Over one in five Japanese play online, MMORPGs most popular
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I’ve not played anything online for years but perhaps I am missing out on something, judging by this survey reported on by japan.internet.com and conducted by goo Research into online gaming.
Demographics
Over the 13th and 14th of March 2008 1,096 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.6% of the sample were male, 17.6% in their teens, 19.4% in their twenties, 16.1% in their thirties, 17.0% in their forties, 18.4% in their fifties, and 11.5% aged sixty or older.
Note that Q1 means computers only, not consoles or handheld machines.
In the comments for another article I got wind of a new (currently in closed beta) MMORPG, Hello Kitty Online, apparently a mix of RPG-type quests and guilds, puzzles, virtual property development, and an SNS.
Research results
From the sample, 99.0% had computers at home. These 1,085 were asked the following question.
Q1: Have you played online games on your home computer? (Sample size=1,085)
Yes (to SQ) 43.9% No 55.1% Don’t know 1.0% Q1SQ: What genres of games do you play on your home computer? (Sample size=476, multiple answer)
Votes Percentage Role-playing game 98 20.6% Board game 92 19.3% Puzzle game 87 18.3% Action game 40 8.4% Sports game 38 8.0% Simulation 29 6.1% Adventure game 23 4.8% Currently not playing any 214 45.0% Other 16 3.4% Next, the 676 people from the sample who had used a computer somewhere other than at home (at work, at school, at an internet cafe, etc) were asked the following question.
Q2: Have you played online games on a computer other than your home computer? (Sample size=676)
Yes 14.4% No 84.9% Don’t know 0.7% A better way to present this data is to include those who haven’t used a computer outside their home:
Q2A: Have you played online games on a computer other than your home computer? (Sample size=1,096)
Yes 8.9% No 52.4% Don’t know 0.5% Not used a computer other than my home one 38.3%
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If you’ve played MMOs or even MUDs in the past, you’re not missing much (with the exception of Tabula Rasa, R.I.P.) except improved graphics; they’re still pretty much glorified chatrooms with eye-candy, a little bit of fan service, and something for the hands to do in between typing messages. And this is the experience of an avid MMO gamer of some 8 years (you’ll note, too, from my email address if it’s visible, that I have an account for Hello Kitty Online, though I haven’t gotten around to downloading it yet, now that it’s in open beta).
In essence, they’re a social phenomenon, rather than, or at least more than, a gaming one. They’re an environment in which people of all ages, from all walks of life, from all cultures, can interact on a level basis, without pretense or societal pressures. Of course, I’m shy so I mostly solo.