• by Aaron Baar , October 15, 2011

Kids. You can’t keep them away from those games.

According to a new report from The NPD Group, the rate of kids who are playing video games is far outpacing the segment’s overall population growth, meaning the market is only getting bigger.

The study, “Kids and Gaming 2011,” says the gaming population of kids between the ages of 2 and 17 has grown nearly 13% since 2009, while the population growth has only increased 1.5%.

In 2011, 91% of kids (equating to approximately 64 million people) play games in the U.S., up 9% from 2009, according to the report. The biggest driver of that growth: preschoolers (kids between 2 and 5 years old), who have increased gaming incidence 17% compared with 2009.

And like the rest of the population, kids are increasing their gaming on mobile devices, thanks to the increased availability of tablets, iPhones and Android-based smartphones. Among kids 2-17, gaming on mobile devices has increased 8% to 38% in 2011. Despite that growth, however, kids and their parents spent more than five times as much on physical games (across all devices) as they did on apps for smartphones and tablets.

“Year-to-date through August 2011, kids comprised 44% of new physical software dollar sales, representing a vitally important consumer segment for the games industry,” said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group, in a statement. “Knowing how kids are spending their gaming time and dollars in both traditional and non-traditional outlets is key to staying relevant to this highly engaged audience.”