Tablets are now the most popular gaming device for UK children

by Mark Tyson on 27 June 2014, 11:45

Tags: iPad, iPlayer, Kindle reader

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A recent report has shown that tablets have now risen above Nintendo's 3DS as the most popular gaming device for children in the UK, reports MCV. The data, from Futuresource Consulting, points out that 44 per cent of UK children aged between 3 and 12 now own a tablet, with 30 per cent of those aged 3 to 4 owning one. Tablets are also said to be the most likely items UK parents will purchase as gifts for their kids within the next six months.

Looking at children aged 9 and over, these are revealed to be more likely to own smartphones than tablets. 25 per cent of 9 to 10 year olds own a smartphone and this statistic jumps to 46 per cent for those aged 11 to 12.

Interestingly the data also showed that kids are spending more time playing traditional toys, despite the rise in tablet ownership. While 54 per cent of children play on consoles or PC games for five or more hours per week, 63 per cent of children spend the same amount of time playing with traditional toys.

Furthermore, 39 per cent of UK children were discovered to spend five or more hours a week playing with jigsaws and board games, but reading remains the most popular activity with 45 per cent of children enjoying reading every day.

Tablets are the go to device for entertainment

In other tablet research, from a Kantar Media syndicated study, 45 per cent of all British adults now own a tablet and uses it regularly for TV, films, YouTube or gaming, according to The Drum. The figures show a marked increase compared to the 32 per cent of a year ago.

"The arrival of cheaper Android based tablets such as Tesco’s Hudl and the Kindle Fire has turned what was a premium device into something that’s much more ubiquitous but also increasingly as personal as the smartphone we use when we are on the go," said Trevor Vagg, director of Kantar Media Custom. "These shifts open new doors for advertisers in terms of targeted messaging opportunities."

In recent months I have been watching a lot more BBC iPlayer programming and 4OD 'box sets' on my Samsung Galaxy Note 8, so this 'sample of 1' seems to agree with the Kantar Media trending data.



HEXUS Forums :: 12 Comments

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Very very good news. Maybe Nintendo will more seriously think about losing the hardware and concentrating on software for all platforms instead.
I will say its interesting as I own a 3DS and can play games on my phone and tablet, but for gaming the 3DS is so much better, don't get me wrong there is some great games to tap away on my phone but none compare to the games I have played on my 3DS.

With that I wouldn't bother with a 3DS/2DS for a young child where a £35 china tablet might get a look.
Gaming on a touchscreen sucks. It just cannot keep up with my ‘button’-presses and there's no physical feel of the controls. I hate it!
The only advantage to having a tablet for gaming is the additional functions inherrent in the device, although my phone usually does all that anyway.

Were I not so heavily invested in the Master Race, I would consider a mobile platform of some kind… every now and then I do look around at what cheap 3DS-type-things are selling for.
Ttaskmaster
Gaming on a touchscreen sucks. It just cannot keep up with my ‘button’-presses and there's no physical feel of the controls. I hate it!
The only advantage to having a tablet for gaming is the additional functions inherrent in the device, although my phone usually does all that anyway.

Were I not so heavily invested in the Master Race, I would consider a mobile platform of some kind… every now and then I do look around at what cheap 3DS-type-things are selling for.
Depends on the game type. I play Sudoku on a tablet quite a bit. ;)

But I guess that's not the game type you were getting at, and for action games, I'm inclined to agree. That said, it may depend on the tablet spec, too. This Tab 2 isn't exactly a muscle machine. It's fine for my needs, but overly powerful it ain't.
Saracen
Depends on the game type. I play Sudoku on a tablet quite a bit. ;)
Ah… yeah, good point! :)
I was mainly thinking of those that would require the use of a controller layout. Anything outside of that I consider more ‘puzzles’ than ‘games’, I suppose… Touchscreen is fine for me on puzzles and in many cases better than any other system.