The number of gamers in the United States has dropped to about 211.5 million, according to a newly-released report from the NPD Group. The figure marks a five percent decrease from this time last year. The research firm’s latest report, entitled Gamer Segmentation 2012: The New Faces of Gamers, states that, out of the six “gamer segments” studied, only Mobile and Digital gamers saw increases over last year.
The others (Core, Family+PC, Light PC, and Avid PC) all had no such luck, with the Family+PC crowd seeing the biggest decline, down about 17.4 million gamers in the past year. The Mobile Gaming category in particular saw the biggest rise, as it now represents the largest segment overall. It’s overtaken Core Gaming, which was the leader of the pack in 2011.
Speaking on the report, NPD Group analyst Anita Frazier said: “Given the long lifecycles of the current consoles and the increasing installed base of smartphones and tablets, it’s not surprising to see a slight decline in the Core gamer segment.
“It’s the revenue contribution of the Core gamer segment that continues to outpace all other segments, and remains vital to the future of the industry.”
Frazier went on to note that the “tremendous impact” of mobile gaming as a whole, and that the firm’s next study “will take a deeper look into the area of mobile gaming.”