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Mobile gamers rely on suggestions from friends to find apps
Research from Applifier reveals that mobile gamers rely on ideas and suggestions from friends to find new apps. This means that word-of-mouth advice still plays an important role in how new games are found, and old games are rediscovered.
After asking 1,800 mobile gamers questions about their choices and how they find new apps, the study exposes that suggestions from friends and family is one of the top methods of discovering games. In addition, reviews and seeing people play the game have an impact on game choices. It is clear why watching someone else play a game would increase interest, and USA Today recently documented some of the most common places people play. Public transportation and waiting for an appointment were both high on the list.
The reliance on outside sources to help users find new games is not surprising. Reviews and videos have always played an important role, but interest has also fluctuated. Information from PokerSites.com reveals that traffic to popular game sites can vary dramatically from day to day. The review site shares that some of the most popular mobile games can quickly lose followers if they make unwelcome changes to rules or have problems that slow down the ability to play. It also mentions that recommendations from others can have a strong impact on how quickly a game becomes popular.
Sources:
http://www.applifier.com/word-of-mouth-and-sharers-are-the-best-ways-for-game-discovery/
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2012/07/mobile-video-games-find-a-home-on-the-couch/1#.UaRW-EA-Zbo


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