IDC: Online gaming rules in Asia
Published: 16 Jan 2003 16:22 GMT
The popularity of Internet gaming in Asia has topped online buying, says market researcher International Data Corp (IDC).
According to the firm's recent survey of over 3,600 Internet users across six Asian countries, the boom is especially evident in China and Malaysia where the number of online gamers outnumber shoppers two to one. This sea change is also mirrored in countries like Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and India.
"The past year has seen the industry transitioning from an initial phase of development into a more mature market," said Chin Jun Fwu, IDC Asia-Pacific's analyst for software research.
"It is a remarkable milestone to have the number of online gamers surpassing online buyers in several countries within one year," he added.
While the Internet gaming surge has largely stemmed from the appeal of massive multiplayer online games, IDC said the industry is also moving towards easy-to-play family style games to engage users of different age groups.
Males continue to dominate the regional online gaming scene, the firm added. However, the gender disparity is narrowing significantly in countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Korea. The female gaming population in these countries stands at 48 percent, 47 percent and 36.5 percent respectively.
The spike in Internet games also spells a boon for broadband usage. "The study confirmed online gaming is and will be a main market driver for broadband adoption," Chin said. "In more mature markets such as Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, broadband penetration is exceptionally high among online gamers."
What's going on in games? For all the latest see GameSpot.com.
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