So, who are all these people only playing on one platform? They’re sticking with mobile. The report notes that 90 percent of American gamers play on phones, tablets, or both. Computers are the next most popular at 52 percent. Consoles are in third at 43 percent.
Most people are playing on mobile, but the majority of those gamers are also on other platforms. It also means that the majority of PC and console gamers are also playing on mobile. That’s why it’s smart for publishers and developers to use multiple platforms, and it’s why companies like Nintendo have expanded their efforts to mobile.
“Over the past several years, mobile gamers have been a key segment for the games industry to target with marketing spend because of the sheer size and diversity of the audience, as well as the amount of time invested in gaming on this platform,” said Dr. Heather Nofziger, head of consumer research at EEDAR, in a press release sent to GamesBeat. “While there continues to be opportunity for growth in mobile, the real potential for growth lies with getting the other groups increasingly involved in gaming across platforms that they may not have considered using for gaming in the past.”
The report also notes that gaming takes up about 16 percent of the weekly leisure time for Americans that play games, totaling around 12 hours a week. They spend 18 percent of their leisure time browsing the internet, 15 percent listening to music, and 13 percent on social media.
EEDAR got this data by surveying 5000 active U.S. gamers that are older than 2. The survey took place during June 2018.
