The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have forced the world’s population to spend more time at home, and in parallel, Leisure time. In this scenario, the file portable games It registered a strong impulse, so strong that the trend is expected to continue even at the stage of returning to the (new) normal.

To highlight this phenomenon, there is a recent study conducted by IDC in collaboration with LoopMe: It is based on vote I sent last April to a sample of 3850 smartphone users and resides there USA, UK, Japan, Germany, Brazil and Singapore. The selection was not accidental: the goal was to identify a group of countries affected in one way or another by the epidemic, to clearly highlight the relationships between users and mobile games, and to assess the potential impact of the health emergency. in encouraging it. .

There are two types of data to start from: 63% of survey respondents answered that they have increased the time they spend on mobile games since the pandemic began; It is also estimated that Nearly 75% of the increase in activities dedicated to mobile games will remain unchanged over the next two yearsEmphasizing that it is not just a passing fad, but a practice that has become a habit for many.

Not surprisingly, users of the countries where the virus has caused the most deaths are the people most devoted to playing video games via smartphones and for whom a more pronounced shift is expected in the future (that 25% growth fails in 12-24 months). Other useful pointers I got out of the study and can be summarized as follows:

• In the six countries examined, more than 2 out of 3 users said they had played via smartphone in recent months;
• On the reasons for choosing this type of entertainment:
  • 3 out of 4 players said they did it simply to have fun and pass the time;
  • 4% said they identified mobile gaming – particularly in online multiplayer sessions – as a tool to entertain social relationships without putting themselves at risk;
• 6% of the existing community of mobile gamers did not participate in mobile games before the outbreak of the pandemic;
• In 2020, the total number of users who played video games via smartphone and/or tablet each month increased by 12% compared to 2019, reaching 2.25 billion users.