More than 80 percent of Internet users in Taiwan play digital games, with mobile gaming the most common format, according to a survey released yesterday by the Market Intelligence and Consulting Institute (MIC) based on data for last year.
The survey found that 81.4 percent of netizens engage in digital gaming, representing an increase of about 10 percent from a year earlier.
Among all platforms, mobile gaming was by far the most dominant, with 83.9 percent of respondents saying they regularly play games on smartphones or other smart devices.
Photo: Taipei Times
By comparison, 26 percent used personal computers, 24.4 percent played on consoles and 13.9 percent played Web-based games.
The MIC said 35.5 percent of all gamers reported spending money on games, with those aged 18 to 34 accounting for nearly half of that group.
However, senior industry analyst Chang Chen-yu (張真瑜) said the latest findings indicate a decline in overall gaming-related spending, a trend that has continued since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Opting for free-to-play games also resulted in the decline observed in game purchases, Chang added.
That being said, while most gamers tend to prefer free-to-play games, such games have already developed highly advanced mechanisms to encourage in-game purchases.
Regarding monthly spending micro-transaction patterns, the MIC found that 72.1 percent of gamers spend less than NT$1,000 per month.
Among them, 23.5 percent spend between NT$300 and NT$500, and 22.5 percent spend between NT$500 and NT$1,000 — typically on items such as costumes, special gear or features that accelerate character progression.
The MIC said the survey, conducted in the fourth quarter of last year, collected 1,068 valid responses and carried a confidence level of 95 percent with a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
RSS