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Mobile apps now most popular video game format(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) - Smartphones most popular device; consoles account for most time - More women playing video games than men; more people 45+ playing than kids/teens - Trivia/word/puzzles are favourite genre - driven by older women London - Driven by 25-44 year old women downloading free puzzle and trivia game apps, there are now more women playing video games than men, according to a new report from the Internet Advertising Bureau UK (IAB) on the British game-playing audience. The "Gaming Revolution" study, carried out by independent research agency Populus, reveals that females account for over half (52%) of people who've played some form of video game in the last six months, compared to 49% three years ago. The gamer audience has now hit 33.5 million Britons - 69% of the population. Not just child's play... The study also reveals there are now more people over 44 years old playing games (27% of gamer population) than children and teenagers (22%). Over half (56%) of people aged 45-54 have played a video game in the last six months, as have 44% of 55-64 year olds and even a third (32%) of 65-74s. Free mobile apps driving the change The growth in women and older gamers has been driven by free games, primarily mobile apps. Six in ten (61%) games acquired in the last six months were free. Apps are now the most popular video game format (played by 55% of the online population) followed by online games (48%) then disc-based games (40%). Over one in four (27%) people played all three formats - rising to 70% of 8-12 year olds. Consequently, smartphones are now the most popular device for playing games, cited by 54% of respondents - a quarter of whom play on their phone every day. Then follow computers (51%), consoles (45%) and tablets (44%). The average gamer plays on three different devices. "The internet and mobile devices have changed the gaming landscape forever," says Steve Chester, Director of Data & Industry Programmes at the Internet Advertising Bureau. "They've brought down the barriers to entry, making gaming far more accessible and opened it up to a whole new audience. In the past you needed to go out and buy an expensive console and the discs on top to get a decent experience, now you can just download a free app." Trivia/word/puzzles are favourite genre - driven by older women One third of respondents, overall, cite trivia/word/puzzles as their favourite game genre - compared to over half (56%) of women at least 45 years old and half of women aged 25-44. Action/adventure/shooter games are the next favourite, cited by 18% of all respondents, rising to 45% of 16-24 year old males and 26% of men 25-44. Time's up The average gamer aged 16+ spends around 11 hours gaming a week, compared to 20 hours for 8-15 year olds. 6-8pm is the most popular game-playing time. The average Briton spends six hours per week playing games, just over 11% of their 52 hours of media consumption a week - the same share accounted for by social media and slightly less than listening to music (14%). Looking at share of game-playing time by device, consoles account for 30% of time followed by computers (24%), smartphones (21%) and tablets (18%). Looking at share of time by format, online accounts for almost half (47%) of game time followed by apps (23%) and disc-based games (22%). In-game advertising Two-thirds (67%) of game-players are aware that advertising appears within some games (in-game advertising). Six in ten (61%) are happy to see ads in games if it makes them free, while a quarter (24%) think it makes games more realistic and immersive. The number of ads acceptable in a free game (1.7 every 30 minutes) is twice as high as in paid games (0.8). Chester concludes: "Getting in-game advertising right is a very delicate skill. In-game ads can enhance the experience by adding realism or extra content - as long as they're not interruptive and irrelevant. If they are, it can have the opposite effect and stop people playing." Methodology: 4,058 GB individuals aged 8-74 were surveyed online between 19-29 June 2014, supported by 30-minute face-to-face interviews with 22 gamers and four industry experts. For the purposes of data in this news release, playing video games in arcades was not included. Both online and disc-based games can be played on consoles and computers so, for example, console time does not equal disc-based time. For more information: Alex Burmaster, Meteor PR: 020 3544 3570020 3544 3570, [email protected] Harriet Gale, IAB UK: 0207 050 69570207 050 6957, [email protected] About the Internet Advertising Bureau The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) is the UK trade association for digital advertising, representing most of the UK's leading brands, media owners and agencies. Given the rapidly evolving nature of the digital landscape, the IAB works to ensure that marketers can maximise the potential of digital media and mobile devices, helping members engage their customers and build great brands. By disseminating knowledge and fostering dialogue through research, policy guidance, training and events, the IAB aims to be every marketer's authoritative and objective source for best practices in internet advertising. To access the IAB's current research, policy briefings, training opportunities and events schedule, please visit www.iabuk.net.CallSend SMSAdd to SkypeYou'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype . (c) 2014 M2 COMMUNICATIONS |