PopCap today revealed that 118.5 million people now play social games at least once a week, up 71 percent over last year. People are also more willing to spend money, with 31 million players having purchased in-game currency, up 86 percent.
“The survey found that 30 percent, or 35 million people who now play social games are new to the category since February 2010, and that 17 percent of people who play social games regularly are new to gaming altogether, having never previously played a video game, representing 20 million new gaming consumers,” notes PopCap. “And while the average age of social gamers has gone down from 43 to 39, the average first time new social gamer is a 50+ year-old woman.”
PopCap also said 81 million people, or 68 percent of social gamers, play social games at least once a day, and that 49 million people, or 41 percent of social gamers, play social games multiple times a day. Demographic stats showed that the percentage of social gamers under 30 years old increased from 19 percent to 30 percent, that women comprise 55 percent of social gamers, and that 20 percent of all social gamers in the U.S. are over 60, compared to only 7 percent in the U.K.
