Relaxing with a Game? Enjoy an Ad

Is mobile gaming a relaxing pastime? Nearly 40% of players think so, which is good news for mobile ad buyers, because many gamers say they tend to be more receptive to ads when they're in a relaxed mood.

In a recent survey of 500 US mobile gamers conducted by mobile advertising company Jun Group, 81% of respondents said they're most open to digital ads when they’re either relaxed or happy.

"Relaxed" might not be the first adjective that comes to mind for gaming, but the gaming category is broad—encompassing the violent, like the enormously popular Fortnite, as well as the peaceful and traditional, like Solitaire.

Indeed, the Jun Group survey found that game players don't necessarily think of themselves as "gamers." A full 58% of regular mobile game players said "gamer" does not apply to them, and women were far more likely to reject the term.

Meanwhile, the survey also uncovered little resistance to ads in games. Some 82% of respondents said they prefer ad-supported apps over paid, ad-free versions.

That's probably due in part to the value-exchange ads frequently found in gaming apps. An April 2017 Tapjoy survey found that 74% of US mobile gamers said they were likely or very likely to watch a video ad if they earned in-app content like currency.

We forecast that 141.9 million people, or 43.1% of the US population, are mobile phone gamers. By 2022, that number will grow to 155.9 million, or 45.9% of the population.