Over 700 Women Share Insight on Wants, Faux Pas & Boundaries of Social Media Gaming; Q Interactive & Engage! Expo Dive into Psychology of Rapidly Growing Gaming Community

A new study from Q Interactive and Engage! Expo (host of the Virtual Goods Conference) reveals insight into the psychology of social media gaming women, the largest demographic of social media users. The study of over 700 women, about 54 percent of which play daily and 30 percent weekly, investigates a range of viewpoints around salient social media gaming topics.

“We had a frank conversation with women to better understand not only how, when and what they play, but how they approach gaming at work, their self-imposed boundaries for play, their willingness to spend to feed their habit, and more,” said Marj Calinog, VP, Business Development. “Overall, we found a group completely engaged with play but one with definite ‘rules’ and opinions as well as concerns about the future. The findings hold great implications and opportunities for developers wanting to increase game loyalty and brands and advertisers seeking a meaningful presence in social gaming.”

As brands gather to discuss how companies can capitalize on the social gaming space, Q Interactive, specializing in social media monetization solutions for advertisers and developers, specifically shares how women engage with social media / games. This marks the company’s third recent proprietary research study from its “Women’s Channel.”

Finding: “I Embrace My Inner Gamer!”

• Of those surveyed, 42 percent consider themselves “gamers” and seven percent deem themselves “obsessed.”

• For 67 percent, one to five hours per week is “socially acceptable”; however, 26 percent feel six or more hours per week is socially acceptable.

• Nearly 45 percent of those surveyed have friends they consider “obsessed” with social media gaming.

• Approximately 16 percent of those surveyed “hide” or “sometimes hide” their gaming habits.

Finding: “There are Gaming Faux Pas – But I Set Boundaries for Myself”

• Over two-thirds of those surveyed believe there are “stigmas” associated with gaming. For those women, the leading stigma is:

-”Games are addictive” (24 percent)

-”Play makes you neglectful of other areas of your life” (21 percent)

-”Gaming is a waste of time” (17 percent.)

• Play at work is basically off limits: 93 percent of those surveyed share they primarily play at home versus work.

Finding: “I Won’t Pay – No Matter How Much I Love a Game”

• More than half of women surveyed – 54 percent – “fear” more games will make gamers pay in the future.

• If forced to pay, 77 percent would give up the game, while:

-10 percent would prefer a monthly subscription or fee

-10 percent would prefer a pay-as-I-go system

-Two percent would prefer a separate payment scenario for each game played

Finding: “My Kids Are Active in Social Media Gaming – But They are Not Paying”

“What we have found is moms and kids are both wired into social media gaming, however, mom has a heavy hand in kids’ play; she is actively supervising the time her kids play and what they spend,” said Christopher Sherman, CEO and Founder of the Engage! Expo.

• Overall kids (children under 18 years old) are connected: 16 percent of moms say their children have a smart phone.

• According to mom, 40 percent of kids are allowed to play daily, 37 percent weekly, and 10 percent monthly.

• Generally speaking, kids are banned from the wallet: 80 percent are not allowed to pay for social media gaming.

Source: Q Interactive