Mobile Gamers on the Rise, Including 30% Who Do it to “Escape Reality”
Mobile gaming continues to grow in popularity, according to research and data analytics company YouGov. Forty-two percent of U.S. adults play mobile games for at least an hour per week – up from 35% in December 2020 and 38% in December 2021.
“Mobile gamers must not be viewed as a monolith, however. From hardcore adventure gamers to the casual puzzler, the mobile gaming market is incredibly diverse, and the products they’re likely to buy next vary as well,” the report says.
Mobile Gamers Report
An assumption that the percentage of mobile players would shrink as players grew older would be inaccurate. The biggest segment, measured by age, included people over 40, who comprise 32% of the market. They were followed by 18-to-25 year-olds, who comprise 26% of the market. Those between 26 and 30 years old comprise just 13% of the market and those between 31 and 35 years of age comprise 19%. Ten percent were in the 36- to 40-year old group.
Fifty-three percent of those who play mobile games for at least an hour a week do so to “relax and wind down,” 47% to pass time and 30% to “escape reality for a while.”
Forty-two percent of the people in the group felt that they have a better financial outlook this year compared to the previous year. Thirteen percent of gamers had higher than 200% of the medium income, 39% had between 75% and 200% of the medium income and 41% had less than the medium income.
The study also suggested that gamers were very comfortable with the way in which the online world works. For instance, 66% agreed with the statement that “I think it’s fair that we have to watch ads in exchange for free content” and 46% agreed with the statement that “If I could get all I need delivered from ordering online, I would never go in-store for my shopping.” Forty-five percent said that they spend more on social media than a year ago and 54% said that they are better at finding bargains online.