The Trend is Mobile Games, Usage Rate 91.7%... PC Games on the Decline

Kocca Publishes 'Game User Survey' and More
Increasing Usage Trends in Comics, Webtoons, Characters
Popularity of Comics Boosted by Goods Consumption Among Teens and Twenties

The status of mobile games in the gaming market has risen significantly.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency will publish five reports by the 30th, including the 'Game User Survey,' 'Comic and Webtoon User Survey,' and 'Animation User Survey.' These reports analyze the usage status and perceptions of content by surveying 14,000 people who used games, comics, webtoons, animation, characters, and music over the past year, covering basic usage by genre, overall experience, and potential spending amounts.

According to the findings, the game usage rate over the past year was 59.9%, down 3 percentage points from last year. The average daily game usage time was 171 minutes on weekdays and 253 minutes on weekends, each increasing by 12 minutes. Mobile game usage rate rose by 7.1 percentage points to 91.7%. Console game usage also increased by 2.6 percentage points to 26.7%. In contrast, PC game usage decreased by 7.2 percentage points to 53.8%. Daily PC and mobile game usage time increased on both weekdays and weekends compared to last year, while console game usage time slightly decreased.

In a survey on indie game usage, 28% of PC, mobile, and console game users reported having experience with indie games. Regarding access routes, respondents cited gameplay and review videos (41%), store rankings (34%), and recommendations from friends, acquaintances, or family (33.3%) in that order. Reasons for playing indie games included light and convenient game concepts (54.4%), fresh game themes (49.3%), simple controls (34.8%), and short playtime per session (22%). Areas for improvement mentioned were uncertain release of sequels (37.6%), slow game updates and bug fixes (33.3%), and lack of marketing and promotion (33%).

The frequency of using comics, webtoons, and character products over the past year also increased compared to last year. Music usage remained similar to last year, but the duration per use increased, while animation usage slightly decreased. The most notable area was comics, which rose by 2.0 percentage points to 18.3%, supported by merchandise consumption among people in their teens and twenties. Webtoon usage also increased by 3.9 percentage points to 66.7%.

Regarding usage experience by comic and webtoon type, portal sites had the highest rate at 89.1%. Paid webtoon subscription experience was 47.2%, slightly higher than last year. The most common monthly spending was between 1,000 and 3,000 won, accounting for 23%. Character product usage experience was recorded at 95.7%, increasing by 2.0 percentage points from last year due to active IP expansion. Visits to character pop-up stores were also relatively high at 45.5%.

Animation usage frequency remained high at around 60% among adults in their 20s to 40s. However, the average number of theater animation viewings was 1.3 times, affected by the sluggish theater market. Responses indicating music usage at least once a week were 86.1%, similar to last year. The proportion of people listening while multitasking was also stable at 63.1%.