The number of Americans who play at least one hour of video games per month has more than doubled over the last three years, increasing from 56 million in 2008 to 135 million in 2011, according to research firm Parks Associates. The majority of these new gamers are “casual gamers,” the firm says, particularly those who play games like FarmVille and Angry Birds on social networks and mobile devices.

“The increase in the number of gamers is impressive because it crosses almost all demographics,” said Parks Associates research analyst Pietro Macchiarella. He adds most of this growth is due to tablets and smartphones usurping the PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360 as popular gaming devices. Three-fourths of tablet owners play games on the device, while 57 percent of smartphone users play games.

“These changes have significant implications for the gaming industry,” Macchiarella said. “This new majority of casual gamers is looking for games with low entry barriers, with limited investments required in terms of dollars and time necessary to learn the game. In addition, the ubiquity of portable devices and Internet access allows more people to play on-the-go, putting pressure on the gaming industry to design games that can deliver a satisfactory experience within these specific conditions.”

From the article, "Gaming population doubles in three years thanks to smartphones, tablets" by Stefanie Fogel

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