According to Parks Associates indicates that the U.S. gaming population has more than doubled in the last three years, increasing from 56 million in 2008 to over 135 million in 2011. Most of this is due to the increased gaming mobile devices; 57 percent of smartphone owners game, along with 75 percent of U.S. tablet owners play games on the device, increasing to 79 percent of teenage tablet owners.

“The increase in the number of gamers is impressive because it crosses almost all demographics,” said Pietro Macchiarella, Research Analyst, Parks Associates. “Most of this growth is due to increases in the casual gamer segments, with tablets and smartphones usurping PlayStation, Wii, and Xbox as popular gaming devices.”

“These changes have significant implications for the gaming industry,” Macchiarella said. “This new majority of casual gamers is looking for games with low entry barriers, with limited investments required in terms of dollars and time necessary to learn the game. In addition, the ubiquity of portable devices and Internet access allows more people to play on-the-go, putting pressure on the gaming industry to design games that can deliver a satisfactory experience within these specific conditions.”