K-Games Sweeping the Middle East... "Played the Longest and Spent the Most"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Choi] Among the five global regions, the Middle East was found to have the longest playtime and highest spending on Korean games.

On the 19th, the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) published the report titled ‘2022 Survey on Korean Game Users in Overseas Markets.’ It analyzed the usage status of Korean games across five regions: East Asia, North America, Europe, Southwest Asia, and the Middle East.

By region, Korean games were played the longest in Southwest Asia and the Middle East. Game usage time in Southwest Asia (168 minutes on weekdays, 225 minutes on weekends) and the Middle East (159 minutes on weekdays, 218 minutes on weekends) exceeded the overall average of all users (146 minutes on weekdays, 192 minutes on weekends). By country, on weekdays, India (172.28 minutes) and Egypt (170.07 minutes) had the longest playtime, while on weekends, Pakistan (237.44 minutes) and the United Arab Emirates (235.35 minutes) led in Korean game usage time.

In particular, six countries belonging to the Arab cultural sphere?Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar?showed a 54.1% increase in game usage time during the Ramadan period.

Spending on Korean games was also highest in the Middle East. Qatar spent $76.21, and the United Arab Emirates spent $68.98, both exceeding the average spending of $38.51 among all survey participants.

The Korean game intellectual properties (IPs) preferred in the Middle East and Southwest Asia were identified as 'Black Desert' and 'Battlegrounds.' The main reasons overseas gamers enjoy Korean games were 'because they are interesting and fun to play' and 'because many people around them also enjoy playing.'

On the other hand, biased genres and excessive in-game spending inducements were cited as limitations. Regarding inconveniences when using Korean games, respondents from Qatar said, "Compared to games from other countries, the genres are biased and uniform." In Egypt, the reason for not enjoying Korean games was "the cost of purchasing items in the game is too high."

A KOCCA official stated, "Game developers aiming to pioneer the Middle Eastern market need to establish entry strategies tailored to the characteristics of local users," adding, "Globally, continuous efforts are necessary for launching new content and developing emerging markets."