Understanding an audience's motivations is essential for achieving any business goal. Knowing why people play will help you create the most effective marketing campaigns for the mobile gaming audience.
Today's article provides the most recent data on mobile gaming audiences, including who they are, and when and why they play mobile games. We'll also offer advice on how app developers and marketers can best reach this audience.
Who enjoys playing mobile games?
Globally, there are 3.9 billion mobile phone users. According to GWI, 100% of respondents confirmed that they play games on mobile devices. As a result, every smartphone user today may play mobile games.
Men account for 53.6% of mobile game players, while women account for 46.4%. Although the percentage of female players has increased, it is important to note that children are included in the statistics as female users, because the statistics are counted by device, and children frequently use their mothers' devices.
The global audience of smartphone users is distributed as follows:
● China – 32.8%
● India – 23.1%
● United States – 7.9%
● Europe (Germany, France, UK, Italy, and Spain) – 6.9%
● Canada – 0.9%
● Australia – 0.5%
Smartphone games are played by people of all ages. People aged 25-34 account for 29.5% of the total mobile gaming audience, while those aged 16-24 account for 28.3%, and that aged 35 - 44 account for 23.1%.
As a result, the portrait of mobile gamers transcends the stereotypical image of a "playing geek." Women and people over the age of 60 also play mobile games, and the proportion of Gen Z gamers is growing.
Why do people enjoy playing video games?
Mobile games, along with social networks, are the primary daily sources of entertainment and virtual reality escape that people use mechanically to experience a variety of emotions and maintain social connections. The following are the primary reasons why people play mobile games:
● 55.7% for enjoyment
● 55.1% to relax/unwind
● 47.7% to pass the time
As a result, mobile games are mostly used as a social escape and a way to pass the time in modern society.
People play to make social connections as well: 45.3% believe that playing games are a great way to meet new people. Furthermore, some users play online games to maintain existing social connections:
● 35.9% – play with friends online
● 22.5% – play with colleagues
● 19.9% – play with their families
● 19.7% – play with siblings online
People become accustomed to playing mobile games through socialization: 25.5% of respondents had previously played with friends or family.
The trend of playing to avoid social connections is less visible: only 23% of players play to escape reality. In addition to that:
● 47,0% – prefer to play online on their own
● 31,7% – prefer to play offline on their own
Click "
Learn More" to drive your
apps & games business with the
ASO World app promotion service now.
How much do people spend on mobile games?
The mobile gaming audience is engaged and willing to pay: in 2021, players spent $190 billion on mobile games.
In-app purchases typically cost between $10 and $100. More frequent in-app purchases are under $10. In the United States, for example, this figure is 55.8% of all players.
People aged 45 to 54 make up 63.3% of in-app purchases under $10, while those aged 55 to 64 make up 77.8%. That is, the smallest audience is the most engaged and paying.
In terms of Gen Z purchasing habits, 62% of children under the age of 13 had already purchased paid games, and more than 40% of parents said that in-app purchases cost up to $10 per month (FinancesOnline).
Why should you include the mobile gaming audience in your marketing strategy?
The mobile gaming audience is the world's largest and most diverse audience of paying users, making it extremely appealing to advertisers. An advertiser will always be able to find a target audience for their product among the world's 3.9 billion men, women, and children.
Mobile gaming audiences can be used to promote game development products, as well as products from other business industries such as e-commerce, fintech, edutech, entertainment, food and drinks, and others.
We will investigate how devoted the audience is to advertising and discover new ways to reach them.
How do reach mobile gaming audiences?
In-game ads (in our case, in-app advertising) and ads on social networks where the gaming community is active are the most affinitive channels for reaching gamers. Each option has disadvantages.
When running in-app ads, marketers face the challenge of capturing the audience's attention and motivating them to take the desired action.
Mobile games, unlike PCs, VR headsets, or other devices, are always a "second screen" for the user:
● 53% play while watching TV/series (AdColony).
● 48% play during a lunch break (AdColony).
● More than 50% of gamers play while in the bathroom (Mediakix).
As a result, players pay less attention to in-game advertising. Nonetheless, they are committed to advertising:
● 50% of gamers prefer rewarded video ads to paid and freemium mobile ads (Tapjoy).
● 32% of players find rewarded video ads useful, 27% find them interesting, and 12% think they are enjoyable (Facebook Audience Network).
● 25.6% watch an ad in exchange for an in-game reward (GWI)
● In-game rewarded video ads generate 40% of revenue. (BusinessofApps).
In-game ads are clicked on by 34% of the American mobile gaming audience, confirming the trend. In-game advertisements are well remembered and contribute to product brand awareness because 24% of mobile gamers visit the brand's website after playing a game and 22% google the name of the product being advertised.
All in-game ad metrics are 5-7% lower on average than those of other types of placements. That is because gamers are more involved in the game process, and an irrelevant offer can irritate them. In-game advertising placements should therefore be as natural and professional as possible to avoid a negative brand perception.
Marketers should use creative ads to reach more users within the game. Creative ad formats are more memorable and can demonstrate the advertised brand's values naturally. For example, when promoting a game development product, use the following creative strategies:
● display game progression
● demonstrate gameplay variety
● concentrate on super-action effects
● leverage humor
Mobile gaming audiences are active on social networks in addition to in-app advertising placements. Approximately 63.5% of gamers use social media to stay up to date on news. In addition to that:
● 21.7% share their gaming experiences on social media.
● Online chats and communities are used by 23.5% of the population.
● 11.4% blog or vlog about their gaming experiences.
People learn about new games and products primarily through word-of-mouth:
● 44.1% learn about games from their online friends.
● Offline, 41% learn about games from friends.
● 36.6% of people recommended games to their friends.
Game dev influencers are also very popular in the gaming community: they review games and industry news, stream the game development process, and so on.
* Grow with our app growth solutions - choose a
guaranteed app ranking service for
TOP 5 app ranking acquirement, and maximize your app traffic. Or click the "
Promote Now" above (to
increase app installs service for app visibility).
*
What Is the Keyword Guaranteed Ranking Service? What Is the Advantage of It?
Where to find a mobile gaming audience?
Gamedev influencers have the most followers on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, and Snapchat.
Here are some stats to consider:
● 29.7% watch Twitch or YouTube gaming streams (such as Markiplier, VanossGaming, or Jackseptic) (GWI).
● In 2021, more than 100 billion hours were spent watching YouTube gaming (WashingtonPost).
● 12.4% of people live to stream their games to Twitch or other streaming platforms (GWI).
● Twitch is the preferred method of live sports streaming for 68% of people (SocialPubli).
● In 2021, YouTube users will spend $3 billion on live streaming (AppAnnie).
Users are getting tired of seeing too many single-type ads on social media. People rewind and ignore even bloggers' advertising integrations, emphasizing the importance of out-of-the-box and creative solutions.
Conclusion
The mobile gaming audience is the world's largest (3.9 billion users); both men and women play games on smartphones, as do people of all ages, including children and the elderly. People play games all over the world, including in China, India, the United States, Europe, Canada, and Australia.
Importantly, mobile players are a paying audience, spending a total of $190 billion per year.
As a result, marketers, and app developers should not overlook this demographic when promoting their brands and products.
Simultaneously, the mobile gaming audience is picky, necessitating out-of-the-box solutions.
COVID-19 UPDATE 
