• May 4, 2009

Nearly 60% of AT&T customers surveyed by market researcher Information Solutions Group play games on their mobile devices. The study, commissioned by casual game publisher Pop Games, found that nearly half of mobile gamers polled play during work hours.

Almost 60% play mobile games at least once a month, while 40% play weekly or more often. More than three-quarters (26%) have paid for a mobile game and one-third have downloaded one or more free games to their phones. The top factors influencing mobile game-buying were genre, price and whether mobile users had played a demo.

Tetris, Bejeweled and Solitaire were most often named as games people enjoy playing on cell phones. Similarly, puzzle and casino or card games were the favorite genres.

Mobile gaming was evenly split between men and women, although 44% of men say they play once a week or more compared to 35% of women. The survey was conducted among more than 1,100 AT&T customers. --Mark Walsh