Two-thirds of Chinese mobile gamers play mini games

• 44.5% of players discover new games through short video content
• 62% of PC gamers spending more than last year

Two-thirds of Chinese mobile gamers now play mini games daily or several times a week, making this segment a major growth area with 650 million gamers.

These new figures come from a Niko Partners China Gamer Behaviour & Market Insights report which also shows that 44.5% of players discover new games through short video content. This places video advertising as the largest source of new users in the PC and mobile markets while it ranks fourth for console gamers.

44.5% of gamers discovering new games through video ads, is good news for video ad platforms and game developers that are using this method for monetisation. 

PC spending surges as regulations backfire

As for which platform is attracting the most spend, it's PC gaming that has experienced the largest increase in individual spending this year, with 62% of PC gamers spending more than last year and 19% spending at least 30% more. 

Notably, 43.9% of gamers watch video game or esports live streams, with 68.6% using Douyin. Gamers aged 18-22 now play more hours per week than those aged 23 and up, suggesting youth gamer regulations had the opposite effect. 

Japan leads in import game approvals, the US is number two, and South Korea is number three. 

“Our findings show a positive outlook for growth in player spending, notably in the PC gaming segment," said Niko Partners CEO Lisa Hanson. “Alternative ways for game discovery and non-ISBN games are emerging through short video platforms and continued access to Steam international."

"This suggests new opportunities for games marketing and monetisation, and companies need to better understand the current landscape of the Chinese market to implement appropriate strategies."

Recently China approved 104 new video games from mainland developers this month, including titles from Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group Holding.