Amazing data out from ComScore shows that the iPhone accounted for more than 14% of all game downloads in the US in November. That's from a handset that has an installed base of less than 1% in the US.

Even more significant is that over 30% of iPhone users said they downloaded a game - that's against a US consumer average for all subscribers of below 4%, which in itself has been stagnant at that level for the past 2-3 years.

I've spoken to a few contacts in the mobile games industry, and the iPhone seems like a ray of light at the end of a very bleak tunnel. No porting, no fragmentation, no operator egos or hoops to jump through. But also, very fickle and already very very crowded with free or very low cost games. As with anything to do with mobiles, high volumes are only good if people are paying decent money. Pocketgamer.biz has run some stories about supposed $20 price points for games on the app store, and also some scary stats about games piracy on the iPhone. So it's far from all good news. But it's going to be interesting to see how the big 3 of EA, Glu and Gameloft react to this, having poured millions into Java games on wafer-thing margins.