A new study by yStats.com reveals that the fastest sector to grow will be that of mobile gaming, a major activity of internet users worldwide, followed by social gaming. Both segments are forecasted to outpace the total online gaming market in terms of growth, increasing by a small double-digit percentage point annually.
Findings indicate that, at a global level, a number of 40% internet users play games online, with the Asia-Pacific region accounting for the largest number of players and North America and Europe holding the lead for engagement in game-playing.
When it comes to payment methods for online gaming, credit cards are the most used, with e-wallets being increasingly adopted as alternative payments.
In 2013, Brazil was the Latin American country with the largest online gaming market, forecasted to grow with annual rates of over 20% for the following years, as a result of different factors, such as game piracy reduction or intense smartphone and internet adoption.
For Europe, the UK was in top position on spending rates, with 20% of the British population using the internet to play games. Tablets were the first choice of over a third of mobile device owners to play games in 2013 in the UK, while half of all tablet owners playing games.
France and Germany also made the report, with physical games declining in the first and with Germany being the leading country by average monthly revenue per paying user. In Germany, consoles and computers are still popular for gaming, but mobile and social platforms are gaining importance. Downloads generated the highest revenue on the online gaming market in Germany in 2013. Mobile game sales also grow. In Eastern Europe,
Turkey accounts for 20 million people that play games online on a regular basis, and in Russia the online gaming market grew with more than 20%, with mobile as the largest sector followed by social online gaming.
The Asian region registers the highest number of game players on the globe, with countries such as Japan or China that dominate in what concerns local game publishers. South Korea is closely behind, online gaming becoming a trend that wins ground, helped by a messaging app which transformed into a popular gaming platform.
In the Middle East and Africa the general movement is also towards growth, with a quarter of Internet users in the UAE that play or download video games or computer games online, a share that doubled since 2010. In South Africa, the percentage for online gaming is expected to grow also, with a small-double digit percentage between 2013 and 2017.
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