Survey: Tablet Users Report Playing Less On Consoles

A survey of tablet owners finds that a slight majority report using traditional game consoles less since getting the device. GfK Chart Track found that, of the 3,000 tablet and eReader owners it interviewed who play video games, 59 percent said they had played more on consoles and handhelds before they had a tablet. That's more than the ratio of tablet owners who reported reduced use of other traditional media, like printed books, newspapers, television and movies. Industry watchers have debated whether new platforms like mobile devices and social networks are taking audiences away from more traditional forms of gaming, or merely expanding the video game market to previously untapped audiences. "The fact that a majority of game-playing tablet owners report using a video game console or a handheld video game less often as a result of owning a tablet does not necessarily mean they are playing video games less often," Gfk research VP Risa Becker said in a statement. "But it does suggest that tablet owners are moving their gaming from other devices to the tablet," she added. A recent survey of British game developers found most expecting declines or flat growth in PC and console game demand in the coming year, with large majorities expecting increased interest in mobile/handheld and casual games.