Australia is a nation of gamers, and that’s a fact, proven unequivocally by recent studies and reports that contained a wide range of statistics. This included the intriguing data point that in 2023, three out of every four people regularly played video games of some description, making it the most popular leisure activity in the country.
Published by the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA), the 2023 Australia Plays report was co-authored by Bond University in Queensland, highlighting a profound variety of metrics about the population and their gaming activities. This included statistics to show that in Australia, 94% of households possess at least one device for playing video games, while 76% of homes have two or more devices.
But which devices do Aussies tend to prefer for their gaming activities? Well, it all seems to depend on the kind of games that people want to play, and the contrasting sources of data that are currently available, when looking for statistics about desktop vs. mobile gaming for 2023. Of course, that certainly makes for some interesting reading, as we seek to answer this very question.
Leading the Mobile Gaming Boom
Overall, based on the numbers via the IGEA report, Australian consumer video game sales reached AUD $4.21 billion, during the financial year between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023. However, that figure includes pretty much all spending for games, hardware, and peripherals. In terms of where that spending occurred, the IGEA broke the numbers down into three segments, and mobile gaming at AUD $1.56 billion was the biggest slice of the pie.
There’s an increasing demand for top titles on mobile devices, which are increasingly more powerful and capable of handling quality graphics. Indeed, we recently looked at how to get Red Dead Redemption running on Switch, which is undoubtedly challenging as the game was made with 4K graphics capabilities in mind, rather than the Nintendo mobile device. Likewise, the demand for mobile games in Australia seems to be greater than anywhere else.
According to Statista projections, the number of Australian mobile game users rose to 10.16 million in 2023, so that remains less than half of the total population. Yet many such projections are based on surveys, and they don’t always provide a true picture. There’s hard evidence to show that smartphone penetration reached 86.3% in 2023, and more people actually play games on those devices than are willing to admit.
So, based on reliable data for spending levels and mobile device penetration, we can safely assume that mobile gaming is also far more widespread in Australia, particularly given the lower costs involved compared to console and PC gaming.
Enjoying the iGaming Desktop Experience
Now, just in case you weren’t already aware, iGaming is the term that describes online gambling activities, which are primarily sports betting and online casino gaming. Statistically speaking, Australians gamble more per head of population than any other nation, given that 81% of the adult population wagers regularly, individually spending more each year than any other country on the planet.
This clearly accounts for the growing demand for advice and information, when people look to find casinos for real money in Australia, searching for pokie reviews and tips for games like poker or blackjack. What they seek are trustworthy sites, offering a wide variety of games, produced by trusted software developers that are fully licensed and regulated.
Now, consider the fact that many casino games, especially the pokies, often take their inspiration from popular mainstream games we all play, and mobile iGaming options are certainly on the rise. Increasingly more sites are mobile friendly or even have downloadable apps, yet desktop still accounts for the biggest proportion of casino gaming by far.
According to market research by the IMARC Group, desktop devices are preferred by casino gaming enthusiasts for several key reasons. These include larger screens, more immersive gameplay, plus greater comfort and stability. Desktops also still offer a safer and more secure gaming environment, compared to mobile platforms. Likewise, seasoned gamblers tend to prefer the traditional desktop setup, rather than make the switch to mobile.
The Device Conclusion
As we can observe from our findings, the choice of device – be it desktop or mobile – largely depends on the type of games that people wish to play, and the overall experience they’re looking for. On the whole, desktop still has the edge over mobile in Australia, yet market indications are suggesting the gap will shorten over the next decade. The big plus is that both will offer us plenty of great options to enjoy.
