According to a report by Park Associates, U.S. internetters are more interested in playing online games than networking with their peers or sharing picture and video content.
Facebook, Myspace, and YouTube may get most of the press for being the new "things" online, but research says that while only 19% of users are into social networking and 29% visit online video websites, a whopping 34% go online to play games on a weekly basis.
Said Park Associates analyst James Kuai:
"Despite the growing popularity of YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook, gaming remains the king of online entertainment, driven largely by casual gaming activities.
Gaming also has business advantages. Unlike sites for social networking and video streaming, which rely solely on advertising revenue, casual gaming has more mature and heterogeneous revenue models, including web-based and in-game advertising, try-before-you-buy, subscriptions, and micro-transactions."
When it comes to the growth of these respective types of websites, social networks have seen a 46% userbase expansion, while online gaming attracts 79% more gamers on a yearly basis. As for YouTube; 123%.
"The casual gaming industry cannot rest on its laurels," said Kuai.
Gaming may be the biggest draw now, but a free alternative to television…that’s just too enticing to pass up.
