Men are twice as likely to download games via their mobile phones than women, with 8% of men in Western Europe using the technology compared to just 5% of women, according to a new report by the Yankee Group.
The survey reveals, however, that downloading mobile games is not proving to be as popular as industry experts forecast. More than three-quarters of mobile phone subscribers, both male and female, were shown to have never downloaded a game, while about 16% of both genders have downloaded a game on a less frequent basis.
A study published last month by M:Metrics found that 4.4% of men in the US had downloaded a game, compared to just 2.3% of women. However, recent research from Telephia showed that females accounted for three-fifths of the 3.5% of mobile phone users who had purchased a game for their handset between February and May 2005.
A new strategic research report from Informa Telecoms and Media predicts total global revenues from games on mobile phones to reach $11.2 billion by 2010, increasing by a massive $8.6 billion from $2.6 billion this year (see Global Mobile Games Revenues To Hit $11.2 Billion By 2010).
The Mobile Game report predicts that downloads will account for around two-thirds of global revenues through 2010, with online multi player traffic forecast to start generating significant income for mobile operators.
Informa does state, however, that in order for mobile service providers to enjoy the success predicted, the mobile games industry has a lot of work to do to encourage mass take up of the technology.
Media research company, Screen Digest, reports that worldwide consumer spending on mobile game downloads totalled €778 million in 2004, more than doubling 2003’s figure of €380 million (see Mobile Phone Gaming Revenues Enjoy Strong Growth).
In the US, mobile game revenues rose to $72 million in 2004, up from $24 million in 2003, and are expected to reach $430 million by 2009, according to Jupiter Research.
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