Just over a quarter of U.S. households (26%) buy videogames, according to Nielsen. Women make up half (50%) of videogame players, but their gaming preferences and motivations for playing differ from men’s, according to Interpret. Women’s top gaming genres are casual, exercise, and music, while men gravitate to first-person shooter and casual titles, as well as traditional sports and role-playing games.
Women (53%) are more likely than men (44%) to prefer playing solitary games, even when they’re playing online, and less likely to enjoy competing against other players, teaming up and collaborating, or talking about games with others.
Interest in gaming is growing fastest among women ages 45-65, who make up 33% of all female gamers, up 22% since 2009 (calculations by Research Alert). Women in this age group strongly favor casual games (67% prefer them), while gamers in their teens and 20s enjoy a wider range of games.
Gaming Consoles
Although women and men are equally likely to play videogames, male console owners spend significantly more time using their consoles each week than female console owners do, according to Nielsen. The gender gap is especially pronounced among owners of Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 consoles.
Consoles are increasingly used as multipurpose entertainment platforms. Usage of consoles for non-gaming activities varies according to specific brand, in part because some companies have emphasized these functions in their marketing and product development.
PlayStation 3 owners, for example, spend less than half their time (49%) with the device on gaming, compared to 69% for owners of the Nintendo Wii and 62% for owners of the Xbox 360. About a quarter of console owners use their devices for activities such as watching videos on demand; listening to music on CD or MP3; and using the Internet for social networking, watching video, or browsing.
Mobile Gaming
More than half of mobile phone owners (52%) in the U.S. and UK have played games on their phones, according to Information Solutions Group for PopCap Games. British mobile phone owners (73%) are more likely than their U.S. counterparts to have used their phones for gaming (44%). Two in 10 American mobile owners (21%) and 35% of British mobile owners are avid mobile gamers (defined as having played in the past week).
U.S. mobile gamers are more likely than their UK counterparts to recommend games they like to others: 60% of U.S. gamers who have played in the past month have recommended games to others, compared to 53% of UK gamers.
Just over half (55%) of avid mobile gamers are male. Almost half (47%) of avid mobile gamers play daily, as do 35% of mobile gamers (defined as those who have played at least once in the past month). Owners of smartphones are much more likely than owners of traditional phones to be avid mobile gamers. Six in 10 mobile gamers (61%) and 69% of avid gamers own smartphones.
Smartphone owners also spend more time playing mobile games than owners of traditional cell phones do: 37% of smartphone owners play at least an hour per week, compared to 25% of owners of traditional phones. Smartphone gamers bought an average of 5.4 mobile games in 2010, compared to 2.9 bought by gamers with standard phones.
Smartphone owners spent $25.57 and standard-phone owners spent $15.70 on mobile games in 2010. Although mobile gaming is more widespread in the U.K, U.S. gamers spend more money on mobile games. U.S. gamers spent an average of $25.25 on mobile games in 2010 and expect to spend $25.94 in 2011, while UK gamers spent $17.85 in 2010 and expect to spend $18.82 in 2011.
Gaming accounts for 23% of non-calling mobile phone usage among all mobile gamers and 27% among avid gamers. Mobile gamers are transferring some of their videogame play from computers to mobile phones. In 2009, 53% said they played videogames most often on their computers, while 17% said they played most often on their phones. In 2011, 30% play most often on computers, while 44% play most often on mobile phones.
Sources: “Nielsen 360 Gaming Report,” January 2011, Nielsen, Charlie Pollak, Senior Analyst, Games Research, 200 W. Jackson, #2100, Chicago, IL 60606; 312-583-5249; charlie.pollak@nielsen.com; www.nielsen.com. Price: Contact for information.
“Games and Girls: Video Gaming’s Ignored Audience, May 2011,” Interpret, Josh Bell, VP New Media Group, 227 Broadway, #300, Santa Monica, CA 90401; 310-255-0590, x304; josh.bell@interpretllc.com; www.interpretllc.com. Price: $795.
“2011 PopCap Games Mobile Phone Gaming Research,” Information Solutions Group, Carll Frye, Founder, 227 Bellevue Way NE, #300, Bellevue, WA 98004; 425-373-1115; carll@infosolutionsgroup.com; www.infosolutionsgroup.com. Price: Available online at no charge.
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