The international survey, which questioned mobile users across 10 countries representing various different geographic regions on their use of the mobile as a games device, showed there is a growing number of female, and mature mobile gamers.
Although the typical gamer is male in his mid twenties, at least 29% of mobile gamers are female. In many markets, female mobile gamers are on the increase; in the US and Thailand, 49% of gamers are female, and in South Africa women make up 47% of the gaming population.
The reports also revealed an increasing number of mature mobile gamers. In the US 12% of gamers are above 40. In South Africa and Malaysia, gamers above 40 make up 19% 8% respectively. This clearly shows that popular association of cellphones and mobile gaming with younger age groups can be misleading.
KF Lai, CEO of BuzzCity, said: “Mobile gaming has gone mainstream and there’s a clear need to address specific demographics.”
Some key findings from the survey include: Men and women prefer Action and Adventure (41%) oriented games followed by Sports & Racing (21%); 32% of correspondents download games sporadically while 46% download games regularly either weekly or fortnightly; 40% played games daily while 17% played throughout the day; 46% play to learn something new or to get the most out of their phones.
The above results suggest that game preferences for both men and women are generally similar. Mobile devices, being a convenient entertainment medium, also enable users to maximize their free time and play games as recreational time fillers.
Lai continued: “Increasing mobile game traffic suggests a viable opportunity for ad supported games and advergames, particularly where branding is a key campaign objective. As users get more involved with the sophisticated plotlines of games, the level of consumer engagement increases, creating more branding opportunities for marketers.”
Feature phones remained the most popular device for game play activity with Nokia, Samsung and Sony-Ericcsson handsets leading the way.
The Mobile Gaming Survey is one of the many studies conducted by BuzzCity to assist advertisers and partners with their mobile initiatives.