• by Aaron Baar , February 25, 2014

New research conducted by social gaming network PlayPhone finds that 68% of mobile gamers are women, 71% of whom are married, 68% of whom are married and 46% of whom are between 40 and 64 years old. The survey of more than 1,000 U.S. male and female adult respondents also found that 61% of these women play these games at home in their living room (while 41% play in the bedroom), and nearly a third play them in the evening. 

“As mobile gaming expands with increased smartphone and tablet penetration, we're seeing a very broad and diverse audience develop for mobile gaming, with women comprising 68% of mobile gamers who play on a smartphone or tablet for at least an hour each day, ” Anders Evju, PlayPhone’s chief marketing officer, tells Marketing Daily. “The majority of these women are middle-aged, which can create new opportunities to reach this demographic in particular. It opens the door to create specific types of apps or advertisements that target this audience.”

At the same time, the demographic most willing to pay for in-game features (that cost more than $10) are adults of both genders between 25 and 39 years old. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of the biggest spenders fall in this age group, according to the survey. (Meanwhile 60% of gamers between 40 and 64 say they never pay more than $10 for in-game features.) Evju says the disparity can be attributed in part to the younger demographic’s familiarity and comfort with the mobile platform. 

“There is a lot of good content targeted to this audience that monetizes well, so that helps to boost spending for this demo,” Evju says. “Generally, those younger than 25 have limited disposable income, which can reduce their in-app purchases, though they have a high comfort level with purchasing on mobile.”

Finally, the survey found that 72% of consumers were uncomfortable entering their credit card information directly into a gaming app to make such purchases. The future for such transactions may lie in direct carrier billing, which doesn’t require any personal information to be entered, Evju says. 

“Without the hassle and security concerns associated with requiring customers to enter their credit card information, mobile operators and game developers can more easily monetize their games,” he says.

"Woman on Smartphone" photo from Shutterstock.