Nine out of ten Australian households own a device for playing games, and nearly one in five gamers play social network games, new research into how Australians are playing video games has revealed.

In households that play computer or video games, 43 per cent use a mobile phone and 13 per cent use a tablet computer to play games. A further 13 per cent play video games on a handheld device.

Dr Jeff Brand, Associate Professor at Bond University and author of the report, says the growing use of mobile devices such as smartphones or tablet computers to play games has created a pattern of “snack gaming” in Australia.

“The average Australian gamer is 32 years old and we’ve moved well away from the traditional teenage boy stereotype of a gamer. Australian gamers are parents and grandparents ‘snacking’ on games when they’re commuting to work on the bus or train, or while they’re filling in that little bit of time between meetings.

Research shows people who play video games on a mobile or tablet computer are trying to pass time and the majority play games between 30 minutes to an hour at a time every other day, instead of playing long periods of time every day,” says Dr Brand.

About 43 per cent of Australian gamers buy games traditionally from a local retailer whilst 22 per cent buy games new from a download store (such as PlayStation Network or Xbox Live) and 14 per cent buy games from an online store.

Ron Curry, CEO of Interactive Games & Entertainment Australia (iGEA) adds, playing video games has truly become a family affair.

“Four in five parents are playing video games with their children and most believe it’s a great way to educate and spend time with their children.”

“Australian gamers are growing up and 43 per cent of people aged over 50 now play video games.”

The 4th report in a series conducted by Bond University, Digital Australia is based on a random sample of over 1200 Australian households and provides data on video and computer game use and attitudes, as well as the broader consumption of digital media.