The computer was once a dominant platform for kids who wanted to play video games. But those days seem to be long gone.
Smartphones and tablets are now the most popular devices used for gaming among children in the age range of 2 to 17, according to a report released Wednesday by the NPD Group. The report, titled “Kids and Gaming 2015,” found that 63 percent of kids said they play games on a mobile device.
On the flip side, 45 percent of kids use a home PC for gaming, a drop of 22 points since 2013. The decline is most prominent among children ages 2 to 5. Video game consoles are also losing ground — used by 60 percent of kids surveyed compared with 67 percent in 2013.
The report tells a tale we’ve heard before: Mobile devices reign supreme. The family computer was once the device people predominantly used to surf the Web, play games and find information. But PC sales and demand have been on a downturn the past few years as smartphones and tablets have become go-to devices. Gaming console sales remain strong, based on NPD’s data. But the time spent by kids actually playing on consoles is flat as more of them pick up a mobile device to get their gaming fix.
“The largest and most surprising shift in the 2015 gaming ecosystem was kids’ move away from the computer,” NPD Group analyst Liam Callahan said in a press release. “In the past, the computer was considered the entry point for gaming for most kids, but the game has changed now that mobile has moved into that position. This may be related to a change in the behavior of parents that are likely utilizing mobile devices for tasks that were once reserved for computers.”
Click here to read more.
SOURCE: Cnet, Lance Whitney
BCNN1 WP 