Chinese Online Game User Behavioral Research Report 2012, Pt. 1

A new report on the behavior of online gamers by 17173.com (a popular gaming news website) and Enfodesk Analasys shows that 19 to 25-year-old players accounted for 55% of the online gaming population, whereas players older than 26 make up 35.7%. Predictably, 73% were male compared to 27% female. Last year, males made up 67.8% and females made up 32.2%.

The report polled 500,000 users and went on to say that gamers in or who have completed undergraduate and junior college degrees make up 49.5% of the population, with 1.6% having completed or completing graduate studies. In 2011, the numbers were 44.8% in undergraduate and junior college, and 2.5% in graduate studies.

Read more for:
1. Real World Occupations
2. Salary
3. “Play Grounds” (Where users play)
4. When Do Users Play
5. Preferred Graphics and Genres
6. Payments and Advertising Norms

1. Real World Occupations

The report by 17173 and Enfodesk also shows that 22.9% of gamers are enterprise office workers, compared to 19.7% self-employed, and 18.4% students. The lowest population were public workers with 4.2% and professional workers (like doctors) with 4.3%.

2. Salary

40.5% of the gamers polled earned 2001-4000 RMB (about $300-650 USD), compared to only 7.6% making over 7001 RMB (about $1,132 USD). 18.6% make less than 500 RMB a month, or less than $80 USD.

3. “Play grounds”– Where Do Users Play

73% of players choose to play online games at home, an increase of approximately 8% compared to 2010. Meanwhile, the proportion of those who play in Internet cafes continue to decline, with the percentage currently at 19%. 4% play at school, and 3% play at work.

4. When Do Users Play

43% of gamers play between 6pm and 10pm; midnight to noon has the least amount of players, with only 18% online at that time.

5. Graphics and Genres

60% of gamers prefer 3D graphics, although the report notes this has decreased from previous years. 23% prefer 2.5D, and only 17% prefer 2D.

Here was the breakdown on graphic style preferences; please note that Q-version refers to a cute anime-type design (see the Wiki page on Q-version):

With regard to genre, 28.1% preferred real-time RPGs, compared to 6.3% who preferred turn-based RPGs.

6. Payments and Advertising

Currently, 38.05% of users prefer a free-to-play system where you pay for items. In 2009, the percentage was 46.4%, but dropped in 2010 to 37.1%. It is now on the rise once again. 26.37% prefer flat-rate monthly charges, and 18.49% prefer online charges via a card system.

61% of users learn about games from a game’s official website; 55.1% learn about them from a game portal site (like QQ); 42.9% learn about them from friends’ recommendations.

7. Why Do Users Play?

“Play with friends” and “Experience the story” has been consistently in the lead, according to Enfodesk.

Check out Part 2 of “Chinese Online Game User Behavioral Research Report 2012.” We are about halfway through the 45 page report. Topics to look forward to include: