been seeing strong growth in its applications store. Google Play is home to a vast assortment of mobile applications covering a variety of needs and interests. Google has announced that Google Play’s revenue has shown impressive growth, outpacing that of Apple’s own App Store. Mobile games play a contributing factor in this growth, especially as more consumers become interested in mobile games for the sake of entertainment. Indeed, mobile games may soon help Google Play acquire the momentum necessary to overcome Apple.
Research shows that Google is catching up with Apple
According to Canalys, a leading market research firm, both the App Store and Google Play accounted for $2.2 billion in revenue collectively during the first three months of 2013. Apple’s App Store represents 74% of this revenue, with Google picking up the remainder. Similar data from App Annie, an analytics firm, suggests that Google Play revenue were 38.5% of the App Store’s, representing a significant gain for Google.
Asian markets show strong support for mobile games
Growth is strongly felt in a wide range of categories, but mobile games are helping add significant momentum to Google’s growing revenues. A craze has begun to form around mobile games in several countries. In South Korea, for instance, mobile games represent some of the most used applications on Google Play. This is partly backed by the growing availability of smartphone and tablets. As these mobile devices become more common, more consumers have opportunities to play mobile games or make use of the other applications available on Google Play. Currently, mobile games account for 90% of the revenues generated in South Korea and Japan as far as Google Play is concerned.
Google Play may overcome the App Store by 2016
The applications market has become inundated with mobile games over the past two years. These games have proven quite popular with a wide range of consumers, leading the game industry to throw its considerable strength behind the development of these games. If mobile games continue to show impressive growth, Google Play is likely to surpass the App Store in terms of revenue by 2016.
