New generation not interested in pc gaming

According to an official study - children's interest in pc gaming has dropped by an incredible 22% with an overall majority of 63% preferring mobile gaming.

Kid Gamers Moving To Mobile As Platform Of Choice: Sorry, PC

PC's were once the dominant gaming platform for children, but a new report reveals that mobile devices have taken over the top spot.

The Kids and Gaming 2015 report by the NPD Group revealed that mobile devices, specifically smartphones and tablets, are now the most popular platforms for kid gamers falling under the range of 2 years old to 17 years old.

The study found that 63 percent of children play their games through a mobile device. Only 45 percent of children play games on a desktop PC, which is a 22 percent decline since 2013. The decrease is most prominent for children with ages 2 years old to 5 years old.

Kid gamers on video game consoles also saw a decline, from 67 percent in 2013 to only 60 percent in the latest report.

NPD's report reveals the explosion of popularity for mobile devices and follows the trend seen in the languishing sales and demand for PC's, which was once the device mostly used by people to go online and play games. Consumers are now shifting towards using smartphones and tablets for this purpose.

"In the past, the computer was considered the entry point for gaming for most kids, but the game has changed now that mobile has moved into that position," said Liam Callahan, an analyst for the NPD Group, adding that the trend could be starting from parents who are likewise moving away from using PCs into mobile devices to finish tasks. This makes smartphones and tablets more accessible to children, leading to the kids being hooked on mobile gaming which is generally more intuitive and easier to play compared to games on the PC and gaming consoles.

Sales for gaming consoles are still strong, NPD's data reveals. However, the time that children spend on playing on consoles remain flat, as it is now sharing the time that kids spend on playing games with mobile devices. NPD's survey saw 41 percent of children stating that they spend more time on mobile device video games now compared to last year, with the average time spent on such per week at six hours.

Children are seemingly spending more on their games, as expenses on digital games have increased over the previous three months by $5, up to $13. Physical games, however, is still where kids spend most of their money with an average of $27. In addition, two out of every ten children said that they are now spending more on games and on in-app purchases compared to last year.

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/87806/20150925/kid-gamers-moving-to-mobile-as-platform-of-choice-sorry-pc.htm

That's cool. I don't want kids on my platform.

PC had a weird mix of obnoxious kids and adults. Consoles are full of teenagers.

Having less kids on PC is a good thing. Most of the best games are modest / low budget indie games, we don't need as large of a user base for those games to be successful. Hell, some of the best games in the last few years are freeware.

Makes sense really. PC doesn't get the best games the industry has to offer so it makes sense that people are shifting their focus to mobile,

Less kids on TF2 and CS:GO is fine with me :P

I agree. Arguably, a powerful pc is now more or less a pimped console acting as a port machine for multiplat titles. With an age of tiny, no hassle devices compared to a giant brick with wires leaking from it's rear end, it will most likely become a specialized hobby similar to collecting pen knifes or model trains.

Joke thread? Yea, kids play mobile more because they don't have their own PC. Once my daughter got her own PC she did not give a damn about her mobile games.

But this is one little girl against an entire legion of little girls jumping ship.

@Heil68: PC doesn't get the best games? WTF?

I think it is reasonable to say that mobile is seeing growth and increased interest but the thread title is misleading when it says that the new generation is "Not Interested in PC gaming."That is a bogus conclusion that the study clearly does not prove.

He's talking about 2-3 overrated low standards 10/10 exclusives every 8 years. (XB360,PS4,XB actually haven't gotten one)

He full well knows PC gets the most AAA and AA titles gen after gen, at both MC and GS.

PC in general factually gets the best games overall.

1. So basically it's a console that plays better version of console games. I'd think kids would love that?

2. It's clearly because said kids can not afford PC or it is too hard for them.

3. PC revenue (of real games, not web/casual) is rising rapidly and above all consoles combined. These kids were probably in the web/casual category.

The kids that played casual browser games on their parents' PC are now playing casual mobile games on their parents' phones.

It's much easier to give a kid your phone to distract them than give them a computer. So it's not really surprising this is the case.

This. PC software revenue has increased substantially in the last 2 years. These kids the article discusses clearly were the web/casual section which is separated from PC revenue.

You're acting like children were playing highly demanding games on PCs. In reality, the 22% that moved away from PCs were playing browser games and are accessing the same types of games on their mobile and/or tablet devices. The shift is mainly due to what the primary and most accessible method for browsing the internet is now.

Yep, this has nothing to do with actual PC gaming.

Heard about this article. And the growing trend of mobile gaming isn't just putting a dent in the PC user base, consoles and handhelds are also taking a hit.

That makes sense. Shit can be expensive; but PC can deliver grown-ass man gaming performance.

With the success of Minecraft and LoL, I seriously doubt this numbers.

You can't jump ship you were never on.

Surely consoles would be the first in line is die? Considering that most younger kids have a console rather than a PC. Plus its a much easier market to get to, parents today are so paranoid that they give their kids the latest smart phones.

I lost any interest in PC gaming the moment I purchased a game and the graphics card in my desktop wasn´t good enough to run the game, the PC Dr told me that in order to run that game and from then on more improvements would have to be made until what I had was no longer capable of running anything and I had to purchase a new one. It´s easier and less expensive to purchase a new console(s) every generation.

My son plays console, handheld and mobile games, my daughter plays handheld and mobile games; actually I should say she plays mobile ( 90 % ) and handheld games in that order.

You must need a good night of rest from trying so fucking hard, sniper/jankarop/uninspiredmoron.

Too expensive for the kiddies

Seems like PC, Consoles and Handhelds are being overtaken by mobile. I feel like a dinosaur, hanging on to the past, while everybody around me has an ipad.

CS:GO begs to differ. Every casual match has at least two 9 year old squeakers who spam voice chat looking to trade skins.

Why is that a surprise? The games are cheap and simple to play. The thing is when they get older they will move to a console or a PC.

Good. Get the **** off my lawn, you stupid kids!

too complex for them i guess :P

@uninspiredcup: You must be joking ... Every single kid i know , relatives included , ages 8 to 14 , the first thing they talking about is ... LOL which is a PC game. Now add all other games that are pretty popular to kids like Minecraft , CS GO ( i met alot of kiddos already in CS GO this year ) and a god knows what other ...

I dont get it but oh well , whatever

And mobile does?

Mobile isn't gaming though.

It is gaming. it may not be the kind you care for, but still gaming all the same.

Mobile isn't gaming, it's a money making scheme for large publishers and an escape for developers who can't make games with depth on real gaming systems.

Good. Less raging kids in MP games the better. PC gaming has always been for mature audiences because it was expensive and hard to get into back in 90s. In recent years, it has become a lot more mainstream and now has different kind of users, both hardcore and casual.

But at heart big games that PC gets still play helluva lot different than what you get on other platforms and these games are normally targeted for dedicated gamers. Makes sense if younger audiences are more interested in mobiles. Hell even on consoles, the casual gaming is going to mobiles.

Posted as ownage for console gamers, except consoles are fairing even worse!

Of course they're not interested in PC gaming, at that age they've never seen or played on a gaming PC.

It's when they get older at the knowledge they have broadens that they'll start to take notice of all the available platforms.

My kids lost interest on consoles and handhelds. They moved to iOS and the PC. I mean we hadn't missed a Nintendo handheld and console since the N64 and GBA days. Now, both (19 yrs and 8 yrs, respectively) aren't badgering me anymore for a console like they used to.

Nowadays, the "in and social" crowd are the mobile crowd. Consoles and PCs are for the "stay at home" (aka left at home or dateless) crowd. My kids prefer PCs though because they can continue on PC many of the things they were doing on their tablets.

To say, "playing games on mobile isn't gaming" is stupid. I don't like it either, but some of you dinosaurs need to get with the times or pack it up. Mobile is taking over and some of you will cling to your out of style consoles, making you full on hipster doofuss.

Literally the entire gaming industry is a "money making scheme". Every product you've ever purchased is a "money making scheme".

I'm sure you've heard some developers talk about "passion and inspiration", but don't delude yourself into thinking it's anything more than what it is.

I'm not denying that the industry has created dozens of amazing games that I've greatly enjoyed playing over the past 20 years, but I'm also aware that it's just a capitalist enterprise designed to generate money. At the end of the day, they don't care about making you happy. They care about making money. Making the consumer happy is a matter of mutual self-interest because if you're happy, you're more likely to purchase their future products.

Kids aren't the ones that play the most anyway. The most active gamers are in their 30s. What would be interesting to see, is if these kids stay faithful to their mobiles or move on to PC or console when they get older.

The fact that mobile is taking over as the largest revenue producing gaming medium is beyond doubt. PC is still going to be around for a long time though, so I'm not overly bothered by it. Consoles will be streaming websites by next gen.

Considering most kids have a tablet over a PC these days. It's really not that surprising.

It'll never make sense to me how so many people can tolerate touchscreen controls.

It wasn't too long ago when I said the same thing about using controllers for FPS games. But, if people can adapt then, they can adapt now. It's mind-boggling to see my kids play games (just fine) on their tablets.

@GarGx1: The streaming service has already started with Sony. Its only a matter of time before its all they offer.I also believe tablets will have more capable hardware in a few years to play more demanding games with controller support. Digital is the future.

2-5 years olds don't want to game on a PC? Go figure...

Why is this a topic again?

Ah yes, another generation that won't know how t use computers at work.... good times ahead.

Yes, since 2-5 year olds have always been a major demographic for PC use.