A new survey conducted by Jam City found that 62 per cent of parents believe mobile games had a positive impact on their mental health.
Last year, the world was turned upside down as the coronavirus swept the globe. Due to the pandemic, many people worldwide were forced into mandatory lockdowns.
As such, there was a boom in downloads for mobile games as consumers sought entertainment.
However, that trend has continued, even as we approach a year on. Jam City found that 72 per cent of parents aged 24-to-39 and 54 per cent of those in the 40-to-55 age group still play mobile games.
Moreover, 55 per cent of respondents claimed to play on their smartphones at least once a day. Furthermore, 27 per cent play games several times a day.
Positive thoughts
Overall, 44 per cent of respondents claimed that playing games had improved their mood, while 43 per cent believed that their mental health benefited.
Moreover, concentration and problem-solving skills were also cited as a benefit by 13 per cent and 41 per cent of those surveyed, respectively.
The majority of mobile players are female, with 65 per cent of those aged between 10 and 65 playing games. However, since COVID-19 hit the world, there has been a rise in male players as 31 per cent of men are playing mobile games more frequently.
Furthermore, 69 per cent of respondents – both male and female – are playing mobile games more than they used to. Meanwhile, 63 per cent spend more time on smartphones than consoles.
Take care
Boomers, those aged between 57 and 75, have also seen an increase in the amount of time spent playing mobile games. The national average for playing time was up by four per cent. However, Boomers saw a rise of 28 per cent since the start of the pandemic.
Moreover, 85 per cent of the older generation believe self-care to be essential for stress management, compared to the 63 per cent of millennials.
“We’re heartened to see the national conversation about self-care has expanded to include playing mobile games,” said Jam City EVP of experience management and insights, Lisa Spano.
“They are widely available, downloadable on your smartphone, and many are free as compared to the high cost of gaming consoles. They are certainly not a substitute for professional help, but they can help everyone, especially parents, manage the daily stresses of life and make things a little easier.”
Game time
Currently, respondents have, on average, four games installed on their mobile devices. However, this number is closer to five for the millennial age group.
Overall, the most popular mobile games genres among respondents are card and arcade at 38 per cent each, while action/adventure and board games trail at 35 per cent.
On the whole, 41 per cent of men play action games compared to 25 per cent of women. MOBAs are also more popular among men with 21 a per cent versus 13 per cent split. Furthermore, 26 per cent and 36 per cent of men play sports and casino titles, respectively.
Meanwhile, more women play trivia games compared to men, with 14 per cent versus eight per cent share. Furthermore, 27 per cent of females play puzzle games, while 19 per cent enjoy match-three titles.
Moreover, 38 per cent of respondents play different games to what they did before the pandemic hit.
Last year, it was predicted that there would be 2.5 billion mobile gamers by the end of 2020, with that number set to rise to four billion by 2023.
