Cloud-Based Gaming Positioned for Strong Impact, Thanks to Heavy Multi-Device Gaming Usage According to Study

PC and Smartphone Gaming Levels Nearly Identical in US; PCs Still Lead in China

Foster City, CA – April 4, 2019: The influence and impact of digital gaming continues to grow at an impressive rate around the world with US gamers spending nearly 65 hours a week, and $2,580/year on gaming across an average of 4.4 devices, according to a new study released today by TECHnalysis Research. Chinese gamers who participated in the study reported about 47 gaming hours a week, expenses of $1,453/year on games, in-game purchases and gaming hardware, and an average of 4.1 devices on which they game.

The study is based on an online survey conducted from December 2018 through February 2019 of 2,022 consumers (1,011 each from the US and China) who gamed at least two hours per week. The goal of the study was to understand what type of devices people game on, the hours they spend on them, the types of games they play, the amount of money they spend, their experience with AR and VR gaming devices, their involvement with creating and viewing game content, participation in gaming competitions, interest in eSports, desire for cloud-based game streaming, and more.

“What becomes abundantly clear from the data is that people are regularly using multiple devices to game,” said Bob O’Donnell, president of TECHnalysis Research and author of the report. “The notion of a single primary or even preferred gaming device, platform, or even form factor just doesn’t hold up anymore because of the large amount of time people spend gaming on multiple devices.”

The study found, for example, that while Android phones are the most commonly owned individual device used for gaming and the device upon which people spend the most time gaming (both in the US and China), collectively, PCs are still the form factor where people spend more of their total gaming time, as shown in Figure 1.

Fig. 1

Not surprisingly, this implies a strong interest in games that can work across multiple devices and platforms. In fact, when asked specifically about this, over 80% of survey respondents said they were already playing games across multiple devices and platforms or would like to do so. These trends also potentially set the stage for strong pent-up interest in cloud-based game streaming services, which several major tech vendors are expected to announce and bring to market this year. In the US, over 76% and in China nearly 85% of gamers were either somewhat or very interested in such a service. Plus, they reported a strong willingness to pay: on average $16.19 a month in the US and the equivalent of $18.80 per month in China.

Another important finding from the study involves the level of interest in and impact from gaming-related content. On top of their gaming time, US respondents reported an average of 11 hours per week watching Twitch and gaming content from YouTube, while Chinese respondents averaged 10 hours per week viewing Douyu and Youku Tudou (their Chinese equivalents). In addition, this viewing time inspired just under 50% of US gamers and 60% of Chinese gamers to create their own content, by either livestreaming their own gaming sessions, or recording and uploading them.

"The gaming ecosystem has expanded well beyond the games themselves into a variety of wildly popular activities, such as eSports and other gaming competitions," noted O'Donnell. "These in turn impact people's interest in and desire to spend more time and money on their own gaming, creating a type of 'virtuous circle' of market demand, and increasing the level of influence that gaming has begun to have on our overall culture."

The highlights of the TECHnalysis Research Multi-Device Gaming Study are available in PDF format and can be downloaded for free here. The complete 172-slide version of the report with detailed breakdowns for every question and additional analysis is available for purchase. For additional information, please e-mail the author at bob@technalysisresearch.com.

(You can download a copy of this press release in PDF form here.)

Founded by technology market research veteran Bob O’Donnell, TECHnalysis Research, LLC provides strategic consulting and market research services to the technology industry and professional financial community.