One in Two American Smartphone Owners Spend Close to 200 Hours Per Year Playing Smartphone Games

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Fifty percent of smartphone users spend at least half an hour a day playing games, or almost eight days annually.

New York, NY (PRWEB) November 25, 2013

Fifty percent of smartphone users spend at least half an hour a day playing games, or almost eight days annually. These findings are reported in the “American Smartphone Gaming Report,” released today from Smashing Ideas, the award-winning digital engagement agency and developer of Random House Digital’s new physics-based mobile game Catch the Berry. Smashing Ideas commissioned YouGov to study the mobile gaming habits of a representative sample of U.S. adults.

Additional key findings of the report reveal:

•     Nearly one in three (28 percent) Americans choose brain and physics-based puzzle smartphone games as their top choice, followed by cards and casino smartphone games (10 percent), and a tie between casual games (7 percent) and arcade and action games (7 percent)
•     Women (69 percent) are more likely to play smartphone games than men (56 percent)
•     Half (50 percent) of all American smartphone users play games to relieve stress

“Interest in Smartphone puzzle games is at an all-time high and consumers are hungry for apps that provide new and original challenges,” said Brian Burke, President, Smashing Ideas. “We launched Catch the Berry with the goal of giving players a truly engaging, entertaining and unique game experience.”

The Catch the Berry game features an innovative free-play environment, which allows players to interact with objects, draw, and erase lines as they help, Huckle, the game’s hero catch magical berries and collect gems.” Catch the Berry resulted from Smashing Ideas’ 18 collective years of experience developing game formats from flash to mobile and expertise across a wide range of apps, from “George R. R. Martin’s A World of Ice and Fire” to “Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat –Color & Create!” to “Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking” (named “Best of the App Store 2012”).

The mobile physics-based puzzle game sector is a thriving one, as seen in the American Smartphone Gaming Report results. According to Smashing Ideas, the challenge for the industry is where to take the category next, and avoid building simple carbon copies of predecessors.

Top Locations for Playing Smartphone Games

The American Smartphone Gaming Report also found that:

•     A majority of Americans (84 percent) are most likely to play smartphone games at home, followed by on their commute (22 percent), at work (21 percent), when out with friends and family (16 percent), at the movies (4 percent) and at the gym (3 percent)
•     44 percent of college graduates are more likely to play smartphone games as a break from doing work
•     One in four (25 percent) play smartphone games with their children

About Smashing Ideas

Smashing Ideas LLC is a Digital Engagement Agency and a Penguin Random House company in the U.S. The company applies expertise in game theory, user experience and multiscreen development to grab attention and shape customer behavior to create the most actively engaging digital experiences possible. Founded in 1996, with offices in the U.S. and UK, the company's websites, mobile applications and digital experiences have received over 50 awards, including a Primetime Emmy nomination. For more information please visit http://www.smashingideas.com.

About Random House Digital

Random House Digital is a leading publisher of eBooks and mobile applications. From children’s stories and cookbooks to travel guides and language courses, Random House Digital brings to life beloved classics like Pat the Bunny, Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and Fodor’s Travel Guides. As digital consumption continues to grow, Random House Digital strives to connect authors and readers across platforms and genres.

Research methodology

Smashing Ideas commissioned YouGov Plc to poll the views of a representative sample of 1,158 U.S. adults. Fieldwork was undertaken from October 1-3, 2013. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all U.S. adults (aged 18+). For more information about the survey, visit http://blog.smashingideas.com/?p=3470.

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