65% of Koreans Enjoy Gaming and Play at Least 4 Hours a Week

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] A survey on the gaming habits of South Korea, recognized as the world's largest gaming powerhouse, has been released. It was found that 65% of Koreans play games themselves, enjoying at least 4 hours of gaming per week on average.

According to Newzoo, a game market research firm, as of 2021, South Korea had 33 million gamers, ranking 21st worldwide. This accounts for about 65% of the total population. Although the number of gamers ranked only 21st globally, the amount spent on games is substantial. Domestic gamers spent $8.3 billion (approximately 10.77 trillion KRW) last year, ranking 4th in the world.

The survey showed that 76% of South Korea's total online population either play games directly, watch games, or build social relationships through gaming communities. The online population refers to those who can access the internet via computers or mobile devices. As of 2021, South Korea's online population was 47 million. Among the online population, 18% did not play games at all, and 6% used to play games but no longer do.

By gender and age, it was found that people of all ages and genders enjoy gaming. The age groups 21?35 and 36?50 each accounted for 30%, making up 60% of all gamers. Those aged 10?20 accounted for 17%. The 51?65 age group, expected to play games relatively less, made up 23% of all gamers, indicating a high proportion of middle-aged and older adults among gamers.

The motivations for gaming were diverse. The largest group, 18%, used games to build social relationships. This was followed by 16% who cited the action aspect of games, and 15% who played for a sense of achievement. Additionally, 11% responded that they used games as a means to escape daily life and immerse themselves.

In South Korea, mobile devices were found to be the most popular gaming platform. 59% of all gamers used mobile devices to play games, followed by PC at 41%, and consoles at 20%. However, the time spent gaming on mobile devices was the shortest. The average weekly gaming time on mobile devices was 4 hours, while PC and consoles each accounted for 5 hours. Including those who use multiple devices, gamers spend between 4 to over 10 hours gaming per week.

Among Korean gamers, 38% actively engaged in paid transactions to enhance their gaming experience. The top reason for making in-game purchases was "for faster growth," at 36%. This was followed by "discounts and reasonable prices" at 33%, "for my own character" at 29%, "to access special content" at 26%, and "to enjoy with friends or family" at 22%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.