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US advertisers embrace gaming

Around $1bn will be spent on gaming ads in the US this year due to the broadening demographic of casual gamers, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The majority of revenue will be targeted at casual games such as puzzles or word games that are played for short amounts of time on mobile devices or web browsers. These games are as popular with middle-aged women as they are with adolescent males, which is a big attraction for advertisers. The $1bn expenditure is predicted to increase by a third in the next four years.

EMarketer, a New York digital based consulting group, estimates that 90 million casual gamers are active in the US, twice the amount who play on consoles, with that number expected to increase due to smartphone and tablet device usage growing.

“Gaming has shifted from a young male pursuit to much more of a mainstream activity,” said eMarketer’s Paul Verna. “If you are a 45-year-old mother, there's very likely a game out there that appeals to you and it will probably have nothing to do with what your son is playing.”

Dean Kelly, London