Ziff Davis Releases Mobile Phone Survey Information

As part of its 2005 Digital Gaming in America study, other results of which have already been reported, Ziff Davis has examined the habits of mobile phone gamers as regards their play experience on the platform. The findings are interesting to compare with those recently released by the NPD Group, as they differ slightly in some of the same studied areas. The Ziff survey, for instance, reports that the average mobile gaming session lasts for 19 minutes, compared with the 11 minutes in the NPD survey. Whereas the NPD survey reported high prices as the main issue preventing more people from playing mobile games, the chief reason cited by 49% of the Ziff respondents was the small screen, with pricing making up a smaller 35% of the rationale. Other statistics cited in the Ziff survey were that mobile gamers have spent an average of $13 on games in the last 60 days, and that 50% of gamers plan to buy a new phone in the next year. The Ziff survey also provided hard numbers for the install base of game-capable mobile phones; the 2005 total was 27.9 million households, compared with 2004's 16.3 million. Ziff-Davis' interest in mobile gaming is reinforced by its simultaneous plans to reinvigorate its Pocket Games U.S. consumer magazine, focusing on mobile and handheld titles. The magazine will receive a redesign under the guidance of new Editor-in-Chief David Chen, formerly of Xbox Nation.