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BizReport : Advertising : January 29, 2009
comScore: Gamers want free plays
With money continuing to be in short supply around the world, gamers are turning to online avenues to get their fix of free game-playing. According to a new report from comScore online gaming increased 42% from December 2007 through December 2008.
More than 86 million gamers logged on in 2008 with most turning to free gaming hub Yahoo! Games (19.5 million visitors). EA Online ranked second with 15 million gamers, followed by Disney Games (13 million gamers) and WildTangent Network (13 million gamers).
Ad-supported games, which can be played free of charge, have seen significant increases in play as gamers have looked for cheaper alternatives to their game playing.
"It appears that online, ad-supported gaming is one of the activities that has benefited during this economic downturn," said Edward Hunter, comScore director of gaming solutions. "Not only have consumers turned to outlets such as gaming to take their minds off the economy, but as they curtail their discretionary gaming-related purchases they are turning to free alternatives."
For 2008 the total Display Ad Views (MM) were just over 8,600 with an exposed advertising reach of 35%; both of these numbers showed significant year on year increases, another indication that online gaming is coming into its own as an advertising resource.
Because gamers are so engaged with their favorite games it makes sense for marketers to play on that to create a greater reach for their products and services.
Tags: comScore, in game advertising, online games, online gaming
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This is great news for the industry as a whole, but even more so for the free-to-play biz. Particularly noteworthy is Spill Games (#10 on the list) which saw a dramatic 269 percent increase yoy in 2008.