Microsoft (MS) Xbox announced on the 19th that a survey conducted ahead of Christmas and the year-end holidays found that gaming has established itself as a major hobby in South Korea.
In a survey conducted by Xbox, using the global polling agency YouGov among 1,027 Koreans aged 18 and older, 74% of respondents reported having played games or watched gaming-related content in the past year. This figure surpasses the rates of watching movies or TV shows (70%) and reading (61%) during the same period.
In particular, the trend of increased gaming activity during the year-end holiday period was prominent. Among respondents with gaming experience in the past year, 58% indicated that their time spent on gaming and watching gaming content increases during the year-end season. The reasons cited included ▲ having more free time (64%) ▲ wanting to enjoy the year-end atmosphere (43%) ▲ due to game discounts and events (30%).
Gaming-related consumption is also expected to be active. 55% of all respondents plan to make gaming-related purchases this year-end season, with key items mentioned including games (45%), in-app purchases (36%), gaming accessories (30%), and game subscription services (28%). Their average gaming-related expenditure is about 167,000 won, significantly higher than the estimated cinema expenditure of around 70,000 won during the same period.
Meanwhile, Xbox revealed a recommended game list for the year-end along with the survey, introducing major upcoming titles such as 'Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl' and 'Indiana Jones: The Great Circle.'