Video game type ranking video gaming South Korea 2021
Mobile gaming
The vast majority of gamers in South Korea played games on their smartphones in 2020. Given the high smartphone penetration rate, it is not surprising that playing mobile games is widely popular in South Korea. The game industry in the homeland of smartphone giant Samsung is mostly focusing on mobile games. The biggest South Korean game developer in 2019 was Netmarble, the company behind the mobile MMORPG Lineage 2: Revolution and Disney-licensed Marvel Future Fight. As of 2019, the sales revenue of the South Korean mobile gaming market was valued at multiple billion South Korean won, with further growth in sales revenue predicted.
Gaming culture
Mobile gaming is popular in South Korea, with 6 out of 10 people of the general population aged between 10 and 65 years old playing such games. The mobile gaming and eSports sector is growing, for example with games like Arena of Valor. Nevertheless, South Korean gaming culture evolved around PC gaming. It became so popular that PC bangs, a type of LAN gaming center formed from internet cafes, became a hotspot for gamers. South Korean PC gamers used PC bangs for their high-end computers and as places to socialize in 2021. It is also possible to buy food and beverages there, so there is no need to leave for such things. As of January 2021, the most popular game in South Korea based on total playtime in PC bangs was League of Legends.