AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Goo Technologies, the leader in HTML5 high-end graphics for games and interactive visualizations on the web and the company behind the Goo Engine®, today announced the findings of its 2013 State of Browser Gaming Index, fielded among more than 2,000 Americans, aged 18 and older, and conducted online by Harris Interactive in September.
The survey, which aimed to discover the top benefits and trends of browser-based games in the gaming community, found that a majority of Americans (52%) play browser-based games, with single, never married Americans favoring them more than married people (62% to 48%). People with children under 18 in the household were actually more likely to play browser-based games than those without children under 18 in the household (60% to 48%).
While Goo is educating the public that browser-based games can really pack a wow-factor when implemented on a platform like the Goo Engine, 85% of Americans who have already played browser-based games say there are benefits that make them appealing, including:
- They aren’t as expensive as buying a game console – 49%
- I don’t have to download and install game software – 43%
- I don’t need to be tied to one console – 31%
- It allows me to interact with my friends online – 26%
- I can start a game on one device and continue on another – 25%
- It makes me more mobile – 25%
- I can play at work – 19%
- I can hide the fact that I’m gaming more easily – 10%
Eighty-five percent of Americans who own a smartphone/tablet and play browser-based games say that if they were available without limits on quality, speed or graphics they would want to play them on their mobile device from anywhere, including:
- On the couch – 60%
- On a plane – 50%
- In bed – 45%
- While on the toilet – 34%
- On a train – 34%
- At work – 25%
Some of the more interesting places included while at the dentist (20%), at the gym (11%), while driving (4%), at church (4%) and even during sex (2%). Men within this subset were considerably more likely than their female counterparts to say they would play browser-based games on the toilet (39% vs. 28%).
The browser is increasingly becoming a major platform for gaming. However, many say it just doesn’t work well enough yet. In fact, 59% of gamers who have played a browser-based game say they wished the games worked better, whether they are played in a desktop, laptop or mobile browser, with the types of games they wished worked better being listed as follows:
- Strategy games – 24% wish this type of game worked better on a browser
- Shooter games – 22%
- Multiplayer games – 19%
- Virtual world/Roleplaying games – both 16%
- Sexy character-based games – 6%
- Dating/hookup games – 4%
Men who play browser-based games were more likely than women who play browser-based games (68% vs. 50%) to say they wished browser-based games worked better, and an additional 10% of browser-based gamers said gambling games should be improved.
“While the results of the survey may seem amusing, they point to a real desire for high quality games to be available from anywhere without expensive hardware or software downloads,” said Marcus Krüger, Chairman, Goo Technologies. “Games powered by Goo, such as the wildly popular launch of Casinofloor.com in Sweden, are showing the world that truly immersive 3D games can be accessed as easily as typing in a web address.”
Stockholm-based Goo Technologies is a web technology company whose aim is to make all digital experiences instantly available on all devices, everywhere. Due to its proprietary and cutting edge WebGL rendering solution, Goo has made it easy to distribute high-end hardware accelerated 2D and 3D graphics straight into the web browser or as HTML5 apps on mobile devices.
Marcus Stenbeck, Community Manager at Goo, will be elaborating on the survey results during his presentation on how “WebGL Makes HTML5 Ready for Prime Time Graphics,” at 3:30pm CDT, Monday, October 7 at the Captivate Conference in Austin, Texas.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Goo Technologies from September 3-5, 2013 among 2,046 adults ages 18 and older, of whom 1,001 play browser-based games. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Trafton Kenney.
About Goo Technologies
Goo Technologies is a pioneering web technology company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Our Vision is a world where all digital experiences are available instantly on all devices, everywhere. In the internet world we envision, advanced games and interactive graphics are published online just like a web page. It’s a world where even the most advanced games are made available on any device regardless of physical location.
Using our amazing Goo Technology, we help the gaming world revolutionize the publication and distribution of games by enabling seamless instant and interactive 2D and 3D game experiences directly in the browser. This allows our customers to deliver their games as-a-service, in the browser and thereby increasing revenues and reducing costs by simplifying development and maintenance. Games can finally be published in all web channels and on all devices; computers, tablets, smartphones and smart TVs.
