January 26, 2024 9:00 AM
Magid has studied young folks and gaming.
Image Credit: Magid
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Smartphones and tablets have replaced Nintendo as the entry point for gaming for the youngest players, as per a survey by the Magid Games Team.
Players are also starting out playing games at younger ages. About 29% of those under three years old are playing games. And by the time they’re seven, they’re playing games as much as older age groups.
In-depth study, known as Knowledge Core, leans into industry-wide questions that will have a critical impact on the future of gaming. This year’s Knowledge Core, Generation Next, highlights younger gamers and how they might evolve over the next three to five years. It’s important to understand this generation now as it can take three to five years to make games for these players, said Monika Madrid, vice president of business development at Magid Games, in an interview with GamesBeat.
In this report, Magid did both quantitative and qualitative research, going into homes and talking to both kids and parents. They spoke to about 1,500 people from 10 years old to 44 years old, said Josh Fortey, vice president of quantitative for games at Magid.
“This year, it was really about Generation Next, which means the pandemic really kind of changed the way people consume games, and media and everything in general, because of how they grew up,” said Mike Salmon, senior vice president of games at Magid, in an interview. “We want to understand these people today who are 10 to 17 years old. What are they doing tomorrow?”
Smartphones are the entry point for gaming
Watch out Nintendo. Phones and tablets rule with young gamers.
As successful as the Nintendo Switch has been, Magid found something interesting about today’s kids. The smartphone and tablet have become the primary device that introduces kids to gaming, rather than Nintendo’s devices, said Fortey.
Over time, the devices change as teens get into consoles or older games return to Nintendo as their primary devices. But it’s a pretty big shift considering Nintendo’s hold on the young throughout history.
“It makes sense that Nintendo has lost ground to smartphones and tablets because it shares a pretty similar positioning as to why people get into games — and that is convenience,” said Fortey. “You’ll see that those who choose Nintendo as their primary device and those who choose mobile as their primary device, it’s because it is the easiest and quickest to pick up.”
The 29% figure about so many kids three and under playing is a big uptick in activity,