57M U.S. Consumers Playing Social Network Games: Survey

Approximately 57 million Americans have tried or played a social network game recently -- a large number of consumers for what is a fairly new genre in the video-game industry -- according to a survey done by the market research firm NPD Group. According to NPD, approximately 20% of the U.S. population older than 6 years of age has at least tried or regularly played a game on a social network like Facebook in the past three months. Of that percentage, about one-third are described as new to video gaming. Social network-based games have jumped in popularity in the past two years, fueled by growth in games like Zynga's "Farmville" or "Mafia Wars" among others. The games are played on Internet browsers or on mobile devices, providing ad-supported content or limited playability with expanded features for a fee. NPD Group estimates that social network players tend to be female and statistically older than the average gaming population but a large proportion of social network gamers are still traditional players who may be playing these genres as a replacement for console games while not at home. "Although 35 percent of social network gamers are new to gaming, it's clear that a lot of existing gamers have been drawn into the social network gaming arena as well," said NPD Analyst Anita Frazier in a statement. Social gaming has drawn the attention of nearly every large name in the video game business and was one of the bigger themes at this years Electronics Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles in June. Traditional game companies such as Electronic Arts ERTS have said they are exploring social network gaming as a future growth opportunity. Walt Disney DIS announced it would purchase social media gaming company Playdom for $500 million earlier this year. To read the rest, head over to FOX Business.