Mobile Gamer Behavior

In general mobile games tend to attract a wider audience than traditional video games. The audience has a greater percentage of women users and users from all socio-economic backgrounds who tend to play a wide variety of games more frequently throughout the week. This can be beneficial as it allows you to target this different audience and reach an audience atypical from the traditional gamer.

Mobile games attract gamers from all socio-economic backgrounds. As Table 1 illustrates the majority of mobile gamers are employed full time. According to ESA 32 percent of heads of households play games on wireless devices (ESA, 2006) . Telephia reports that 30 percent of students play games on their mobile phones while at school (Telephia, 2006).

Status Percent
Employed full time 50.24
Student full-time 13.06
Unemployed 11.18
Student full time & employed 10.41
Employed part time 9.23
Other 4.23
Retired 1.64

Table 1. Employment status (M:Metrics, 2006)

Mobile gamers come from a wide variety of earning brackets (see Table 2). As we can see, eighty-one percent earn $25,000 or more.

Income Level Percent
< $25,000 18.87
$50,000 - $74,999 25.52
$75,000 - $99,999 20.58
$100,000 or more 21.49
Other 13.54

Table 2. Income level (M:Metrics, 2006)

Mobile gamers play a wide variety of games (see Table 3). Puzzles and games with recognizable names currently dominate the platform. In 2006, the five games that generated the most revenue were (1) Tetris, (2) Pac-Man, (3) Bejeweled, (4) Texas Hold 'EM, and (5) Ms. Pac-Man. With the introduction of 3D games, this is expected to change.

Genre Percent
Puzzle 22
Other 14
Card 12
Casino 11
Arcade 9
Board game 7
Sports 7
Word 7
Strategy 6
Action adventure 5

Table 3. Games installed on mobile gamer's phone (M:Metrics, 2006)

Mobile gamers use their handsets to play games often. 24.7 percent of cellphone owner play a game on their cell phone at least one time per month (M:Metrics, June 2006). 47 percent of all cell phone gamers have three or more games installed on their handsets (M:Metrics, June 2006) Table 4 shows the top five places where mobile gamers play.

Rank Location
1 Commuting (Bus, Train,etc.)
2 Waiting Rooms (Doctor, BMV, etc.)
3 Lines
4 Car Trips
5 School

Table 4. Income level (M:Metrics, 2006)

 

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