Despite the decline in the global economy, electronic gaming still shows strong growth in a variety of areas. Social gaming has become a $1 billion industry while Internet connectivity among different platforms has given consumers more online and multiplayer gaming options.

However, data on consumer spending and behaviors in areas such as virtual items are currently scarce. To compete for the consumer’s shrinking entertainment budget and remain on the leading edge of gaming, industry players must understand gamers and their preferences.

Online Gaming

• Growth and changes in online gaming
• Best opportunities for monetizing online games
• Analysis of online gamers, including their spending habits, unique preferences, and processes for finding and choosing games

Social Gaming

• Growth and changes in social gaming
• Best opportunities for monetizing casual games
• Ratio of paying to non-paying users
• Analysis of social gamers, including their spending habits, unique preferences, and their processes for finding and choosing games

Hardware and Platforms

• Shifts in platform usage/preferences over time
• Changes in purchasing—peripherals and upgrades
• Impact of smartphones, tablets, and other mobile gaming platforms
• Current adoption of and demand for platforms and various peripherals
• Differences between PC and console gamers

The Business of Gaming

• Changes in expenditures due to economic climate
• Impact and consumer perception of game advertising
• The market for digital distribution
• Factors that influence purchasing
• Prevalence of and attitudes toward piracy among gamers

• Gaming ARPU: Games & the Service Provider
  

  This report assesses the market potential and challenges of integrating gaming applications with televisions and pay-TV services. It answers three key questions. Will game consoles become a pay-TV platform that competes with or complements services from established pay-TV providers? How much can service providers benefit by integrating games? Can integrated gaming features and services boost demand for connected TVs?

  “TV gaming features are clearly coming,” said John Barrett, director of research, Parks Associates. “The question is whether they will be an ARPU driver like premium channels, an expected freebie like music channels, or an industry-altering path for console makers to challenge pay-TV providers.”

• Networked Gaming: Driving the Future II
  

  Networked Gaming: Driving the Future II covers a variety of networked gaming technologies and business models, including casual online gaming, MMORPG, virtual worlds, game advertising, online console gaming, digital distribution, and micro-transaction games. The report supplements detailed industry analysis with company profiles, consumer data, and market forecasts.

  “Millions of U.S. gamers are already paying to play different kinds of online games,” said Stuart Sikes, president, Parks Associates. “As online gaming further diversifies gamer audience and introduces new genres and business models, gaming industry revenue mix will inevitably continue to shift towards online gaming.”

• Mobile/Portable Gaming: Market Updates
  

  This report focuses on portable gaming and covers both mobile devices and dedicated gaming handhelds. It includes an analysis of the current state of the industry, key developments, business models, monetization opportunities, and sales forecasts from 2011-2015.

  “Consumers have become increasingly used to portability for all types of media, especially games,” said Pietro Macchiarella, Research Analyst, Parks Associates. “This year may be remembered as the year of portable gaming thanks to the launch of a plethora of high-quality devices, such as tablets, smartphones, and portable consoles (the Nintendo 3DS and Sony’s NGP). Apple’s App Store and new services such as Amazon Android App store and Sony PlayStation Suite increasingly facilitate digital distribution of games on all these devices. Portable gaming contributes to the enormous changes already happening in the gaming industry and creates new threats and opportunities for all industry players.”