The sheer number of games on the App Store appears to be having a large effect on the length of time for which they grab a consumer's attention.

That's according to a report published by German publisher HandyGames.

The firm's latest statistics suggest the average age of a game in the US Top 20 Paid Games chart is 64 days. That's down from 100 days back in September 2009.

The situation is even worst in Europe, with the age of games in the UK chart falling from 120 days to 70 days and in Germany from 119 days to 43 days.

It's no doubt as a result of the ever-increasing number of titles released for iPhone and iPod touch, with the competition meaning consumers don't have to wait all too long before another app catches their eye.

Too much, too cheap

It's a trend that's unlikely to surprise HandyGames however, as CEO Christopher Kassulke told us back in September that the amount of titles on the App Store meant some studios were going to be left out in the cold.

"I like to compare the iPhone hype with the Gold Rush," Kassulke said. "Of course, some of the early gold diggers were successful and their success created the hype, but how many of them were failing, often dying, for nothing?"

Despite this danger, however, HandyGames latest report also suggests independent studios are making a better fist of it.

68 percent of games in the chart are published by what the company describes as 'small players', the rest by more traditional, larger outfits.

This represents something of a leap in fortunes for the independents, the same analysis back in September revealing they made up 45 percent of the games in the chart.

If you want to read HandyGames' findings in full, the publisher has uploaded a presentation that's free to view.