“Casual games are very popular, especially in this economic environment, and they enjoy a broader audience than typical, hardcore PC games,” said Brad Raczka, marketing analyst for Nielsen’s Games division. “Not only does casual gaming draw in traditional ‘gamers’ such as teens and young adults, but also prime advertising targets such as stay-at-home moms, retired people and younger kids.”

Based on data from the first six months of 2009,  41 million Americans play casual games on average. Of the top 20 casual game titles that Nielsen tracked in May 2009, card games, played by 88 percent of casual gamers, were by far the most popular. Puzzle games were a distant second at 9.5 percent.

Casual gamers spend less than half the time non-casual gamers do in each session. While casual game sessions lasted an average of 31 minutes, non-casual was more than double, at 80 minutes per session (World of Warcraft helped bump up this average, with an average play time of nearly 120 minutes).

Casual Gamers Come Back For More

Measured over a seven-month period, the recurring game play rate for casual games was found to match or exceed that for non-casual games. For example, about 20 percent of the 47 million unique gamers who played Microsoft Solitaire at least once during the seven-month period, came back to the game at least once in each of the seven months measured. By comparison, about 12 percent of the 5 million World of Warcraft players who played the game in two or more months returned to it at least once every month.

Cost does not make a significant impact in whether players come back to the games month after month. Nielsen found similar recurring game play rates between those using the free Microsoft Solitaire to those playing the for-charge Great Escapes Solitaire.

Females make up the majority of casual gamers (58 percent), a significant shift from non-casual games, which are much more of a man’s world. Males make up a full 75 percent of those playing non-casual shooter games, and 63 percent of those playing role-playing games. The players of non-casual games also tend to have computers with much more memory, averaging over 2 gigabytes, compared with the relatively modest 0.5 to 1 gigabytes of the casual gamers.

Download Nielsen’s Insights on Casual Games

Sites like Momversation.com, where well-known mom bloggers create video conversations, and newbaby.com where moms contribute vlogs, speak to a broader trend of receptivity of video content among Power Moms.

Interestingly, among the top 10 Web sites ranked by unique viewer composition percent in February, eight were sites featuring predominantly children’s programming, indicating that moms are keeping up on what their kids watch online. PBS Kids was the number one online destination for Power Moms, with a composition percent of 24.5, while Noggin and NickJr took the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, with composition percents of 22.2 and 21.7, respectively.

“Many of the sites that Power Moms visit are brands that are respected both online and offline. Moms flock to publishers they trust because they know they will find appropriate content that will entertain and engage their kids,” said Jessica Hogue, research director, CPG, Nielsen Online.

These results demonstrate the importance of winning over not only children, but also parents in the competition for brand loyalty. They also show that even online a mother’s job is never done.

These “power moms” are also 51% more likely than average Web users to provide frequent online advice on clothes and fashion, food and beverage products (39% more likely than average), home decorating (36% more likely than average), and health, dieting and exercise (27% more likely than average).

“We’re seeing women using online avenues like email, online forums, and social networking websites to extend a role they’ve long held as information seekers and relationship builders,” Chuck Schilling, research director, agency and media analytics, Nielsen Online, noted.  “Moms, in particular, look to the Web to connect with other parents for tips and support, and they aren’t afraid of new technologies – this group is nearly 25% more likely than average to author a blog.”

In September, Scholastic.com and BirthdayExpress.com tied as the number one website, ranked by index, among the “power mom” demographic, with a composition index of 366 — more than 3.5 times the average.

General Mills, The Gap, and FamilyFun.com rounded out the top five sites that draw a high concentration of “power moms.”

View the full press release.

Read coverage of Nielsen’s findings in BizReport and Promo magazine.

According to a Nielsen analysis released Tuesday, “hockey moms” — defined as women ages 25 to 54 who live in homes with children and who watched at least six minutes of the most recent Stanley Cup Finals on NBC – were more likely than average moms to watch the first two debates of the 2008 election.

Last Thursday, Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin’s V.P. debate drew 23.8% of all mothers (ages 25 to 54), while 33% of those women defined as “hockey moms” tuned in.  Overall, “hockey moms” were 38.7% more likely than average moms to have watched the V.P. debate.

In comparison, the first debate between Senators McCain and Obama, on Sept. 26, drew 16.5% of all mothers (25 to 54).  Among those classified as “hockey moms,” however, 21.3% tuned in to the debate, making “hockey moms” 29.1% more likely than average moms to have watched the McCain and Obama’s debate.

Read coverage of Nielsen’s findings in the Boston Herald and Broadcasting & Cable.