Mobile Gamers Beyond Stereotypes

When you think of mobile gamers, what's the first image that comes to mind?

It’s probably something along the lines of a 15-year-old boy constantly being on his phone and playing games. Is that your initial thought as well?

And that really is the common image people have of gamers - predominantly teenage males, often labeled as "nerds" with no other interests.

However, that perception of gamers is so far from the truth. How far exactly, you will find out in this blog.

The Global Mobile Gaming Community

Today there are more than 3 billion people playing games in the world, and more than 2.5 billion of those are mobile gamers. That is almost one third of the whole human population. It's safe to say that this diverse group isn't comprised solely of teenage boys.

In fact, almost anyone you meet could be a gamer. Would they define and call themselves as such, is another pair of shoes.

Let’s think of moms for a moment. You wouldn’t really consider them as a group interested in games or call them gamers, and, as a matter of fact, they wouldn’t either. The thing is, even though 74% of moms are playing mobile games daily, only 48% of them actually describe themselves as gamers. This is both the result of and the reason for perceiving gaming as an activity enjoyed solely by men.

The Diverse Demographics of Mobile Gamers

Gamer Moms are however just one small part of the vast and diverse mobile gaming audience. Whether you are talking age, income, interests, location or other factors - there is a very good chance that a significant proportion of any demographic is engaged with mobile gaming.

In terms of location, figures show that 48% of the mobile gaming audience is from Asia, with 21% from Europe and 19% from Latin and North America which shows that you'll find a substantial portion of mobile gamers hailing from different backgrounds, cultures, and preferences.

Let’s now take a look at age as a factor. What would you say is the average age of mobile gamers? To help you with a more specific question, would you say it is below or above the age of 30?

Considering the mentioned perception of mobile gamers being mostly young boys, it might come as a surprise to hear that the average age of mobile gamers is 36 years which shows that there is actually a significant presence of adult gamers in the mobile gaming community.

The popularity of mobile gamers among Gen Z (between the ages of 18 and 24) is to be expected with 79% of their generation playing regularly. However, Millennials (between the ages of 25 and 40) and Gen X (between the ages of 41 and 56) are really close to that number with 72% of Millennials and 68% of Gen X playing mobile games regularly. A statistic that is surprising is that 52% of Baby Boomers (between the ages 57 and 75) are actually playing mobile games regularly as well.

Mobile gaming attracts a diverse user base in terms of education levels as well, with a substantial proportion of highly educated individuals participating in mobile gaming alongside those with less formal education. More than 50% of mobile gamers have either a college degree or have completed at least some college education.

When it comes to income levels, a significant proportion of mobile gamers come from high-income households. This can be well seen from the fact that the player base in the US is made up of 34% of mobile gamers from high-income households.

Insights into Engagement Habits and Preferences

Now that we've explored the diverse demographics of mobile gamers, let's delve into their engagement habits and preferences. This is the part that holds paramount importance to advertisers. Understanding your audience, along with their habits and preferences, is the key to connecting with them precisely when needed and delivering the most relevant content.

Mobile gamers are highly engaged and highly attentive players with 58% of them playing mobile games for more than an hour each day. The communities that form within them often have strong bonds, as well as common interests and tastes, happily sharing relevant brands and content between them.

Let's revisit the topic of gamer moms. Gamer moms are more likely to regularly stream video, and also most likely to pay for streaming services than non gamer moms. Most of them are heavy social media users and are more likely to be avid social media users than non gamer moms. Additionally, they are more likely to recommend products and brands to their friends and family than non gamer moms. Keep this in mind when you're crafting your advertising campaign, and don't overlook the potential of including female gamers in your target audience.

When it comes to in-game advertising, the golden rule is to avoid disrupting gameplay! Other than that, mobile games users actually don't completely hate ads, especially if they receive rewards in return. Users have actually embraced rewarded ads as a natural part of gaming with nearly 80% of users willingly completing them on a weekly basis, and 41% doing so daily.

One last fact to know regarding habits is that 50% of gamers play mobile games while in the bathroom. You can use this information as you see fit. :)

The Advertising Potential Within Mobile Gaming

In this journey through the world of mobile gaming, we've shattered common stereotypes and uncovered the reality. Everybody games, and the ‘young and male’ cliche is far from realistic or helpful. Mobile gaming is connecting people worldwide, regardless of where they live, what language they speak, or how old they are. Kids play them, but so do their parents. Zoomers, Millennials, Gen X, and even Baby Boomers enjoy mobile games. Even people on the toilet play mobile games.

As advertisers, recognizing the potential of this expansive community is crucial. Mobile gamers are open to advertising and form a massive audience, spending more than a trillion hours playing games and 25 billion hours watching gaming streams annually. These numbers surpass the time spent on social media and traditional television. This is an enticing invitation for marketers to explore the limitless opportunities within the mobile gaming realm.

All of this presents a remarkable opportunity for advertisers and brands. However, not enough of them are embracing it. Don’t be one of them. Contact us today to explore how Revlum can help you connect with this diverse and engaged audience.