Mobile gaming and downloading is becoming increasingly popular, with the number of US households using mobile phones to play games rising by nearly 70% over the past 12 months, reaching almost 28 million, according to a new survey by Ziff Davis Media.
A new report from NPD Group confirms this growth, revealing that 27% of US wireless subscribers play games on their mobile phones, up from 20% a year ago.
NPD describes mobile gaming as a “digital snack” for gamers when they are away from their consoles or computers, with the average gaming session shown to be just 11 minutes.
However, cost is hindering mobile gaming uptake, with NPD claiming that only one third of mobile users buy games and hardly any subscribing to a game service.
This echoes the findings of the Ziff Davis survey, which found that 35% of respondents who don’t play games cite cost as an important factor in their choice.
Despite these obstacles, the mobile gaming market is clearly an attractive one, with almost a fifth of mobile phone users worldwide claiming to have downloaded content to their phones (see Mobile Downloading To Rise By 60%).
Informa Telecoms and Media confirms this, estimating 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).
Informa’s 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.
Media research company, Screen Digest, revealed 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).
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