Research gleaned from Parks Associates has found a stunning trend in just how much of an impact smartphones and tablets are having on the gaming environment. According to a new report, the U.S. gaming population has more than doubled in the last three years, from 56 million in 2008 to over 135 million in 2011.
Parks says this is primarily due to the lure of mobile devices. Three-fourths of U.S. tablet owners play games on the device, including 79% of teen tablet owners, and 57% of smartphone owners play games on it, Parks indicated.
"The increase in the number of gamers is impressive because it crosses almost all demographics," said Pietro Macchiarella, Research Analyst, Parks Associates. "Most of this growth is due to increases in the casual gamer segments, with tablets and smartphones usurping PlayStation, Wii, and Xbox as popular gaming devices.”
The study noted a huge increase in usage on smartphone and tablet devices, while noting a general stagnation in ‘core’ gaming audiences.
"These changes have significant implications for the gaming industry," Macchiarella said. "This new majority of casual gamers is looking for games with low entry barriers, with limited investments required in terms of dollars and time necessary to learn the game. In addition, the ubiquity of portable devices and Internet access allows more people to play on-the-go, putting pressure on the gaming industry to design games that can deliver a satisfactory experience within these specific conditions."
