The Most Popular Mobile Games Among U.K. 3G Subscribers
Puzzle/Strategy and Retro/Arcade mobile games are the top game genres among U.K. 3G mobile game players.
Telephia’s Q2 2006 U.K. 3G Subscriber Report shows that 61 percent or nearly two-thirds of U.K. 3G mobile game players downloaded a Puzzle/Strategy mobile game, while Retro/Arcade games secured a 45 percent penetration rate (see Table 1). Action/Adventure and Card/Casino games acquired 42 and 39 percent of downloads, respectively, followed by Trivia/Word (32%) and Sports/Racing (30%) games.
Among U.K. operators, Puzzle/Strategy games had a solid showing with Vodafone`s 3G mobile game players posting a 70 percent penetration rate. Overall, nearly a third of all U.K. 3G subscribers reported that they had downloaded games to their mobile device.
“Casual games dominate the mobile game market both in the U.S. and in the U.K.,” said Bernard Brenner, Director of New Products International, Telephia. “Their popularity reflects increased work and social time pressures on mobile users, as casual games do not require a substantial investment of time on the part of the user.”
Table 1: Top U.K. 3G Subscriber Mobile Game Genres
Game Type | Penetration Rate |
1. Puzzle/Strategy | 61% |
2. Retro/Arcade | 45% |
3. Action/Adventure | 42% |
4. Card/Casino | 39% |
5. Trivia/Word | 32% |
6. Sports/Racing | 30% |
Source: Telephia U.K. 3G Subscriber Report, Q2 2006
Downloaded Games Played Offline are Preferred over Online Game Play
According to Telephia, 7 out of 10 U.K. 3G subscribers who play mobile games prefer to download games to their mobile devices to be played offline (see Table 2). Though optimized for
the speed of 3G service, online gaming did not fare as well among 3G subscribers, with only 5-7 percent preferring any online mobile games.
“Offline mobile gaming is the most prevalent choice among 3G game players, suggesting that mobile games continue to be a time-to-kill application as opposed to an activity destination,” continued Brenner.
Table 2: Most Preferred Mobile Game Type Among U.K. 3G Subscribers
Game Type | Penetration Rate |
1. Offline | 71% |
2. Online, multiplayer, turn-based | 7% |
3. Online, multiplayer, real-time | 7% |
4. Online, single player | 5% |
5. Location-based gaming | 3% |
Source: Telephia U.K. 3G Subscriber Report, Q2 2006
