Alcohol has been part of human existence for millennia: It has been used as an antiseptic, an anesthetic, and a social lubricant in nearly all human societies since Neolithic times. Even today, it is one of the most widely used recreational substances globally. But not all cultures embrace alcohol equally – it can vary greatly. While parts of the world have accepted binge-drinking behavior, some religious groups still strictly prohibit alcohol consumption.
While in previous studies we have determined that “mobile gamers are everyone,” that is, are represented in nearly all demographics and nationalities, we wanted to reveal more about those mobile users who game frequently (at least once a month) and the how, when, and why behind their alcohol consumption. To find out, we conducted a custom survey of 1,044 mobile gamers in the U.S. in partnership with GWI.
The Mobile Games & Adult Beverages report contains how often mobile gamers drink, location and money spent on alcohol, gaming and app behaviors, and how to find alcohol buyers on mobile. Read on for highlights and don’t forget to download the full report!
Report Highlights
Almost half of mobile gamers are drinking alcohol weekly. — 45% of mobile gamers said they consume alcohol at least once a week. When considering gender, both male and female mobile gamers drink quite frequently. 55% of male mobile gamers and 40% of female mobile gamers are weekly drinkers.
A vast majority of mobile gamers consume alcohol at home. — Likely due to the shutdown or limitations on local bars and restaurants, almost all mobile gamers drink alcohol at home. 97% of those who drink at least once a week are doing so where they live and 75% drink while at a friend or relative’s house.
Alcohol drinkers are likely to also be fast-food eaters. — Out of mobile gamers that consume alcohol weekly, 32% of them also eat fast food more than once a week. Brands in both of these industries should consider reaching out to their target audiences on the mobile game platform because of the significant reach.
Puzzle and Word games are most popular among weekly drinkers. — Mobile gamers who drink at least once a week are most likely to play games “for fun” and “to pass the time,” and their favorite types are Puzzle and Word games. Compared to those who drink monthly, weekly drinkers are slightly less likely to play games to relax or unwind.
A third of mobile gamers/drinkers have clicked on a mobile ad. - Nearly 9 out of 10 mobile gamers who drink at least monthly or weekly remember seeing an advertisement on their smartphone – and one-third of them have clicked on an ad. However, gamers who drink weekly are more likely to have clicked on the ad and are also more likely to have interacted with it, shared, etc., across all brand recall and interaction activities.
About the Study
The survey was developed by Digital Turbine and GWI and distributed online to mobile gamers. All figures in the study (unless noted otherwise) are drawn from GWI’s online research among U.S. internet users who are mobile gamers aged 16-64 via an online questionnaire. GWI only interviews respondents aged 16-64 and their figures are representative of the online populations of each market, not its total population. The survey garnered a total of 1,044 respondents in the U.S. over an eight-day period in Q2 2021.
