Mobile gamers said they frequently play games as a distraction from daily life issues, to relax, to relieve stress and improve their mood — even if it’s during the middle of their work day. The report, which surveyed 1,100 AT&T (NYSE: T) customers, including iPhone owners, was conducted by Information Solutions Group on behalf of PopCap Games, a casual games developer. Release.
The survey is worth taking a look at because it provides a nice cross-section of users, ranging from application-hungry iPhone owners to rather average feature phone and smartphone owners. It’s a good snapshot of what a mobile game company would be dealing with if it didn’t just target iPhone owners, but a wide swath of the market.
— Benefits derived from playing mobile games: “Distraction from daily life issues” (52 percent); “Relaxation and stress relief” (40 percent); and “improved mood” (12 percent).
— Time of play: 52 percent of mobile gamers say they play mobile games during work hours and one in seven (14 percent) mobile gamers chose “during my work day, when I need a short break” as the time when they most often play games on their phone.
More of the findings, after the jump.
— Mobile game consumption: 59 percent of respondents said they play games on their phone at least once a month, and 40% said they played weekly or more often. 91 percent of mobile gaming sessions are 30 minutes or less, and 62 percent are less than 15 minutes.
— Purchasing decisions: Gamers, who have purchased one or more mobile games, have on average purchased a total of 7.2 games, and about one-third (32 percent) of all AT&T mobile gamers said they were “somewhat or very likely” to purchase a game for their cell phone in 2009.
— Most-popular games: Tetris (20 percent) and Bejeweled (18 percent) and Solitaire a close third (17 percent). That jives with a report released by AT&T on the top selling games in first quarter. The top three were: Tetris, Bejeweled and Guitar Hero World Tour Mobile.
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