Mistplay: The Influence of social factors on the mobile gaming audience
While ratings and reviews play a crucial part in discoverability; support is important for user retention.
The data is based on a survey of 2,300 mobile gamers over the age of 18 in North America. The entire sample consists of the Mistplay audience, and the survey was conducted in June 2024.
How people discover games
In-game ads (54%), recommendations from friends (41%), and searching in the App Store (36%) are the most popular ways to discover new games. 27% of people learn about games through social media.
Gameplay videos, reviews, news, and game updates are the most popular types of gaming content among those who discover new games through influencers and social media.
What Influences a people’s decision before Installation
Half the users (exactly 50%) pay attention to ratings and reviews before installation. 24% of them consider these factors very important. 16% don’t care.
19% of users consider the community around a project before downloading. 36% don’t care about this at all.
Before downloading, the top three most important aspects for users are visuals, descriptions, and ratings.
Community and Engagement
23% of users actively participate in gaming communities. 44% take part passively; 33% do not participate at all.
The most popular platforms are Facebook (69%); YouTube (33%); Discord (28%); Instagram (21%).
53% of users use gaming communities to find information about the game. 22% follow related content creators. 18% interact with other gamers.
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In communities, people search for tips (45%), new games (42%), read reviews (28%), try to solve problems (26%), and get news about the latest updates (26%).
People expect developers to share interesting tips and secrets in communities (55%); run giveaways (47%); share discounts (37%), and provide updates (32%). Only 6% are interested in UGC (user-generated content).
29% of users noted that they are likelier to try a game from the same publisher. 25% said they play a game more often if they are part of a community. And 15% of paying users mentioned that they spend more on in-app purchases (IAP) if they are part of a community.
Reviews and Support
A good experience with customer support leads to people spending more time in the game (36%) and leaving positive reviews (25%). On the other hand, a negative experience drives users away from the game (62%), makes them complain to friends (39%), and leave negative reviews (34%).
❗️This example clearly shows that people are more likely to share negative experiences.
50% of mobile gamers who left a bad review did so due to technical issues. 47% - due to an abundance of ads or IAP. 36% because the game content didn’t meet their expectations.
