A new study commissioned by GameHouse has found that 74% of women of all age groups play mobile games daily. 33% do so only once or twice a day, while 41% play games several times a day.
The research was conducted by Pollfish to celebrate Women’s History Month, and surveyed over 800 women in the UK and USA.
67% of those surveyed stated that mobile gaming is a vital source of ‘me Time’, with almost 73% of women between the ages of 35 and 44 agreeing with the sentiment.
“Thanks to our unrivalled heritage of the past 25 years in the genres that women engage with the most, GameHouse aims to own the ‘Me time – Game time’ mobile gaming experience,” said GameHouse CEO Simonetta Lulli Gómez.
“As a company we are on a mission to design around female gaming preferences and to encourage women to take their ‘me time’ and enjoy it! We believe that GameHouse’s casual mobile and PC gaming experiences, with strong relatable characters and story narrative, provide the perfect escape from day-to-day commitments, to unwind and recharge your batteries.”
Success across demographics
60% of women surveyed called gaming fun, with over 50% valuing it as a stress relief method and 39% crediting the hobby with helping them take some time to themselves. Two thirds of those surveyed said that gaming helped them feel ‘relaxed’, ‘stimulated’, ‘engaged’, or ‘focused’.
Overall, gaming was ranked as the sixth most popular way to relax among respondents.
Bubble shooters were ranked as the most popular genre at 48%, followed by puzzle and word games (35% each) and board and collapse games (32%). The report found that female players value problem solving, challenge, growing, and strategic thinking aspects in the games they played.
Additionally, female players showed a slight preference to gaming on iOS devices (54%) compared to Android (41%).
Respondents stated that they often felt the need to limit “me time” to a few times a week, such as prior to bed or early in the morning, due to other commitments around the house. 46% of respondents said that they didn’t get enough ‘me time’, while 32% stated they get an average amount.
“Our research shows that women seek ‘me time’ but feel guilty about taking it and that women find mobile gaming to provide the perfect escape, a means to unwind and have fun,” said GameHouse head of product strategy, insights and growth Emmi Kuusikko. “GameHouse’s ‘Me time – Game time’ campaign celebrates female gamers across the world and encourages women to claim their me time – we all need it!”
Earlier this month, we spoke to Kuusikko about gender inclusivity in gaming.