PopCap study finds Europe is game crazy, more than half play games

Well, the first ever social game spawned from a soap opera did come from the UK. According to a study conducted by Bejeweled Blitz creator PopCap and research firm NewZoo, more than half of adults reigning from the UK, France and Germany play games. That's 153 million men and women across three countries that play all sorts of games from consoles to mobile to Facebook and more. The UK is home to the most gamers, with 68 percent of men and 59 percent of women playing games.

However, the younger crowd is overwhelmingly comprised of gamers across all three countries, with 87 percent in the UK, 81 percent in France and 78 percent of 10 to 20-year-old folks in Germany playing games. Even more interesting is the fact that no single platform takes up more than 50 percent of European gamers' time, meaning that these folk are gaming everywhere. OK, not really, but these numbers sure make it sound that way, huh?

Of course, European gamers across the board are said to spend more money on console gaming than on any other gaming platform, with 44 percent of UK gamers' money, 34 percent of German's money and 44 percent of French cash going to console games. Keep in mind, however, that console games are by far the most expensive form of gaming. But here's the kicker: According to NewZoo's findings, European gamers reportedly play games not to unwind or relax, but because they're bored. Don't you guys work over there?

"This is clearly a maturing market that has by no means finished evolving," said Paul Breslin, General Manager of PopCap Europe. "People want to play a range of different games across different platforms. From a publisher's perspective, this shows the importance of having diversity and multi-platform solutions to reach individual markets in these important regions." If this means more PopCap games are coming to more platforms, can I put my vote in for Peggle on Facebook?

Do you think of these numbers are accurately representative of European gamers? Do you think social game developers should take note of this and consider porting their games to more traditional platforms, at least in western Europe? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.