Last year, the total consumer spend on the games industry totaled approximately $25 billion (NPD Group/Games Market Dynamics). Gaming is serious business.
The industry, propelled into the mainstream decades ago by teens with a pocketful of quarters heading to the arcade, is all grown up now. Said Daniel Snyder in an article for The Atlantic, “video games sit and the confluence of history, technology, and art in such a way that’s found in no other medium, a place where influences from every creative field meet, mix and recombine.”
And people have noticed. Surveys roughly estimate that 69% of the world’s population plays video games, whether on a console, online, or on their smartphones. Here are eight things you need to know about the average gaming customer (some may surprise you):
1. The average game player age is 30, with 32% under age 18; 31% between 18 and 35-years-old and 37% ages 36 and above. – ESA 2012 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry
2. Women 18 or older represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing popular (30%) than boys age 17 or younger (18%). Overall, 47% of gamers are female, while 53% are male. – ESA 2012 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry
3. Adult gamers have been playing for an average of 14 years; males average 16 years of game play while females average 12 years. – ESA 2012 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry
4. 53% of smartphone owners play games daily on their phone. 64% of consumers use gaming apps daily, compared to 56% who use social networking apps and 44% who use music apps. – Nielsen Mobile Media Report
5. Most mobile gamers actually don’t play on the go. Playing on the couch (69%), while lying in bed (57%) or while watching TV (41%) are three of the top five places mobile gamers play. – 2012 PopCap Games Mobile Gaming Research – Where People Play Mobile Games
6. The type of online game played most often online and on mobile phones are puzzle, board games, game show, trivia and card games (42% online and 47% mobile) followed by action, sports, strategy and role-playing games (25% online, 12% mobile). Top reasons gamers choose a game are quality of graphics, an interesting storyline, sequel to a favorite game or word of mouth persuasion. – ESA 2012 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry
7. The smartphone gaming industry is expected to double by 2016. Mobile gamers will also continue to grow more rapidly than other gaming audiences, reaching 173 million in 2016. – eMarketer Mobile, Social Boost Online Gaming Populations
8. By the end of the decade, the U.S. mobile gaming market is expected to rise to $7.8 billion. Globally, mobile game sales could be worth $11.4 billion by 2014, up from $5.6 billion in 2010. – Gartner Market Insight: Mobile Gaming Expectations Boosted on Application Store and Smartphone Popularity
What does the average gaming customer expect in terms of customer service? Click here to read The Gaming Industry Means Business When It Comes to Customer Service.