That's according to the results of a survey recently conducted for PopCap Games by Information Solutions Group. In fact, the overall usage and frequency of mobile game playing are increasing rapidly among U.S. and U.K. adults, PopCap reported on Monday, with smartphone owners by far the most avid users. For many, mobile phones have now even surpassed video game consoles and personal computers as the device of choice for gaming purposes, according to the study's .

What does that mean for you and your small business? Plenty, I would suggest. Gaming is on the rise as a business tool as well as a fun pastime for consumers, so you'd do well to consider how you can make it work for you.

Smartphone Users in the Lead

Fifty-two percent of PopCap Games' 2,425 respondents said they had played a game on a mobile phone at some time in the past, with more U.K. respondents than U.S. ones reporting that they had done so.

In all, though, a full 33.6 percent of all adults across America and the United Kingdom have played a game on their mobile phone handset in the past month, qualifying them as "mobile phone gamers" for the purposes of the survey. Nearly a quarter, in fact, have played in the past week, qualifying them as "avid mobile phone gamers." Among smartphone users, that proportion was 83 percent.