Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Mobile Gaming on the Rise — Even Beyond Pandemic

The beginning of the pandemic came with a surge in mobile gameplay: According to a new report, nearly two-thirds of gamers increased the amount of time they played. And the majority of that activity will continue beyond the pandemic.

There was an increase in new players as well. The report from market research firm IDC and LoopMe, “What Mobile Gaming's 'New Normal' Should Look Like After the COVID-19 Pandemic,” found that 6 percent of mobile gamers had not played mobile games before the pandemic.

According to the report: “Largely due to pandemic effects, the worldwide base of gamers that played on a smartphone or slate tablet monthly jumped 12 percent in 2020 compared to 2019, to roughly 2.25 billion last year.”

The report was based on a survey of 3,850 mobile phone users across multiple countries, including the United States. Much of the increase in gameplay correlated with the severity of the impact of COVID-19 on a national basis. According to the report: “63 percent of respondents reported an increase in gameplay time, more-so in countries hard hit by COVID-19 — with an estimated 75 percent of the net rise in mobile gaming activity to remain after the "new normal" is established in the next two years.”

"Two of the clearest and most important signals we found in the survey results were that mobile gaming activity tended to increase more in the countries with the highest COVID-19 death rates, and that gamers in these same countries expected a larger pullback in gaming once the pandemic has subsided compared to gamers in countries that have had low COVID-19 death rates," said Lewis Ward, director of gaming and VR/AR research at IDC, in a prepared statement. "This latter change, which should propagate globally in the next 12 to 24 months, will likely have important implications for game developers and publishers...."

For more details, visit IDC’s site.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


Featured

  • In Data Center Office Male IT Analyst Watches Screens Fill With Virus and Malware Warnings

    Global Ransomware Attacks Rise 23% in Q3

    Global ransomware activity increased 23% in the third quarter of 2026, with organizations in North America and Europe accounting for the largest proportion of attacks, according to cybersecurity firm NCC Group.

  • closeup of hands using smart phone

    Learning Continuity Built into the LMS Withstands Cloud or Cybersecurity Interruptions

    When your institution's administrative or instructional capabilities face disruption from natural, technical, or malicious events, what measures does your LMS offer to provide a "business as usual" operating and learning environment? Instructure's Ryan Lufkin comments on the LMS and learning continuity.

  • A computer screen shows a phishing email warning message in a modern office

    AI Platform Behind 12,000 E-mail Breaches Shut Down

    Microsoft has disrupted EvilTokens, a cybercrime service that used AI to help attackers break into e-mail accounts, study their victims, and build convincing financial scams.

  • A glowing digital brain with neural connections and light trails

    AI Giants Warn It May Be Time to Slow Down

    For years, leaders in the artificial intelligence industry have warned that increasingly capable AI systems could eventually become dangerous, all the while continuing to race to build them. Now, their sentiments have changed.