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7 in 10 Britons have
played some form of video game in last 6 months; more people 45+
playing than kids/teens
Apps most popular format; smartphones most popular device; consoles
account for most time
Trivia/word/puzzles are favourite genre – driven by older women
London, 17 September
2014: Driven by 25-44 year old
women downloading free puzzle and trivia game apps, there are now
more women playing video games than men, according to a new report
from the Internet Advertising Bureau UK (IAB) on the British
game-playing audience.
The “Gaming Revolution” study, carried out by independent research
agency Populus, reveals that females account for over half (52%) of
people who’ve played some form of video game¹ in the last six
months, compared to 49% three years ago. The gamer audience has now
hit 33.5 million Britons – 69% of the population.
Not just child’s play…
The study also reveals there are now more people over 44 years old
playing games (27% of gamer population) than children and teenagers
(22%). Over half (56%) of people aged 45-54 have played a video
game in the last six months, as have 44% of 55-64 year olds and
even a third (32%) of 65-74s.
Free mobile apps driving
the change
The growth in women and older gamers has been driven by free games,
primarily mobile apps. Six in ten (61%) games acquired in the last
six months were free. Apps are now the most popular video game
format (played by 55% of the online population) followed by online
games (48%) then disc-based games (40%). Over one in four (27%)
people played all three formats – rising to 70% of 8-12 year olds.
Consequently, smartphones are now the most popular device for
playing games, cited by 54% of respondents – a quarter of whom play
on their phone every day. Then follow computers (51%),
consoles (45%) and tablets (44%). The average gamer plays on three
different devices.
“The internet and mobile devices have changed the gaming landscape
forever,” says Steve Chester, Director of Data & Industry
Programmes at the Internet Advertising Bureau. “They’ve brought
down the barriers to entry, making gaming far more accessible and
opened it up to a whole new audience. In the past you needed to go
out and buy an expensive console and the discs on top to get a decent
experience, now you can just download a free app.”
Trivia/word/puzzles are favourite genre – driven by older women
One third of respondents, overall, cite trivia/word/puzzles as
their favourite game genre – compared to over half (56%) of women
at least 45 years old and half of women aged 25-44.
Action/adventure/shooter games are the next favourite, cited by 18%
of all respondents, rising to 45% of 16-24 year old males and 26%
of men 25-44.
Time’s up
The average gamer aged 16+ spends around 11 hours gaming a week,
compared to 20 hours for 8-15 year olds. 6-8pm is the most popular
game-playing time.
The average Briton spends six hours per week playing games, just
over 11% of their 52 hours of media consumption a week – the same
share accounted for by social media and slightly less than
listening to music (14%).
Looking at share of game-playing time by device², consoles account
for 30% of time followed by computers (24%), smartphones (21%) and
tablets (18%). Looking at share of time by format², online accounts
for almost half (47%) of game time followed by apps (23%) and disc-based
games (22%).
In-game advertising
Two-thirds (67%) of game-players are aware that advertising appears
within some games (in-game advertising). Six in ten (61%) are happy
to see ads in games if it makes them free, while a quarter (24%)
think it makes games more realistic and immersive. The number of
ads acceptable in a free game (1.7 every 30 minutes) is twice as
high as in paid games (0.8).
Chester concludes: “Getting in-game advertising right is a very
delicate skill. In-game ads can enhance the experience by adding
realism or extra content – as long as they’re not interruptive and
irrelevant. If they are, it can have the opposite effect and stop
people playing.”
Methodology:
4,058 GB individuals aged 8-74 were surveyed online between 19-29 June
2014, supported by 30-minute face-to-face interviews with 22 gamers
and four industry experts.
¹For the purposes of data in this news release, playing video games
in arcades was not included.
²Both online and disc-based games can be played on consoles and
computers so, for example, console time does not equal disc-based
time.
For more information:
Alex Burmaster, Meteor PR: 020 3544 3570, alex@meteorpublicrelations.com
Harriet Gale, IAB UK: 0207 050 6957, harriet@iabuk.net
About the Internet Advertising Bureau
The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) is the UK trade association
for digital advertising, representing most of the UK’s leading
brands, media owners and agencies. Given the rapidly evolving
nature of the digital landscape, the IAB works to ensure that
marketers can maximise the potential of digital media and mobile
devices, helping members engage their customers and build great
brands.
By disseminating knowledge and fostering dialogue through
research, policy guidance, training and events, the IAB aims to be
every marketer’s authoritative and objective source for best
practices in internet advertising. To access the IAB’s current
research, policy briefings, training opportunities and events
schedule, please visit www.iabuk.net.
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