Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
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- Definition
- Data sources
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
- Game genres
- Game platforms
- Other terms
Executive Summary
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- Market factors
- Consumers flocking to smartphones and tablets
- More than half likely to play a mobile game in a typical week
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- Figure 1: Frequency of gaming activity, by platform, September 2013
- The consumer
- Making money from “free” games
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- Figure 2: Average number of (free vs. paid) mobile apps downloads and deletions in the past month, September 2013
- App store browsing an important factor in app discovery
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- Figure 3: Mobile gamers’ attitudes toward app stores, by gender and age, August 2013
- More time spent on tablets for mobile gaming
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- Figure 4: Frequency of mobile gaming in a typical week, by primary mobile gaming device, September 2013
- Mobile gaming slightly more often played at home, most notably among females and younger gamers
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- Figure 5: Mobile gaming activity at home vs. on-the-go, by gender and age, September 2013
- “Spread the word” more
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- Figure 6: Number of game titles played in the past week on cell phone/tablet, by genre, by gender, August 2013
- Despite trend toward social gaming, solo gaming remains prevalent
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- Figure 7: Attitudes toward playing mobile games by themselves vs. with others, by gender and age, September 2013
- Seamless integration between platforms for gaming's core demographic
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- Figure 8: Mobile gamers’ attitudes toward gaming experience and plan to purchase the next generation consoles within the next 24 months, by gender and age, September 2013
- Women particularly influenced by friends, family to download games
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- Figure 9: Social and advertising influence around game apps, by gender, September 2013
- A third of mobile gamers see ads in games, but most are averse to ads in paid games
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- Figure 10: Attitudes toward ads on mobile games, by genre played, August 2013
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Catching the wind of change in mobile gaming
- The issues
- The implications
- “Why Buy” outlooks affect monetization
- The issues
- The implications
Trend Applications
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- Inspire Trend: Why Buy
- Inspire Trend: Attention Economy
- Mintel Futures: Access Anything, Anywhere
Market Drivers
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- Key points
- High smartphone and tablet penetration
- App stores/downloads
- Minority’s growing population and disposable income favorable to mobile gaming
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- Figure 11: Population, by race/Hispanic origin, 2008-18
Competitive Context
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- Key points
- Competition with other gaming platforms
- Overview
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- Figure 12: Frequency of gaming activity, by platform, September 2013
- Online games
- PC games
- Home-console games
- Portable-console games
- Smartphones and tablet content usage
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- Figure 13: Selected mobile activities in U.S., by smartphone vs. tablet users, December 2012
Leading Players
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- Key points
- App stores
- Overview
- Apple’s App Store
- Google Play
- Amazon Appstore
- Game developers
- Overview
- Supercell
- Rovio’s Angry Birds
- Electronic Arts (EA)
Innovations and Innovators
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- Never-ending challenges through frequent app updates spur addiction
- Gaming with friends
- Unisex and female-oriented gaming
- Mobile storytelling
- Mobile app for parents and children
Mobile Gaming Activity
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- Key points
- Parity between the genders in mobile gaming; Millennials core to the market
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- Figure 14: Frequency of mobile gaming activity, by gender and age, September 2013
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- Figure 15: Mobile gaming activity now compared to the past 12 months, by gender and age, September 2013
- The highest and the lowest income groups most likely to devote time to mobile gaming
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- Figure 16: Frequency of mobile gaming activity, by household income, September 2013
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- Figure 17: Mobile gaming activity now compared to the past 12 months, by household income, September 2013
- Mobile gamers’ other gaming activity
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- Figure 18: Frequency of mobile gamers’ gaming activity on other platforms in a typical week, September 2013
Primary Mobile Gaming Device
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- Key points
- Mobile OS: smartphone vs. tablet
- Smartphone most likely the main platform for mobile gaming; tablet use on the rise
- Male mobile gamers prefer Android
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- Figure 19: Primary mobile gaming device, tablet and smartphone by OS, by gender, September 2013
- Millennial gamers most likely to play on smartphones, Boomers overindex on tablets
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- Figure 20: Primary mobile gaming device, tablet and smartphone by OS, by age, September 2013
- Little difference in frequency of game play on tablets vs. smartphones
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- Figure 21: Frequency of mobile gaming in a typical week, by primary mobile gaming device, September 2013
- Other gaming platforms
- More than half of mobile gamers likely to play five types of games in a typical weeks
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- Figure 22: Number of game platforms played by mobile gamers, September 2013
- Most are satisfied with their mobile gaming experience
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- Figure 23: Mobile gamers’ attitudes toward gaming experience – an extension of other games platforms and connection to larger screen, by gender and age, September 2013
Mobile Gaming Activity At Home vs. On-the-go
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- Key points
- Mobile gaming more frequently played at home, particularly by women and younger gamers
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- Figure 24: Mobile gaming activity at home vs. on-the-go, by gender and age, September 2013
- Android and Kindle Fire tablet mobile gameplay pointers at home
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- Figure 25: Mobile gaming activity at home vs. on-the-go, by primary gaming device by mobile OS, September 2013
Genres Played
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- Key points
- Mobile games played in the past week by genres
- Action, strategy, and adventure games most likely played in the past week
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- Figure 26: Number of game titles played in the past week on cell phone/tablet, by genre, August 2013
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- Figure 27: Types of game genres played in the past week on cell phone/tablet, by game genres played, August 2013
- Male mobile gamers play more game genre titles than women
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- Figure 28: Number of game titles played in the past week on cell phone/tablet, by genre, by gender, August 2013
- Likelihood of having played a particular genre, number of titles played correlates with youth and income
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- Figure 29: Incidence of playing each genre and number of game titles played in the past week on cell phone/tablet, by age, August 2013
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- Figure 30: Incidence of playing each genre and number of game titles played in the past week on cell phone/tablet, by household income, August 2013
- Opportunities in game genres
- Little difference in most genres played at home vs. on-the-go
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- Figure 31: Mobile gaming activity at home vs. on-the-go, by genre of games played in the past week, August 2013
- Different discovery process necessitates social approach and creative ads
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- Figure 32: Recommending mobile games to others and ways of learning about mobile games, by genre of games played in the past week, August 2013
Game App Downloads and Deletions
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- Key points
- Free game downloads far exceed paid; significant level of deletion
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- Figure 33: Average number of (free vs. paid) mobile apps downloads and deletions in the past month, September 2013
- Game downloads largely on tablets
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- Figure 34: Free vs. paid mobile apps downloads and deletions in the past month, by primary mobile gaming device, September 2013
- Frequent mobile gamers average four free and two paid downloads per month
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- Figure 35: Average number of (free vs. paid) game apps downloads and deletions in the past month, by level of mobile gaming, September 2013
- Men more active in downloading and deleting
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- Figure 36: Average number of (free vs. paid) game apps downloads and deletions in the past month, by gender, September 2013
- Paid game downloads purview of younger gamers
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- Figure 37: Average number of (free vs. paid) game apps downloads and deletions in the past month, by age, September 2013
Social vs. Advertising Influence on Game Apps
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- Key points
- From and for peer promotion
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- Figure 38: Recommending mobile games to others and ways of learning about mobile games, by (free vs. paid) app downloads and deletions, September 2013
- Greater social influence for women; in-game ads likely for men
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- Figure 39: Recommending mobile games to others and ways of learning about mobile games, by gender, September 2013
- Viral marketing orienting toward Millennials
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- Figure 40: Recommending mobile games to others and ways of learning about mobile games, by age, September 2013
Attitudes to App Stores and Paying for Mobile Games
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- Key points
- Discovery process, purchases, and payment methods
- App-store browsing an important factor in app discovery
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- Figure 41: Mobile gamers’ occasions for going to app stores, by gender and age, August 2013
- Younger demographics and men more receptive to paying for mobile games
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- Figure 42: Mobile gamers’ attitudes toward game downloading and buying, by gender and age, August 2013
- Payment method for in-app store purchases
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- Figure 43: Mobile gamers’ attitudes toward payment method for in-app purchases, by household income, August 2013
- Securing downloads in the app store, game retention after download
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- Figure 44: Mobile gamers’ attitudes toward game downloading and buying, by free vs. paid game app downloads, August 2013
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- Figure 45: Mobile gamers’ attitudes toward game downloading and buying, by level of mobile gamers, August 2013
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- Figure 46: Mobile gamers’ attitudes toward game downloading and buying, by genre of games played, August 2013
Attitudes Toward Mobile Gaming
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- Key points
- Individual gaming remains prevalent
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- Figure 47: Attitudes toward playing mobile games by themselves vs. with others, by gender and age, September 2013
- Seamless integration between platforms
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- Figure 48: Mobile gamers’ attitudes toward gaming experience and plans to purchase the next-generation consoles within the next 24 months, by gender and age, September 2013
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- Figure 49: Mobile gamers’ attitudes toward gaming experience and plan to purchase the next-generation consoles within the next 24 months, by household income, September 2013
Attitudes Toward Advertising on Mobile Games
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- Key points
- One third of mobile gamers accustomed to ads, but most averse to ads in paid games
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- Figure 50: Attitudes toward ads on mobile games, by game genres, August 2013
- Millennials most likely to have been exposed to ads in mobile games
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- Figure 51: Attitudes toward ads on mobile games, by age, August 2013
Impact of Race and Hispanic Origin
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- Key points
- Mobile gaming: frequency and game play at home vs. on-the-go
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- Figure 52: Mobile gamers’ frequency of play on mobile gaming, by race/Hispanic origin, September 2013
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- Figure 53: Mobile gaming activity at home vs. on-the-go, by race/Hispanic origin, September 2013
- Asians highly engaged in mobile gaming
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- Figure 54: Primary mobile gaming device, tablet and smartphone by OS, by race/Hispanic origin, September 2013
- Genres played
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- Figure 55: Incidence of playing each genre and number of game titles played in the past week on cell phone/tablet, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2013
- Game downloads (free vs. paid) and deletions
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- Figure 56: Average number of (free vs. paid) game apps downloads and deletions in the past month, by race/Hispanic origin, September 2013
- Mobile games for children popular among Hispanics
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- Figure 57: Attitudes toward mobile game downloads for children, by race/Hispanic origin, September 2013
- Blacks more responsive to ads, Hispanics more likely to see ads
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- Figure 58: Attitudes toward ads on mobile games, by race/Hispanic origin, August 2013
Appendix – Other Useful Consumer Tables
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- Gaming activity
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- Figure 59: Time spent on mobile gaming compared to other types of gaming activity, September 2013
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- Figure 60: Mobile gaming compared to other types of gaming activity, by gender, September 2013
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- Figure 61: Mobile gaming compared to other types of gaming activity, by age, September 2013
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- Figure 62: Mobile gaming compared to other types of gaming activity, by gender and age, September 2013
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- Figure 63: Mobile gaming compared to other types of gaming activity, by household income, September 2013
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- Figure 64: Mobile gaming compared to other types of gaming activity, by presence of children, September 2013
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- Figure 65: Mobile gaming compared to other types of gaming activity, by race/Hispanic origin, September 2013
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- Figure 66: Mobile gaming compared to other types of gaming activity, by Hispanic origin and age, September 2013
- Frequency of online gaming activity
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- Figure 67: Frequency of online gaming activity, by gender, September 2013
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- Figure 68: Frequency of online gaming activity, by age, September 2013
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- Figure 69: Frequency of online gaming activity, by household income, September 2013
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- Figure 70: Frequency of online gaming activity, by race/Hispanic origin, September 2013
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- Figure 71: Frequency of online gaming activity, by marital/relationship status, September 2013
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- Figure 72: Frequency of online gaming activity, by presence of children in household, September 2013
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- Figure 73: Frequency of online gaming activity, by Hispanic origin and household income, September 2013
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- Figure 74: Frequency of online gaming activity, by Hispanic origin and age, September 2013
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- Figure 75: Frequency of online gaming activity, by age and household income, September 2013
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- Figure 76: Frequency of online gaming activity, by generations, September 2013
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- Figure 77: Frequency of online gaming activity, by parents with children and age, September 2013
- Frequency of PC gaming activity
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- Figure 78: Frequency of PC gaming activity, by gender, September 2013
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- Figure 79: Frequency of PC gaming activity, by age, September 2013
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- Figure 80: Frequency of PC gaming activity, by household income, September 2013
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- Figure 81: Frequency of PC gaming activity, by race/Hispanic origin, September 2013
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- Figure 82: Frequency of PC gaming activity, by marital/relationship status, September 2013
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- Figure 83: Frequency of PC gaming activity, by presence of children in household, September 2013
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- Figure 84: Frequency of PC gaming activity, by Hispanic origin and household income, September 2013
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- Figure 85: Frequency of PC gaming activity, by Hispanic origin and age, September 2013
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- Figure 86: Frequency of PC gaming activity, by age and household income, September 2013
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- Figure 87: Frequency of PC gaming activity, by generations, September 2013
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- Figure 88: Frequency of PC gaming activity, by parents with children in household, September 2013
- Frequency of mobile gaming activity
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- Figure 89: Frequency of mobile gaming activity, by gender, September 2013
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- Figure 90: Frequency of mobile gaming activity, by age, September 2013
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- Figure 91: Frequency of mobile gaming activity, by household income, September 2013
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- Figure 92: Frequency of mobile gaming activity, by race/Hispanic origin, September 2013
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- Figure 93: Frequency of mobile gaming activity, by marital/relationship status, September 2013
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- Figure 94: Frequency of mobile gaming activity, by presence of children in household, September 2013
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- Figure 95: Frequency of mobile gaming activity, by Hispanic origin and household income, September 2013
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- Figure 96: Frequency of mobile gaming activity, by age and household income, September 2013
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- Figure 97: Frequency of mobile gaming activity, by generations, September 2013
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- Figure 98: Frequency of mobile gaming activity, by parents with children in household, September 2013
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- Figure 99: Frequency of mobile gaming in a typical week, by primary mobile gaming device, September 2013
- Frequency of home-console gaming
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- Figure 100: Frequency of home-console gaming activity, by gender, September 2013
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- Figure 101: Frequency of home-console gaming activity, by age, September 2013
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- Figure 102: Frequency of home-console gaming activity, by household income, September 2013
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- Figure 103: Frequency of home-console gaming activity, by race/Hispanic origin, September 2013
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- Figure 104: Frequency of home-console gaming activity, by marital/relationship status, September 2013
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- Figure 105: Frequency of home-console gaming activity, by presence of children in household, September 2013
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- Figure 106: Frequency of home-console gaming activity, by Hispanic origin and household income, September 2013
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- Figure 107: Frequency of home-console gaming activity, by Hispanic origin and age, September 2013
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- Figure 108: Frequency of home-console gaming activity, by age and household income, September 2013
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- Figure 109: Frequency of home-console gaming activity, by generations, September 2013
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- Figure 110: Frequency of home-console gaming activity, by parents with children and age, September 2013
- Frequency of portable-console gaming activity
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- Figure 111: Frequency of portable-console gaming activity, by gender, September 2013
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- Figure 112: Frequency of portable-console gaming activity, by age, September 2013
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- Figure 113: Frequency of portable-console gaming activity, by household income, September 2013
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- Figure 114: Frequency of portable-console gaming activity, by race/Hispanic origin, September 2013
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- Figure 115: Frequency of portable-console gaming activity, by presence of children in household, September 2013
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- Figure 116: Frequency of portable-console gaming activity, by age and household income, September 2013
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- Figure 117: Frequency of portable-console gaming activity, by generations, September 2013
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- Figure 118: Frequency of portable-console gaming activity, by parents with children and age, September 2013
- Number of types of games/platforms played
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- Figure 119: Number of game platforms played by mobile gamers, September 2013
- Primary mobile gaming device
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- Figure 120: Primary mobile gaming device, tablet and smartphone by OS, by gender, September 2013
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- Figure 121: Primary mobile gaming device, tablet and smartphone by OS, by age, September 2013
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- Figure 122: Primary mobile gaming device, tablet and smartphone by OS, by household income, September 2013
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- Figure 123: Primary mobile gaming device, tablet and smartphone by OS, by race/Hispanic origin, September 2013
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- Figure 124: Primary mobile gaming device, tablet and smartphone by OS, by marital/relationship status, September 2013
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- Figure 125: Primary mobile gaming device, tablet and smartphone by OS, by parents with children and age, September 2013
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- Figure 126: Primary mobile gaming device, tablet and smartphone by OS, by level of mobile gaming, September 2013
- Mobile game downloads and deletions
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- Figure 127: Mobile game downloads and deletions, September 2013
- Downloaded free games
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- Figure 128: Incidence and number of free games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by age, September 2013
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- Figure 129: Incidence and number of free games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by generations, September 2013
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- Figure 130: Incidence and number of free games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by household income, September 2013
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- Figure 131: Incidence and number of free games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by race/Hispanic origin, September 2013
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- Figure 132: Incidence and number of free games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by marital/relationship status, September 2013
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- Figure 133: Incidence and number of free games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by presence of children in household, September 2013
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- Figure 134: Incidence and number of free games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by age and household income, September 2013
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- Figure 135: Incidence and number of free games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by generations, September 2013
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- Figure 136: Incidence and number of free games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by parents with children and age, September 2013
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- Figure 137: Incidence and number of free games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by main device used for gaming, September 2013
- Downloaded paid games
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- Figure 138: Incidence and number of paid for games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by age, September 2013
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- Figure 139: Incidence and number of paid for games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by household income, September 2013
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- Figure 140: Incidence and number of paid for games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by race/Hispanic origin, September 2013
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- Figure 141: Incidence and number of paid for games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by marital/relationship status, September 2013
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- Figure 142: Incidence and number of paid for games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by presence of children in household, September 2013
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- Figure 143: Incidence and number of paid for games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by age and household income, September 2013
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- Figure 144: Incidence and number of paid for games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by generations, September 2013
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- Figure 145: Incidence and number of paid for games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by parents with children and age, September 2013
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- Figure 146: Incidence and number of paid for games downloaded into smartphones/tablets in the past month, by main device used for gaming, September 2013
- Deleted or removed games from phone/tablet
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- Figure 147: Numbers of mobile games removed from smartphone/tablet in the past month, by age, September 2013
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- Figure 148: Numbers of mobile games removed from smartphone/tablet in the past month, by household income, September 2013
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- Figure 149: Numbers of mobile games removed from smartphone/tablet in the past month, by race/Hispanic origin, September 2013
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- Figure 150: Numbers of mobile games removed from smartphone/tablet in the past month, by marital/relationship status, September 2013
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- Figure 151: Numbers of mobile games removed from smartphone/tablet in the past month, by presence of children in household, September 2013
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- Figure 152: Numbers of mobile games removed from smartphone/tablet in the past month, by age and household income, September 2013
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- Figure 153: Numbers of mobile games removed from smartphone/tablet in the past month, by generations, September 2013
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- Figure 154: Numbers of mobile games removed from smartphone/tablet in the past month, by parents with children and age, September 2013
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- Figure 155: Numbers of mobile games removed from smartphone/tablet in the past month, by parents with children and age, September 2013
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- Figure 156: Numbers of mobile games removed from smartphone/tablet in the past month, by main device used for gaming, September 2013
- Attitudes toward mobile gaming
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- Figure 157: Attitudes toward mobile gaming, by gender, September 2013
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- Figure 158: Attitudes toward mobile gaming, by age, September 2013
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- Figure 159: Attitudes toward mobile gaming, by gender and age, September 2013
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- Figure 160: Attitudes toward mobile gaming, by household income, September 2013
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- Figure 161: Attitudes toward mobile gaming, by race/Hispanic origin, September 2013
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- Figure 162: Attitudes toward mobile gaming, by marital/relationship status, September 2013
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- Figure 163: Attitudes toward mobile gaming, by presence of children in household, September 2013
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- Figure 164: Attitudes toward mobile gaming, by age and household income, September 2013
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- Figure 165: Attitudes toward mobile gaming, by generations, September 2013
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- Figure 166: Attitudes toward mobile gaming, by parents with children and age, September 2013
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- Figure 167: Attitudes toward mobile gaming, by presence of children in household, September 2013
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- Figure 168: Attitudes toward mobile gaming, by main device used for gaming, September 2013
- Games played by category
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- Figure 169: Number of game titles played in the past week on cell phone/tablet, by genre, August 2013
- Discovery process and advertising
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- Figure 170: Attitudes toward discovery process and advertising in mobile gaming, by gender, August 2013
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- Figure 171: Attitudes toward discovery process and advertising in mobile gaming, by age, August 2013
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- Figure 172: Attitudes toward discovery process and advertising in mobile gaming, by household income, August 2013
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- Figure 173: Attitudes toward discovery process and advertising in mobile gaming, by marital/relationship status, August 2013
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- Figure 174: Attitudes toward discovery process and advertising in mobile gaming, by presence of children in household, August 2013
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- Figure 175: Attitudes toward discovery process and advertising in mobile gaming, by generations, August 2013
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- Figure 176: Attitudes toward discovery process and advertising in mobile gaming, by parents with children and age, August 2013
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- Figure 177: Attitudes toward discovery process and advertising in mobile gaming, by genre played, August 2013
Appendix – Trade Associations
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