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Kids spend almost as much time gaming on mobile devices as they do on consoles, says survey.
The survey, part of global information company The NPD Group’s Kids and Gaming 2013 report, says that gaming habits among 2-17 year olds “have shifted considerably since 2011, with many of the changes due to mobile devices.”
“While desktop computers, laptops and consoles remain the top device types used for gaming, almost as many kids are gaming on mobile devices as they are on consoles and computers.”
The survey also highlights the increased time spent gaming on the devices, with teenagers aged 12-17 spending on average seven hours a week playing on them, compared with five hours in 2011.
Over half (53 per cent) of the mobile device users questioned said that they spend more time gaming on mobiles and tablets compared with last year.
Kids gaming on the devices are also starting earlier, with most children playing from the age of eight onwards, compared with the age of nine in 2011.
“Kids embrace change, adopting new devices and technologies, for the experience of gaming and accessing other entertainment content,” said Liam Callahan, an industry analyst from The NPD Group.
“It is critical to understand the current mindset of the highly engaged two to 17 year old gamer.”
“Kids are engaged with mobile devices as less expensive tablets and an increasing amount of hand-me-down phones create greater accessibility to these platforms than before.”
“The question becomes whether this mobile usage will continue to grow for two to 17 year olds, and if usage will become more prevalent than gaming on consoles and computers as time progresses. More importantly, we need to understand how these forms of gaming provide different types of experiences for young gamers.”
Image of kids playing on tablet courtesy of Shutterstock.co.uk
