'Rapid load times' and 'fast performance' are the most important elements in gameplay
“I will not visit the game site if a security issue occurs”

Limelight Networks (hereinafter Limelight) released the '2018 Global Online Gaming Status Survey Report'.
Key contents of the '2018 Online Game Status Report'
With the rise of video game and esports websites, the rate of watching others play video games is also increasing. Young gamers aged 18 to 25 worldwide watch others play games for an average of 3 hours and 25 minutes per week. This is about 1 hour more than the 2 hours and 33 minutes spent watching traditional sports matches. Nearly half (48%) of gamers in Korea spend more than 2 hours per week watching others play video games, which is the highest rate globally.

While game users worldwide cited "fast loading times" and "fast performance" as the most important factors in gameplay, more than three-quarters (77%) reported complaints regarding the video game download process. Additionally, security is considered a critical consideration, with more than half (57%) of game users stating they would not play online games or make purchases on gaming sites that have previously experienced security breaches. Concerns about security were particularly high in Korea and France, with the percentage of respondents saying they would not visit game sites with security issues being highest in Korea at 71.2%, followed by France at 68%.



Intention to become a professional gamer : As the popularity of esports rises, game users have come to regard 'professional gamer' as a professional occupation. About one-third (32%) of all game users and half of young male game users aged 18 to 25 expressed an intention to 'quit their jobs and become professional gamers if possible.' This percentage was highest in the UK, where 42% of UK game users answered that they wanted to become professional gamers.

Suspension of daily activities: Gamers worldwide often prioritize video games over basic daily activities. It was found that more than half of gamers (62%) gave up 'sleep,' 39% 'eats,' and 11% 'work' to immerse themselves in games.

Game users play games for an average of 1 hour and 20 minutes at a time . It was found that France spent the least amount of time playing a game on average, at 1 hour and 14 minutes, while Korea spent the most time playing games, at an average of 1 hour and 28 minutes.

Average of 6 hours of gaming per week: Game users play for an average of 6 hours per week, and it was found that 17.5% of game users aged 18 to 35 play for more than 12 hours per week. In the case of Korea, it was found that game users play for an average of 4.2 hours per week.

Rate of gaming at work: It was found that 27% of working gamers play games at work at least once a month. South Korea showed the highest rate of gaming during work hours, with 36% of respondents playing at least once a month. More than 10% were found to play games at work every day. The country with the lowest rate of gaming at work was Germany, where the percentage of people playing games every day was less than 3%.

Rising Popularity of Casual Mobile Games: It was found that game users worldwide use smartphones the most when playing games and prefer casual single-player games such as Candy Crush and Angry Birds. However, Korea showed a greater preference for MMOs such as World of Warcraft and League of Legends. Korea accounted for the highest percentage of mobile phone usage.

Game Downloads: 84.7% of game users worldwide download multiple free games every year. Among them, Korea had the highest rate of free game downloads, with 30.8% of Korean game users downloading a free game at least once a week. In addition, it was found that everyone except 7.4% downloads games multiple times each year.

"As is the case with the media and entertainment industry, vulnerable performance and security issues are emerging as critical challenges as video games transition online," said Michael Milligan, Senior Director at Limelight Networks. "With game users utilizing mobile devices, PCs, and other high-end game consoles, software developers must focus on creating engaging content, but they must also ensure that content is secure and optimized to provide the best possible game service."

The '2018 Status of Online Games Report' surveyed 3,000 game users aged 18 and older who play video games at least once a week in Korea, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.