Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
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- Definition
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Terms
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Go, go, go
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- Figure 1: Fan chart forecast of total U.S. retail sales of mobile games, 2006-16
- Market factors
- Consumers are flocking to smartphones and tablets
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- Figure 2: U.S. tablet sales to dealers, 2010-16
- Billions of apps are being downloaded each month
- Significant competition for gamers’ leisure time
- Making money from “free” games
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- Figure 3: Number of free or paid games downloaded to mobile device in the past month, February 2012
- Independent standouts and a few gaming behemoths
- The consumer
- PC & consoles still rule but mobile devices make inroads
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- Figure 4: Primary gaming device in the home, by age, February 2012
- Most adults played a game in the past week on a mobile device
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- Figure 5: Number of game titles played—mobile phone or tablet, by gender, February 2012
- Tablet owners more likely to download a game than phone owners
- Young adults driving revenue
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- Figure 6: Mobile game purchase behavior—mobile phones and/or tablets, by age, February 2012
- The networking effect
- Men aged 18-34 most critical target market
- What we think
Issues in the Market
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- Is consolidation inevitable?
- Will licensing become de rigueur?
- Are mobile gamers social?
- Where is HTML 5.0?
Insights and Opportunities
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- Advertise…it pays
- Partner with OEMs/retailers of mobile devices
- Encourage recommendations
- Target consumers who use smartphones/tablets as their main gaming device
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- Figure 7: Primary gaming device in the home, by age, February 2012
Inspire Insights
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- Inspire Trend: Sense of the Intense
- Inspire Trend: Click and Connect
Market Size and Forecast
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- Key points
- Hypergrowth continues
- Mobile gaming is a bargain
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- Figure 8: Total U.S. sales of mobile games at current prices, 2006-16
- Figure 9: Total sales and forecast of mobile games at inflation-adjusted prices, 2006-16
- Fan chart forecast
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- Figure 10: Fan chart forecast of total U.S. retail sales of mobile games, 2006-16
Market Drivers
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- Key points
- Smartphone sales
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- Figure 11: U.S. smartphone* sales to dealers, 2006-12
- Tablet sales
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- Figure 12: U.S. tablet sales to dealers, 2010-16
- App stores/downloads
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- Figure 13: App downloads per month, Android Market and App Store, Jan. 2010-Oct. 2011
- Game play
Competitive Context
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- Key points
- Lots of content/activity choices on a phone or tablet
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- Figure 14: Selected mobile activities in U.S., by share of total mobile audience, Dec 2011
- Competition with other gaming platforms
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- Figure 15: U.S. video game end user spending, by segment, 2010 and 2012
- Frequency of play on different platforms
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- Figure 16: Incidence of gameplay, by platform, July 2011
- Competition for time
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- Figure 17: Average hours spent per day in leisure and sports activities, all adults aged 15+, 2010
Market Segmentation
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- Operating Systems: Android and iOS dominate
- Smartphone OS Market Share
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- Figure 18: Worldwide smartphone operating system market share, Q1 2012
- Tablet OS Market Share
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- Figure 19: Worldwide tablet operating system market share, Q4 2011
- Revenue models: In-app purchases lead the way
Leading Players
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- Key points
- App stores
- Mobile games primarily distributed by app stores
- App Store
- Amazon Appstore
- Google Play
- Game developers
- Rovio’s Angry Birds still rules
- Life is short and standing out is tough
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- Figure 20: PocketGamer.Biz Top 10 Game Developers 2012
Innovations and Innovators
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- Burn calories, save the world
- Team spirit
- Educational notes
- Just in time
- Simply engaging
Marketing Strategies
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- Key points
- Overview
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- Figure 21: The app discovery process, February 2012
- Social media
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- Figure 22: Selected mobile game companies, by number of friends, fans/followers on Facebook and Twitter
- App stores
- Mobile gaming sites
Primary Gaming Device in the Home
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- Key points
- PCs and consoles lead the way at home
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- Figure 23: Primary gaming device in the home, by gender, February 2012
- Main gaming device at home varies based on age
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- Figure 24: Primary gaming device in the home, by age, February 2012
- Income not a strong predictor of home gaming choice
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- Figure 25: Primary gaming device in the home, by household income, February 2012
Number of Game Titles Played
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- Key points
- Six in 10 adults played a game in the past week on a phone or tablet
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- Figure 26: Number of game titles played in past week—mobile phone vs. tablet, February 2012
- Men play more titles on a phone than women
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- Figure 27: Number of game titles played—mobile phone or tablet, by gender, February 2012
- Phone game play correlates with age
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- Figure 28: Number of game titles played—mobile phone or tablet, by age, February 2012
- Wealthiest adults likeliest to play a game title in the past week
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- Figure 29: Number of game titles played—mobile phone or tablet, by household income, February 2012
Game Download Behavior
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- Key points
- Free vs. paid
- Free game downloads trounce paid
- Tablet owners more likely to download a game than phone owners
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- Figure 30: Number of free or paid games downloaded to mobile device in the past month, February 2012
- Free downloads
- Most adults aged 45+ did not download a free game in the past month
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- Figure 31: Number of free games downloaded to phone and/or tablet in the past month, by age, February 2012
- Low-income households more likely to download 10+ free games
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- Figure 32: Number of free games downloaded to phone and/or tablet in the past month, by household income, February 2012
- Paid downloads
- Men more likely to download six or more paid games in a month
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- Figure 33: Number of paid games downloaded to mobile device in the past month, by gender, February 2012
- Paid game downloads purview of younger adults
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- Figure 34: Number of paid games downloaded to mobile device in the past month, by age, February 2012
Mobile Gaming Behaviors
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- Key points
- Free play
- Some trial behavior
- Social? Perhaps not
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- Figure 35: Mobile gaming behaviors, by gender, February 2012
- Cross-platform gaming of interest to adults aged 18-24
- Adults aged 18-34 experiment with independent app stores
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- Figure 36: Mobile gaming behaviors, by age, February 2012
Mobile Game Purchase Behavior
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- Key points
- Most mobile gamers do not make in-app or related purchases
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- Figure 37: Mobile game purchase behavior, phone vs. tablet, February 2012
- Men more likely to purchase in-game enhancements
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- Figure 38: Mobile game purchase behavior—mobile phones and/or tablets, by gender, February 2012
- Young adults are the ones spending money on in-game purchases
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- Figure 39: Mobile game purchase behavior—mobile phones and/or tablets, by age, February 2012
App Downloads by Category
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- Key points
- Game apps second only to weather apps in popularity
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- Figure 40: Types of app downloaded vs. used on phone or tablet, February 2012
- Women are much more likely than men to download a game app
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- Figure 41: Types of app downloaded on phone or tablet, by gender, February2012
- Game apps are popular across all age groups
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- Figure 42: Types of app downloaded on phone or tablet, by age, February 2012
The App Discovery Process
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- Key points
- Gamers learn about games from other gamers
- Men give weight to more sources of information
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- Figure 43: Methods of discovery for most recently acquired game, by gender, February 2012
- Recommendations are more important source for older gamers
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- Figure 44: Methods of discovery for most recently acquired game, by age, February 2012
Impact of Race and Hispanic Origin
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- Key points
- Primary gaming device
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- Figure 45: Primary gaming device in the home, by race/Hispanic origin, February 2012
- Game titles played
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- Figure 46: Number of game titles played—mobile phone or tablet, by race/Hispanic origin, February 2012
- Free vs. paid game downloads
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- Figure 47: Number of free games downloaded a phone and/or tablet in the past month, by race/Hispanic origin, February 2012
- Figure 48: Number of paid games you downloaded to your phone and/or tablet in the past month, by race/Hispanic origin, February 2012
- Mobile gaming purchase behavior
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- Figure 49: Mobile game purchase behavior—mobile phones and/or tablets, by race/Hispanic origin, February 2012
- Game app popularity
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- Figure 50: Types of app downloaded on phone or tablet, by race/Hispanic origin, February 2012
Teens
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- Key points
- Mobile Device Ownership
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- Figure 51: Cell phone vs. tablet ownership, by teens, October 2010-November 2011
- Cell phone/wireless phone ownership
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- Figure 52: Cell phone ownership among teens, by gender and age, October 2010-November 2011
- Figure 53: Cell phone ownership among video gaming teens, by gender, October 2010-November 2011
- Tablet ownership
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- Figure 54: Tablet ownership among teens, by age, October 2010-November 2011
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- Figure 55: Tablet Ownership among teens, by age, October 2010-November 2011
- Services Used on Cell Phones
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- Figure 56: Services used by teens on a cell phone in the last 30 days, by gender and age, October 2010-November 2011
- Frequency of internet usage away from home
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- Figure 57: Frequency of teen internet usage at home and away from home, by gender, October 2010-November 2011
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- Figure 58: Frequency of teen internet usage at home and away from home, by age, October 2010-November 2011
- Attitudes toward video games
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- Figure 59: Teens’ attitudes toward video games, by gender, October 2010-November 2011
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- Figure 60: Teens’ attitudes toward video games, by gender and age, October 2010-November 2011
Custom Consumer Groups
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- Consoles still king with men aged 18-34
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- Figure 61: Primary gaming device in the home, by gender and age, February 2012
- Men aged 18-34 play and download the most titles
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- Figure 62: Number of game titles played—mobile phone or tablet, by gender and age, February 2012
- Men aged 18-34 most likely to download paid or free games
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- Figure 63: Number of free games downloaded to phone and/or tablet in the past month, by gender and age, February 2012
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- Figure 64: Number of paid games downloaded to phone and/or tablet in the past month, by gender and age, February 2012
- Men and women aged 18-34 are interested in cross-platform gaming
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- Figure 65: Mobile gaming behaviors, by gender and age, February 2012
Appendix—Other Useful Consumer Tables
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- Figure 66: Most popular activities on smartphones vs. tablets, February 2012
- Primary gaming device in home
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- Figure 67: Primary gaming device in the home, by gender, February 2012
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- Figure 68: Primary gaming device in the home, by age, February 2012
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- Figure 69: Primary gaming device in the home, by race/Hispanic origin, February 2012
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- Figure 70: Primary gaming device in the home, by gender and age, February 2012
- Number of game titles played—phone
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- Figure 71: Number of game titles played—mobile phone, by gender, February 2012
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- Figure 72: Number of game titles played—mobile phone, by age, February 2012
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- Figure 73: Number of game titles played—mobile phone, by household income, February 2012
- Number of games played—tablet
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- Figure 74: Number of game titles played—tablet, by gender, February 2012
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- Figure 75: Number of game titles played—tablet, by age, February 2012
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- Figure 76: Number of game titles played—tablet, by household income, February 2012
- Free or paid downloads
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- Figure 77: Number of free games downloaded to phone and/or tablet in the past month, by gender, February 2012
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- Figure 78: Number of paid games downloaded to a mobile device in the past month, by household income, February 2012
- Number of games downloaded to phone and/or tablet
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- Figure 79: Number of games downloaded to phone and/or tablet, by gender and age, February 2012
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- Figure 80: Number of games downloaded to phone and/or tablet, by gender, February 2012
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- Figure 81: Number of games downloaded to phone and/or tablet, by age, February 2012
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- Figure 82: Number of games downloaded to phone and/or tablet, by household income, February 2012
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- Figure 83: Number of games downloaded to phone and/or tablet, by race/Hispanic origin, February 2012
- Mobile gaming behavior
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- Figure 84: Mobile gaming behaviors, by household income, February 2012
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- Figure 85: Mobile gaming behaviors, by race/Hispanic origin, February 2012
- Mobile gaming purchase behavior
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- Figure 86: Mobile gaming behaviors, free vs. paid game choices, by number of game titles played, February 2012
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- Figure 87: Preference for playing games “by myself”, by number of game titles played, February 2012
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- Figure 88: Mobile game purchase behavior—mobile phones and/or tablets, by household income, February 2012
- Purchase behavior—smartphone owners
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- Figure 89: Mobile game purchase behavior—smartphone, by gender, February 2012
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- Figure 90: Mobile game purchase behavior—smartphone, by age, February 2012
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- Figure 91: Mobile game purchase behavior—smartphone, by household income, February 2012
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- Figure 92: Mobile game purchase behavior—smartphone, by race/Hispanic origin, February 2012
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- Figure 93: Mobile game purchase behavior, by number of game titles played, February 2012
- Purchase behavior—tablet owners
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- Figure 94: Mobile game purchase behavior—tablet, by gender, February 2012
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- Figure 95: Mobile game purchase behavior—tablet, by age, February 2012
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- Figure 96: Mobile game purchase behavior—tablet, by household income, February 2012
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- Figure 97: Mobile game purchase behavior, by number of game titles played, February 2012
- App downloads by category
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- Figure 98: Types of app downloaded on phone or tablet, by household income, February 2012
- The App Discovery Process
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- Figure 99: Methods of discovery for most recently acquired game, by household income, February 2012
- Frequency of internet usage at home and away from home by teens
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- Figure 100: Frequency of teen internet usage at home and away from home, by gender, October 2010-November 2011
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- Figure 101: Frequency of teen internet usage at home and away from home, by age, October 2010-November 2011
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- Figure 102: Frequency of teen internet usage at home and away from home, by race/Hispanic origin, October 2010-November 2011
- Incidence of teen video game play
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- Figure 103: Incidence of teen video game play, by gender, October 2010-November 2011
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- Figure 104: Incidence of teen video game play, by age, October 2010-November 2011
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- Figure 105: Incidence of teen video game play, by gender and age, October 2010-November 2011
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- Figure 106: Incidence of teen video game play, by race/Hispanic origin, October 2010-November 2011
- Time spent playing video games by teens
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- Figure 107: Time spent playing video games by teens, by gender, October 2010-November 2011
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- Figure 108: Time spent playing video games by teens, by age, October 2010-November 2011
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- Figure 109: Time spent playing video games by teens, by gender and age, October 2010-November 2011
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- Figure 110: Time spent playing video games by teens, by race/Hispanic origin, October 2010-November 2011
- Teen console internet connectivity and activities
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- Figure 111: Teen console internet connectivity and activities, by gender, October 2010-November 2011
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- Figure 112: Teen console internet connectivity and activities, by gender and age, October 2010-November 2011
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Appendix—Trade Associations
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