The Casual Games Association released a report saying that the average social game player is a 40-year-old female, and that the number of social gamers in the U.S. is expected to increase from 69.2 million in 2011 to 77.9 million by the end of 2012.
Virtual goods represent 60 percent of the revenue from social games, while advertising accounts for 20 percent, and another 20 percent comes from special offers. The social game market worldwide has grown from $1.84 billion in 2009, to $3.65 billion in 2010, to an estimated $4.94 billion in 2011, with projections that it will be $6.2 billion in 2012, $7.49 billion in 2013, and $8.64 billion in 2014, which would put it ahead of console sales at the current rate of growth.
Interestingly, it is also believed that 2012 will be the zenith of Facebook as a social game platform worldwide, with smaller social networks filling specific niches and social game developers look to diversify their revenue streams.
Source: Casual Games Association
