According to a new report from The Intelligence Group, tweens (kids age 7-12) are using mobile devices a lot more than than they used to. In 2011, the number of tweens that owned tablets was only 5 percent, but the number has jumped dramatically to 28 percent of tweens in only two years. More than half of the tweens ages 10-13 actually have their own cell phone now.
With more and more people having access to mobile devices earlier in life, there is ample opportunity for games to be played on these devices as well. The study also showed that more than two thirds of tweens would rather get a device like an iPad or iPhone than toys. In this new generation of tweens, children are increasingly turning to Angry Birds or Cut The Rope rather than GI Joe or My Little Pony. Mobile devices are becoming the place for entertainment rather than action figures or playsets.
Reaching the market for kids in these mobile games is vital. Rovio has proven this with its success in the Angry Birds franchise, which Techcrunch reported had 1.7 billion game downloads and 265 million active users as of December 2012. Now that kids are trading in their toys for tech, the market for tween games has never looked brighter.
Source: AdWeek
