Almost half (47%) of US and UK mobile phone gamers play social networking games on their mobile phones, according to [pdf] a new report from casual video game provider PopCap Games and Information Solutions Group (ISG). This figure rises to 53% among avid gamers (those who have played in the past week).

Smartphone Owners Especially Likely to Play Social Games

Social networking game play is significantly more common among smartphone owners (57%) than feature phone owners (31%). In addition, mobile phone owners in the US are more likely to play social networking games on their phone (50%) than those in the UK (43%). 40% of Social Gamers Play Daily

Forty percent of mobile social networking gamers play daily, and 75% play at least once a week. In addition, 83% of the avid mobile phone gamers play social games on their mobile phone at least once a week, with 44% playing daily.

Smartphone owners are more likely to play social networking games daily (42%) than feature phone owners (33%). Their rate of playing two to three times a week is about 40% higher than that of feature phone owners (27% compared to 19%). Feature phone owners are twice as likely to play once a month or less (22% compared to 10%). Mobile Gamers Use Mobile SocNet Access

Almost two-thirds (63%) of mobile phone gamers and 70% of avid mobile phone gamers are involved in social networking and have accessed Facebook, MySpace or Bebo from their mobile phone in the past month.

In addition 78% of smartphone owners who have played a game on their mobile phone have accessed Facebook, MySpace or Bebo from their mobile phone in the past month, roughly twice the rate of feature phone owners (40%).

Two-thirds (66%) of the US mobile phone gamers accessed Facebook, MySpace or Bebo from their mobile phone, 10% more than the 60% of those in the UK. Most Mobile Gamers Play Weekly or More

An 84% majority of mobile gamers in the US and UK play mobile games at least once a week, according to other survey data. A full 97% of avid mobile gamers play mobile games at least once a week.

Daily mobile game play has close to tripled since 2009, when 13% of mobile gamers played daily, compared to 35% in 2011. In addition, 41% of mobile gamers reported only playing mobile games once a month in 2009, compared to just 2% in 2011.

About the Data: This international research was conducted by Information Solutions Group for PopCap Games. The results are based on 2,425 online surveys completed by mobile phone owners in the US and UK between January 25 and January 31, 2011.

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