If they think about gaming, most people would conjure images of Playstations, Xboxes, Nintendo consoles and PCs. But after a rapid rise in popularity, mobile gaming could be set to overtake console and PC gaming as the 'core' market for the gaming industry.

Nearly 70% of US mobile gamers are women, but they're underserved. Ungendered or male-oriented games dominate. Celebutante simulatorKim Kardashian: Hollywoodis disrupting the market with more than a million downloads in the first two weeks, but what’s caused this game to skyrocket to the top of the App Store?

In total, Americans spend about a third more on apps than the Japanese. But per person, the Japanese spend two and a half times more. Why? Because mobile gaming is exploding in Japan, with spending on games increasing by 400% since 2012.

The word 'gamer' might make you think of teens in darkened bedrooms. In reality, over 60% of all American gamers are adults, and the average gamer is a 30-year-old with a job and family. But why do we play games beyond childhood? And is the way we play as adults any different?