Study: MMO Use Declines As Social Games Take Hold In China

Author: by Staff, Colette Bennett

The results of the 2010 Chinese Gamer Focus Group Findings report from Chinese video game industry analysis firm Niko Partners suggest the Chinese games industry is trending away from MMOs and hardcore titles and toward games on social networks. The report suggests that market saturation in the MMO space and the more accessible nature of social games as primary factors in the shift, which has contributed to a decline in the average amount spent by Chinese gamers, the report says. "Thanks to the launch of so many casual games and social network games, more consumers have become gamers. Therefore, while there are more and more gamers entering the market, overall gamers seem to be spending less, though maintaining high levels of usage," Niko Partners' managing partner Lisa Cosmas Hanson told Gamasutra. The study also notes that Chinese gamers, particularly those who have purchased home PCs, are spending less time playing in internet cafes compared to previous years. Despite this decline, Hanson insists that Internet cafes will remain a "critical part" of the Chinese game industry going forward.