Playr2 conducted a study featuring “self-confessed” gamers and their thoughts on mobile gaming. Normally studies like these can end up being a clusterfuck of misinformation, due to an over or under-variety in people chosen by the researchers. Many times it’s the Angry Birds gamers that are commenting on console issues with only a few console gamers in the mix. In the end, the results are favored towards the $0.99 games or the lackluster motion games. These studies are spread to the masses and then mainstream sites start yapping about how the iPhone is a better solution for gaming and that the Kinect is the best option for motion gaming. Unfortunately, the iPhone (even iPad) business hasn’t quieted down, but that is a tale for another day.
Playr2 isn’t a group of scientists that run about in the name of gaming. Playr2 is a UK-based website that lets users buy, sell, swap and compare prices of games. Playr2 often conducts studies or polls within the gaming community and they pick their subjects accordingly. For this study they found 1,231 18+, male and female gamers. 83% of them owned a Smartphone with access to downloadable applications. Next these respondents were asked if they had downloaded app version of console video games to which 41% answered yes. Of those that downloaded the app version on their smartphone 56% were female and the remaining 44% were male. These are the ten most common games that have been downloaded:
1) Tiger Woods
2) Tetris
3) Grand Theft Auto 3
4) Assassin’s Creed
5) Sonic the Hedgehog
6) FIFA 12
7) The Sims
8) Need for Speed
9) Command and Conquer
10) Worms 2
The most popular answer behind why the respondents had downloaded the app version 51% had replied with “in order to have a portable version of the game.” For 67% of those that hadn’t downloaded an app version of a video game, the main reason was fear of a “poor gaming experience.” Finally, (my favorite part) the study asked gamers if they believed that smartphones would ever replace video game consoles as a platform for gaming.
When asked why, 67% “simply believed that the gaming experience of playing a video game on a Smartphone could never match that of a console.”
The results of this survey say that it is more likely that a female will download an app version of a game, a vast majority of gamers believe that smartphone could never replace consoles, and that more than half believe the gaming experience on a phone couldn’t match a console. Simon Kilby, Founder of Playr2.com, commented:
With this survey we wanted to look into how gamers view app versions of console games, and it was interesting to find that more female gamers had downloaded them than men, with most simply wanting a ‘portable’ game. … [M]ost gamers fear a diminished quality of game when downloading an app version; and it’s not hard to see why. Whilst developers have brought apps a long way, the gaming experience on a Smartphone is far from that of a console; but it’s undeniable that they’re a great fix whilst on the move.
Doomsayers believe the war is on and that mobile gaming is winning. I say nay, we gamers have a lot of fight in us. So bring it on, mobile gaming.
Images via The Inspiration Room, Know Your Meme
