Analyzing the Habits of South Korea's Mobile Gamers

Apparently Japan’s mobile gamers aren’t the only ones who take their smartphone diversions seriously. According to March 2016 research from South Korea’s DMC Media investigating mobile game habits, the country’s mobile users frequently seek out fresh mobile game titles in search of the latest and greatest experiences.

When examining the download habits of these mobile game players, many tend to test out new games at a rapid pace. Among the mobile game players surveyed, more than 35% said they downloaded an average of four or more games per month, while more than 60% said they downloaded between one and three games.

Gamers in South Korea also appear to play such mobile games as a “bite size” form of entertainment rather than as an ongoing activity. More than 78% of mobile gamers spent less than one hour per day playing, and more than 40% spent less than 30 minutes per day. The relatively short time spent figures suggest mobile gaming may be used as a time filler during activities like taking public transit or while multitasking.

Even if the period of mobile game play is relatively short, other research suggests gaming apps tend to make up one of the largest portions of time spent by mobile app users in South Korea. A March 2015 report by Nielsen found that gaming apps accounted for 22% of all time spent with mobile apps among the country’s users.