Study: Close to 57 Million Americans Play Social Games

A new report from the NPD Group, called “Social Networking Gaming”, has revealed that about 20 percent of the population of the United States has played at least one video game using a social network, with a significant number of those engaged in this kind of titles having no previous experience with other types of gaming.

The 20 percent figure translates into about 56.8 million Americans over the age of 6 who have used a social network to game together with their friends.

35% of those had no previous gaming experience on other devices like the PC, the various home consoles or handhelds.

About 47 percent of those engaged in social gaming were med, with the rest female, and the study shows that the profile of the social player is a bit older than those who are engaged in more traditional gaming.

The NPD Group says that about 10 percent of those who are playing social games have also spent money on micro transactions for the free to play titles they are engaged in, with another 11% saying that they might do so in the future.

Anita Frazier, an analyst with the NPD Group, has said, “Although 35 percent of social network gamers are new to gaming, it's clear that a lot of existing gamers have been drawn into the social network gaming arena as well.”

She added, “This impacts both the time they spend with other types of gaming, as well as the amount of money they’re spending on gaming. As more players are drawn into these games, the entire games industry is going to feel, and have to adjust to, the impact.”

A lot of big players seem interested in the social video game market, with Google recently investing a significant amount of money in Zynga and high profile designers like Brian Reynolds and Sid Meier embracing the new medium.