For many older gamers, a Nintendo game console was their first introduction to the hobby, but it seems this trend has changed significantly for the younger generations.

According to a survey from the Magid Games Team, smartphones and tablets have increasingly overtaken Nintendo as many people’s first entry point into gaming. The researchers spoke to 1,500 people between ages 10 to 44, and found that more than one third of respondents aged 10 to 17 said a smartphone or tablet was their first gaming device. In comparison, 34 ~ 34% of respondents aged 18 to 34 said their first gaming device was a Nintendo console.

This finding is perhaps unsurprising, as mobile games on smartphones and tablets are much more accessible to the younger crowd compared to gaming systems such as a Switch or Game Boy. Its also reflected in Nintendo’s approach to gaming consoles, with the Nintendo Switch emulating a similar form factor and portability to a tablet, achieving massive success in the process.

Echoing similar sentiments is Josh Fortey of Magid Games Team, discussing the findings with Venturebeat as follows:

“It makes sense that Nintendo has lost ground to smartphones and tablets because it shares a pretty similar positioning as to why people get into games — and that is convenience. You’ll see that those who choose Nintendo as their primary device and those who choose mobile as their primary device, it’s because it is the easiest and quickest to pick up.”

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.