Smartphones Activate Mobile Gaming: Study
The
number of mobile game downloaders grew 17% from November 2007 to
November 2008, when 8.5 million people, or 3.8% of mobile subscribers,
downloaded a game to their
mobile device, reports research firm comScore
while focusing on the U.S. market.
“The
rapid growth in smartphone adoption in the United States has provided a
boost for mobile gaming, as 34% of those downloading a game in November
did so using a smartphone,” said Mark Donovan, senior analyst,
comScore. “Last year, not one smartphone appeared in the top 10 devices
used for mobile downloads. This year, six out of 10 are smartphones,
excluding devices with smartphone-like functionality, such as the
Instinct and Voyager, which also make appearances.”
The
iPhone and
BlackBerry Curve have replaced the RAZR and low-end flip
phones as the most popular gaming platforms, according to comScore. The
number of smartphone owners downloading a game nearly tripled, while
dipping 14% among owners of feature phones. iPhone owners accounted for
14% of mobile game downloaders in November, with 32.4% of all iPhone
users reporting they downloaded a game in the month, compared with a
market average of 3.8%.
|
Downloaded Mobile Game by Platform: Audience
Three-month average
ending November 2007 vs. November 2008
US Mobile Phone Users (000s)
Source: comScore M:Metrics |
|
|
November 2007 (000s) |
November 2008 (000s) |
YoY Growth |
|
Smartphones |
734 |
2,869 |
291% |
|
Non-Smartphones |
6,486 |
5,593 |
-14% |
|
Total |
7,220 |
8,463 |
17% |
The
researcher also announced the results of its Mobile Benchmark Study. It
says with the exception of ringtone purchases, which fell 1.1% from
October to November, all mobile content categories posted strong
growth.
|
comScore Mobile Benchmark Study
Three-month average ending
November 2008
US Mobile Subscribers
Source: comScore M:Metrics |
|
Activity |
Audience (000s) |
Reach (% of all Mobile Subscribers) |
% Change vs. Months Ago |
|
Sent/received photos or videos |
63,736 |
27.7 |
5.6 |
|
Received SMS ads |
54,922 |
23.9 |
8.2 |
|
Accessed news/info via browser |
41,894 |
18.2 |
9.7 |
|
Used email |
38,370 |
16.7 |
6.3 |
|
Listened to music |
21,006 |
9.1 |
8.5 |
|
Accessed social networking sites |
20,668 |
9.0 |
14.2 |
|
Played downloaded game |
20,468 |
8.9 |
6.1 |
|
Purchased ringtones |
19,556 |
8.5 |
-1.1 |
|
Accessed downloaded application |
18,337 |
8.0 |
15.8 |
|
Watched Video |
7,523 |
3.3 |
5.6 |
