Who is playing those mobile games?

August 17th, 2005 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Research & Stats | No Comments »

A new report published today casts light on who is playing games on their mobile phones, and how much time they spend.

According to the report, half of all U.S. wireless subscribers now own phones capable of downloading games, with 27% of those playing games on their devices, including purchased downloads as well as free demos and pre-loaded games. That’s an increase of 7% on last year.

NPD’s report Mobile Games: Who’s Playing also found that another six percent of current non-gamers expressed an interest in playing on their phone over the next year. The reason most often cited for the interest is "to kill time or alleviate boredom". The average gaming session lasts just 11 minutes. Read on …

Report Asks Consumers What is Limiting Mobile Game Penetration

August 15th, 2005 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Research & Stats | No Comments »

I-play
today revealed results of the first-ever five-country survey on mobile
gaming behaviour that summarizes barriers and incentives to consumers
downloading mobile games. Key findings of the research show that only
five percent of consumers have ever downloaded a mobile game,
illustrating that the market has enormous growth potential if this
barrier can be overcome. The research was carried out by independent
research agency SKOPOS and is the result of interviews with more than
2,500 respondents across the US, UK, Italy, Spain and Germany. Read on …

Cell Phone Interactive Games Become More Popular

August 12th, 2005 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Research & Stats | No Comments »

Who says "Solitaire" must be a lonely endeavor? Games tailored for cell phones are increasingly adding community-oriented elements, such as tournaments for top scores, head-to-head combat or chatting with other players.

After all, the ubiquitous gadget is meant to connect people. "The mobile phone is really turning into a social computer," said Trip Hawkins, founder of Digital Chocolate Inc.

The San Mateo-based startup is one of more than 300 companies developing games for U.S. cell phone users. Its offerings includes "Solitaire", in its so-called mobile league, in which players can post scores and compete for rank and glory. Read on …

Mobile games market remains untapped

August 2nd, 2005 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Research & Stats | No Comments »

Just one in twenty (5%) consumers have downloaded a game onto their mobile, with many unsure if their handset is even capable of doing so, according to new research.

The consumer study, from mobile games company I-play, interviewed 2,500 mobile users in the US, UK, Italy, Spain and Germany. I-play said the findings indicate that the mobile games market remains largely untapped and “has enormous growth potential” if current barriers, such as customer confusion and accessibility can be overcome. Read on …

Mobiles becoming ‘media channels’

July 27th, 2005 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Research & Stats | No Comments »

Mobiles are becoming "media channels" as music, games, gambling and adult content clamour to make the industry worth $42.8bn (

T-Mobile, Sprint PCS have most entertainment users, says study

July 26th, 2005 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Research & Stats | No Comments »

T-Mobile USA Inc. and Sprint PCS users are far more likely to send photos, download games and use text messaging than subscribers of other U.S. carriers, according to a study from mobile usage measurement firm M:Metrics.

The company’s latest monthly report, which was released Monday, reveals distinct demographic characteristics among the subscriber bases of traditional carriers and mobile virtual network operators. An 18-year-old male who downloads games is more than twice as likely to be a customer of Sprint than any other carrier, for instance, while Nextel boasts the highest percentage of users whose household incomes surpass $100,000 a year. More …

Mobile games more valuable than porn

July 26th, 2005 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Research & Stats | No Comments »

The market for mobile content is set to be worth $42.8bn by the end of the decade, with kids’ content earning the operators billions more than adults’.

According to analyst house Informa Telecoms and Media, of the $42.8bn which mobile content will bring in, mobile gaming will be worth $11.2bn, with 15 per cent of people downloading and playing a game on their handset by 2010.

The exclusively adult preserves of porn and gambling, however, will generate considerably less. More …

China’s mobile gaming market to reach 5.8 bln yuan in 2008

June 28th, 2005 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Research & Stats | No Comments »

The mobile phone gaming market in China will reach 5.86 bln yuan in 2008, up from an expected 1.44 bln yuan this year, said Beijing IT research firm Analysys International.

Other industry experts said the introduction of third generation (3G) mobile technology in China will boost the growth of mobile online gaming, a newly emerging subsector of the mobile gaming industry. More …

By 2006 Russia will be the largest mobile communication market in Europe

June 24th, 2005 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Research & Stats | No Comments »

The mobile Russian phone market has a lot of potential. This is also true for the mobile games. To get a better view of the trend that govern this market, we decided to interview Playfon’s team, a leading provider of wireless entertainment from Russia.

Vladimir Borodin, vice-president of the company, and Andrey Minakov, Head of Java Games Department were kind enough to answer Softpedia’s questions.

Last year, the Russian mobile games market amounted to 5.3 million units sold, which equates to $12.3 million in revenues. Despite some technical restrictions the level penetration of Java and Mophun-enabled handsets keeps rising, stimulating the market of mobile games. More …

Ziff Davis Media Game Group Announces Pocket Games Research Study Results

June 22nd, 2005 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Research & Stats | No Comments »

According to a recent Pocket Games readership research study conducted by videogame magazine publishing market leader Ziff Davis Media Game Group, portable gamers are shifting to an older and more diverse demographic segment than it has been historically. Pocket Games readers are now 20 years old on average, and 13% of the readership is female compared to 9% in 2003.

The study shows cell phone gaming also on the rise, with 38% of mobile phone owners playing games on their phones.

Pocket Games Readers — Heavy Purchasers and Influencers
     * Pocket Games readers shop 16 times a month for gaming products.
     * 76% have recommended handheld games to friends. On average, they give
       recommendations to 8 other gamers.
     *  Pocket Games readers use mobile phones to play games:
        —     59% own a mobile phone.
        —     38% play games on a mobile phone.
        —     58% have purchased a game for their mobile phone.
More …