Women more active mobile gamers than men in India: Survey

Gurugram, Sep 23 (IANS) Contrary to common social perceptions, mobile gaming is no longer limited to a specific gender and women are more active than men when it comes to playing mobile games on their smartphones, and they play up to several times in a week, a new survey by CyberMedia Research said on Monday.

According to CMR’s ‘Go’ programme that surveyed 2,000 smartphone owners, an astonishing 95 per cent of women surveyed are very active mobile gamers as compared to 86 per cent men.

Seventy-five per cent of those surveyed played games for up to two hours on their smartphones, with women (78 per cent) spending more time than men (72 per cent) while 33 per cent of those surveyed played mobile games several times in a week.

"The results have broken some of the most common notions associated with mobile gaming. Women are active in gaming. Yet, it is true to say that they prefer some unique games, and stick with free-to-play games and generally speaking, avoid in-app purchases.

"They are hyper-casual gamers, and very much underserved. For the gaming developer community, this cohort represents a significant opportunity," Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, said in a statement.

Women attributed their taking to mobile gaming to multiple factors, including their peers and friends, to their spouses and even, ads on social networks.

Among the key benefits cited by the women, playing mobile games is seen as a major stress buster and mood elevator, thus, serving as a distraction from the constant work pressures or daily chores.

The relative convenience of playing games on smartphones, anywhere, anytime, is an advantage, cited the women.

"Ranging from professionals playing mobile games in between breaks at work, or while on the commute, to women playing games at home amidst breaks from domestic chores, to elderly women keeping up with technology — the demographic profiles of female gamers span across age groups," said Satya Mohanty, Head-User Research Practice, CMR.

Amongst women, PUBG Mobile (45 per cent), Candy Crush (39 per cent), Clash of Clans (22 per cent) and word puzzles (22 per cent) are the four most popular games in India.