Teens, Mobile & Games An Overview of Pew Internet Data Amanda Lenhart FTC Brownbag May 28, 2009

Teens Mobile Games May 28, 2009 Methodology RDD surveys with teens 12 to 17 and a parent or guardian –Sept-Nov 2007 (n=700) –Nov-Feb 2008 (n=1102) Focus groups

Teens Mobile Games May 28, 2009 Teens and their tools 77% of teens own a game console 74% of teens own an iPod or Mp3 player 71% of teens own a cell phone 60% have a desktop or laptop computer 55% have a portable gaming device like a DS or a PSP

Teens Mobile Games May 28, 2009 Mobile phone ownership growing Mobile phone ownership is way up: –45% of year olds had them in 2004 –63% in 2006 –71% in early Computer ownership is stable at least over the past two years 88% of parents have mobile phones 75% of adults have a mobile phone Caveat: Concept of “ownership” varies from device to device

Teens Mobile Games May 28, 2009 Who has a mobile phone? Age is very important – huge bump up in mobile phone ownership at age 14 –52% of year olds have a mobile phone –At age 14 jumps to 72% –By % of teens have a mobile phone No gender differences in ownership No significant difference in mobile phone ownership by race/ethnicity Some differences by socio-economic status – but mostly a minor bump up in the highest income and education brackets. Internet users more likely than non users to have a cell phone – thought 50% of non-users have a phone.

Teens Mobile Games May 28, 2009 Teens and phone use 88% of teens talk to friends on a landline 67% of teens talk to friends on a cell phone –94% of teens with cell phones use them to talk to friends 58% of all teens have sent text messages –76% of teens with cell phones have sent texts Daily: 51% of teens with cell phones talk to their friends on the cell phone every day 43% of teens send messages through online social networks daily 38% of teens send text messages to each other daily 32% of teens talk on their landline everyday 29% spend time with friends in person 26% send instant messages everyday 16% send daily

Teens Mobile Games May 28, 2009 Teens and phone use: Voice Girls more likely to talk on any kind of phone – landline or mobile. Age isn’t a factor in landline use Older teens with a cell phone much more likely to talk on cell phone everyday; Younger teens with a cell phone tend to use them for voice calls a few times a week or less Suburban kids a little less likely to talk on cell phone everyday; no difference by locale in cell phone ownership.

Teens Mobile Games May 28, 2009 Teens and text messaging Text messaging daily up since 2006 –27% of teens texted daily in 2006 –38% text daily in % of social network users have sent texts or IM through a social network site. Girls more likely than boys to text Older teens also more likely to text message. No racial/ethnic differences in texting Slight bump up in frequency of texting by income Not using twitter yet, via mobile or any other way. Not really going online w/ phone; but this is changing

Teens Mobile Games May 28, 2009 What teens aren’t using: Likelihood of Twitter use by age

Teens Mobile Games May 28, 2009 Other mobile devices Portable game players (Nintendo DS, PSP) Owned predominately by younger teens (67% vs. 44%) Drops at age 14 Boys more likely to own (61% of boys have one, 49% of girls) No difference in use by Race/Ethnicity or SES PSP: Skype calling and IM, internet, RSS feeds DS(i): Pictochat (w/in 30-65), wireless gaming (30-65ft), WiFi gaming,

Teens Mobile Games May 28, 2009 October 18, % of teens play video games 50% of teens played games “yesterday.” 86% of teens play on a console like the Xbox, PlayStation, or Wii. 73% play games on a desktop or a laptop computer. 60% use a portable gaming device like a Sony PlayStation Portable, a Nintendo DS, or a Game Boy. 48% use a cell phone or handheld organizer to play games.

Teens Mobile Games May 28, 2009 October 18, 2008 Most play many games 80% of teens play five or more different game genres, and 40% play eight or more types of games. Girls play an average of 6 different game genres; boys average 8 different types.

Teens Mobile Games May 28, 2009 October 18, 2008 Game Genres We asked about 14 different game genres 74% play racing games (NASCAR, Mario Kart) 72% play puzzle games (Tetris, Solitaire, Bejeweled) 68% play sports games (Madden, FiFA, Tony Hawk) 67% play action games (GTA, Devil May Cry, Ratchet & Clank) 66% play adventure games (Legend of Zelda, Tomb Raider) 61% play rhythm games (Guitar Hero, DDR) 59% play strategy games (Civilization, StarCraft) 49% play simulations (The Sims, Rollercoaster Tycoon) More….

Teens Mobile Games May 28, 2009 October 18, 2008 Game Genres, Cont. 49% play fighting games (Super Smash Bros, Tekken, Mortal Kombat) 47% play first person shooters (Halo, Counter-Strike, Half- Life) 36% play role playing games (Final Fantasy, Knights of the Old Republic) 32% play survival horror games (Resident Evil, Silent Hill) 21% play MMOGs 10% use virtual worlds

Teens Mobile Games May 28, 2009 MMOGs and Virtual Worlds 20% of teens use MMOGs –30% of boys have played them; 11% of girls 10% of teens use virtual worlds –Boys just as likely as girls –Younger teens more likely than older teens: 13% of year olds; 8% of year olds. Daily gamers more likely to play MMOGs and in Virtual worlds Image courtesy of rosefirerising via flickr under creative commons

Thank You! Amanda Lenhart