Online gamers in China look set to reach 61 million in 2010, up from 25.5 million in 2005, with favourable Government policy driving growth, according to In-Stat.
The high-tech market research firm claims that in 2005 there were 300 online gaming companies in China, with first-tier players such as Shanda, NetEase, The9 and KingSoft accounting for a combined 80% of the market.
Commenting on the findings, Anty Zheng, In-Stat analyst, said: “As of 2005, there were 16 million paid online game players. The increased rate of online gamers is than that of Chinese “netizen” since online gaming, as one of the most widely used online services, will become more and more popular in the coming years.”
The gaming market is growing rapidly, with Kagen Research forecasting US game sales to increase to $16 billion by 2007, up from $10 billion in 2004, a rise of 16% (see Photon Acquires Naked).
Gaming is also increasing in popularity within the older generation, with a recent study from Peter D.Hart Research Associates showing that 35% of US parents play computer or video games (see Gaming Increases In Older Generation).
Although one-fifth of parents surveyed were found to play games on consoles, computer gaming was found to be more prevalent, with 34% of the 35% gaming on PCs and 44% of the 35% using both computers and consoles.
Related Links
