Over 35% will play more mobile games during holiday season, with Gen X screen time to outdo Gen Z

• Over 35% of US adults expect their mobile playtime to rise over the Christmas holiday
• Gen X plans to spend the most hours playing mobile games over the holiday

Stay Informed

More than 35% of adults in the US intend to spend more time playing mobile games over the Christmas holiday, according to a new survey by Unity.

Furthermore, roughly 15% said they “notice more in-game ads related to holiday promotions” and nearly 20% “will be spending more on in-game purchases” during that time.

This should come as good news to many mobile developers, especially after another year mired by layoffs, cutbacks and restructuring efforts across the industry.

But with a potential revenue bump on the way this December, at least in the US, devs should be aware that less than 25% of States-based players are eager to engage with seasonal in-game content.

Playtime power-up

Through its survey, Unity found Gen Z to be the biggest demographic set to increase their mobile playtime this Christmas. 37% of them expect to play more during the holidays than normal, compared to 29% of Millennials.

Among Gen X, 19% expect to play more, outpacing the Baby Boomers’ predicted 12% rise.

However, an increase in playtime doesn’t necessarily mean the most playtime: Unity actually found that Gen X plans on playing mobile games for the longest during the holidays – indicating they already play more regularly.

Over Christmas, 46% of Gen Xers expect to play mobile games for more than three hours every day. Close behind, 44% of Millennials plan to play for over three hours daily, compared to 37% of Baby Boomers and only 33% of Gen Z.

Baby Boomers are the most likely to play for over five hours in one day though – 14% are planning on such – but Gen X maintains the longest predicted playtime overall thanks to more users in that ‘three hours plus’ category.

A world of opportunity

With so many hours to be spent in-game, developers are not the only ones set to benefit. Advertisers are, too, particularly in electronics, as 41% of audiences are most likely to engage with ads in this market over the holiday.

Food and beverage ads follow at 29%, while cars have the lowest planned engagement rate for all generations but Gen Z.

As for how to engage audiences with advertisements, Gen Z and Millennials expect to be most intrigued by playables, while Gen X and Baby Boomers will look to rewarded ads.

“Mobile ads play a significant role in shaping holiday shopping decisions, especially among younger audiences. 45% of Gen Z report that ads in mobile games influence their holiday gift purchases. As the audience ages, the influence of ads decreases,” said Unity.

“To maximise engagement, brands should focus on delivering creative and interactive ad experiences.”