The popular online game Angry Birds will be one of the drivers of the projected 18 per cent compound annual growth rate of the digital games market in the Asia-Pacific region.

Independent telecoms analyst Ovum said in a report released on Wednesday that with the anticipated explosion of digital games market in the region in the next five years, the market's value will hit more than $30 billion in 2016. These include games played online on PCs and game consoles or on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers.

"With the addition of more and more casual games, the market is no longer the sole preserve of the teen male hardcore gamer. Gaming is fast establishing itself with a much wider mainstream audience, with serious ramifications for other rich-media entertainment such as TV, video and music," Ovum analyst Mark Little said.

Mr Little explained the wide popularity of casual games such as Angry Birds to it being simpler to play and easier to learn which makes it a more spontaneous experience for mobile phone and tablet users.

Aside from the projected doubling in value of the digital games market in Asia-Pacific, Ovum forecasts revenues from mobile gaming market would more than triple by 2016 to $8.2 billion.

Mr Little also identified the free-to-play business model as another revenue growth driver for casual gaming because of the ease in entering the market and affordable prices.

"Publishers are finding that digital distribution is delivering a host of other benefits. These include boosting margins from 20-30 per cent on boxed games, to 50-75 per cent on digital. Meanwhile, publisher's use of online passes, increasingly required for network gaming, are cutting down the threat from the pre-owned game market," Mr Little said.

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