More People Than Ever Play Games on Multiple Devices, Study Shows

People are beginning to play games on more than one system, a new study has found. The only segment of the gaming population to experience growth from 2013 is the group of people who game on several different devices.

The NPD Group–the organization that collects video game sales data for the United States each month–published a study today that shows a growth in people diversifying their gaming among several platforms. The “Avid Omni Gamer,” as NPD calls it, is defined as a person who plays games on multiple systems. Driven by an increase in mobile gaming, more people are now Avid Omni Gamers. According to the study, Avid Omni Gamers now compose 22 percent of the total gaming population, up 6 percent from last year. This section is now the second-largest group behind those who play exclusively free and mobile games.

NPD also found that mobile gaming continues to increase, making it the only platform to see growth from last year. 71 percent of gamers play games on phones, an increase of 4 percent from 2013.

Perhaps a reflection of a strengthening economy, people spent more money from April to June in 2014 on video games than they did during the same time period last year. Liam Callahan of the NPD explained, “Across both digital and physical formats, spending has increased from last year for consoles, portables, and digital gaming apps, which is great news when also combined with the fact that gamers are spending more time playing games.”

Sales of the current-gen consoles have certainly given evidence for a solid and strengthening games industry. In April, Sony announced that the PlayStation 4 had sold 7 million units, with the Xbox One not far behind at 5 million shipped. Hardware sales have seen an almost 100 percent increase over 2013 in the last few months, as well.

Although I’m skeptical about the name, I am absolutely an Avid Omni Gamer. I play games on my phone, PS4, and PC all the time. Do you remain faithful to consoles or PC? Or have you diversified your gaming? Let us know in the comments.

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