US mobile gamers spend a comparable amount of money on free-to-play titles as their peers spend on console games, according to research from Parks Associates.

Pietro Macchiarella, research analyst for the company, said: “In-app purchases greatly expand monetisation of the free-to-play model, thanks to seamless payments. Already, most of the top grossing games on iTunes and Android can be downloaded for free and generate the majority of their revenue via virtual purchases.”

According to Parks Associates, the percentage of US gamers who regularly download games to their mobile devices grew from 7 percent in 2008 to 18 percent in 2001, growing in parallel with the adoption of smartphones and tablets. Among tablet owners, 71 percent of adults and 79 percent of teens play games on their device for at least one hour per month.