The Rise of Social Games

More and more UK consumers are now playing online social games, and last year the number of people purchasing in-game currency with real money doubled. This is likely due to a huge rise in the free-to-play games, such as: Candy Crush Saga, CityVille and Clash of Kings.

The most popular avenue for playing these games are PC’s and Laptops, and over 90% of social gamers opted for these ways of playing. A third of social gamers used smartphones including IOS and Android platforms, making them the second most popular gaming device.

In 2011, the most popular game to play was Farmville, with games like Bejewelled and Mafia Wars coming in close second and third places.

David Bishop of PopCap games said of the rise of social gaming:

Everyone likes to play games. A wonderful thing about social gaming is the space it has created for video games – helping non-gamers realise playing games is fun and they don’t have to be a ‘gamer’.

The rise of social games has meant more people have become interested in playing, due to the fact that they can play games with their family and friends. With the industry of gaming being made more portable, it’s no surprise that the amount of people playing these games has risen.

A study by Research and Markets, which discovered that the global market of social gaming is set to reach $17.4 billion by the year 2019, also highlighted that there was a rise in social casino games online, on a variety of platforms including iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab.

The Research and Markets report stated that:

The growth in the internet subscribers has also contributed to the growth of the social game users. It is expected that in 2014 one third of internet users are likely to take to social gaming.

David Williams, Head of Consumer PR at Ladbrokes said that,

The influence of women in this sphere can scarcely be over-estimated. They are engaging more in new forms of social gaming at a rapid rate and as providers of key betting and gaming products we are always on the look-out for innovative ways to appeal to the female audience. The numbers of women playing are exciting for a brand like ours and our challenge is now to develop the ways to monetise the female social gaming enthusiasm.