[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource GamesPress.]
PopCap Games today unveils the results of a “social
gamers” survey - that is, consumers in the U.S. and UK who
play games on social networking platforms such as Facebook® and
MySpace®. More than 24% of internet users as a whole said they
play social games regularly, indicating a total social gamer
population of approximately 100 million people in America and the
United Kingdom alone. And contrary to prevailing stereotypes, the
average social gamer is a 43-year old woman.
The survey identified a number of differences between U.S. and
U.K. and revealed that, while still in its infancy compared to the
traditional video game industry, the social games sector represents
a huge opportunity to reach hundreds of millions of consumers who
historically do not play video games. The social games sector is
projected by industry analysts and researchers to generate revenues
of more than US$1 billion in 2010.
Two-thirds of all "social gamers" - defined by the fact that
they play games on social networking sites and platforms at least
once a week - are U.S.-based. 55% of all social gamers are female
and 45% are male; the disparity is even larger among UK consumers
(58% vs. 42%). The average age of social gamers is 43, with
U.S.-based social gamers averaging 48 years of age compared to 38
for those based in the UK. Further, 46% of American social gamers
are 50 or older, compared to just 23% in the UK. Only 6% of all
social gamers are age 21 or younger.
More detailed survey results available at:
http://www.infosolutionsgroup.com/2010_PopCap_Social_Gaming_Research_Results.pdf
Gender
• Women are more apt to play social games with real-world
friends than men are (68% vs. 56%).
• Men are more inclined than women to play with strangers
(41% vs. 33%); nearly twice as many women as men say they play
social games with relatives (46% vs. 29%).
Frequency
• U.S. players tend to play more frequently, with 68%
saying they play daily compared to 55% of U.K.-based social
gamers.
• 61% of social gamers say their average social gaming
session lasts more than half an hour; one in ten say their average
session lasts 3 hours or more!
Social
• Social gamers spend 39% of all their time on social
networking sites/services playing games. The second and third most
popular social networking activities among social gamers are
chatting with/messaging friends (17%) and playing non-social (solo)
games (15%).
• Only 17% of UK-based social gamers chose "connect with
others" as a reason for playing, compared to 28% of their U.S.
counterparts.
• 62% of qualified survey respondents say they play social
games with real-world friends, while 56% play with friends they've
made online and 37% say they play with strangers.
• U.S.-based social gamers are far more likely to play with
strangers than their UK counterparts (41% vs. 29%).
• Nearly half (43%) of social gamers say they also play
social games with their parents, children, and/or other
relatives.
Survey Methodology
This international research was conducted by Information
Solutions Group (ISG;
www.infosolutionsgroup.com) exclusively for
PopCap Games. The results are based on 1,202 online surveys
completed by Toluna/Greenfield Online panel members in the United
States and United Kingdom between January 7 and January 12, 2010.
Of the 1,202 respondents, 800 (67%) are from the US, while 402
(33%) are from the UK. To qualify for participation, individuals
must play social games for more than 15 minutes a week.
About PopCap
PopCap Games (
www.popcap.com) is the leading multi-platform
provider of fun, easy-to-learn, captivating video games that appeal
to everyone from age 6 to 106. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap
was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of over 260 people in
Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, B.C., Dublin, and
Shanghai. Its games have been downloaded more than 1 billion times
by consumers worldwide, and its flagship title, Bejeweled®, has
sold more than 50 million units across all platforms. Constantly
acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap’s games are played
on the Web, social platforms, desktop computers, myriad mobile
devices (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod, iPhone
and more), popular game consoles (such as Xbox and DS), and
in-flight entertainment systems. PopCap is the only “casual
games” developer with leading market share across all major
sales channels, including social, Web portals, retail stores,
mobile phones, MP3 players, and game devices.
# # #
The PopCap logo and all other trademarks used herein that are
listed at
www.popcap.com/trademarks are owned by PopCap
Games, Inc. or its licensors and may be registered in some
countries. Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.
Other company and product names used herein may be trademarks of
their respective owners and are used for the benefit of those
owners.
PR Contacts:
International:
Cathy Orr
corr@popcap.com
+353 1 646 8107
Julien Wera
jwera@popcap.com
+353 1 6468183
Ember Wardrop
ewardrop@popcap.com
+353 1 6468164
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