The Gaming Market in the United States of America
General Information
The United States of America (abbreviated as the USA) is a country in North America. The United States has a federal form of organization, administratively divided into 50 states and the federal District of Columbia. It also has a number of island territories, including Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam.
The United States is a relatively young multi-ethnic country, formed in the process of long-term cultural, economic, social, and domestic interaction, as well as the intermingling of people from a wide variety of ethnic origins. Subsequently, the racial composition of the country is 73% white (including “white people of Hispanic origin”—11.5%), 12.65 black, and 5.35% Asian.
The population is highly urbanized, with 82.9% of the population living in cities and suburbs, and the national median family income in the US for 2021 is $74,580.
The US economy is one of the most diversified national economies in the world and has held a leadership position in the global economy for the past 100 years. The predominant industries by number of employees are education and health services, wholesale and retail, professional and business services, manufacturing, leisure and hospitality, construction, and financial activities. As of December 2023, the U.S. unemployment rate is 3.7%.
Gaming Market
The United States is also considered the birthplace of video gaming, with Atari releasing one of the first commercially successful Pong games in 1972 (Wikipedia). Now, video games are one of the fastest-growing entertainment industries in the United States and the country is the leading gaming market globally, in terms of revenue.
In 2023, mobile gaming revenue in the US reached a record $47.3 billion. In addition, the number of mobile video game users in the US is now higher than ever, due to a wave of technological advances, digital innovation, and quarantines amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
According to Newzoo and data.ai data, the US gaming market is the largest in the world, with China close behind. Unfortunately, due to Google Play’s blocking, some revenue is in a gray area. For many game developers, the US market is the primary target market, making local competition extremely high.
There are a number of genres, like social casino or skill-based games, that claim an overwhelming amount of revenue in the US. This is due to both regulatory peculiarities (allowing for real money games, but without gambling) and national peculiarities (casinos are a big part of American culture).
A Portrait of Gamers
The gaming industry in the United States is experiencing rapid growth. It is also very diverse, with games catering for people of different ages and backgrounds. According to Research and Markets, last year there were more than 227 million video game players within the US.
It is estimated that approximately 80% of gamers are over the age of 18. However, among Americans under the age of 18, 76% are gamers. In addition, 74% of American households have at least one online game player. In the report, 71% of parents state that video games have become their children’s favorite form of entertainment during the Covid pandemic. Additionally, 66% of parents believe that video games have made the transition to distance learning easier.
The younger generation of gamers (ages 18 to 24) are heavily involved in online gaming, spending more time playing video games than engaging with other entertainment such as social media, music, and television. Compared to slightly older gamers (ages 25 to 34), younger gamers plan to spend more time in virtual worlds, playing augmented and virtual reality games, and watching cyber sports. They find it easier to socialize in the digital environment, and more than half prefer to communicate with friends in-game rather than in the real world.
Top Mobile Games Chart (AppMagic, January 2024)
1. MONOPOLY GO! (Scopely)
2. Royal Match (Dream Games, Ltd.)
3. Roblox (Roblox Corporation)
4. Candy Crush Saga (King)
5. Coin Master (Moon Active)
6. Township (Playrix)
7. Jackpot Party Casino Slots (SciPlay)
8. Clash of Clans (Supercell)
9. Whiteout Survival (Century Games Pte. Ltd.)
10. Gardenscapes (Playrix)
11. Pokémon GO (Niantic, Inc.)
12. Call of Duty®: Mobile (Activision Publishing, Inc.)
13. Evony: The King’s Return (TG Inc.)
14. Bingo Blitz™️—Bingo Games (Playtika Santa Monica)
15. Homescapes (Playrix)
16. Toon Blast (Peak Games)
17. Fishdom (Playrix)
18. Candy Crush Soda Saga (King)
19. DoubleDown™ Casino Vegas Slots (DoubleDown Interactive LLC)
20. Solitaire Grand Harvest (Supertreat—A Playtika Studio)
Developers
The USA is one of the world’s largest game markets and many leading companies in the industry have their head offices there, including Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, WB Interactive Entertainment, and Epic Games.
Moreover, almost all major gaming companies engaged in operating in the North American market have representative offices in the country. Many are based there in order to manage business processes.
In 2017, there were 2,457 gaming companies in the country (VentureBeat) and their current number exceeds 3,000, even without considering regional offices.
Culturalization for USA
