36% of Japan’s 14 million youth 18 years and under are gamers
SILICON VALLEY, Calif. – August 21, 2023 – Niko Partners, the world’s leading market research firm covering video games and esports in Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, today announced the results of its latest findings on Japan’s youth gamers. Insights from the research show that 46% of Japanese gamers aged 16-18 and 67% of parents of Japanese youth aged 6-18 believe that it is parents who should be in charge of supervising children’s gaming time, not government. As gaming is considered a national pastime in the country, where gaming has a rich history, most Japanese parents in our survey have a favorable view towards gaming.
“Our report looks closely at the gaming behavior of Japan’s youth and the parental opinions about playing all types of video games,” said Lisa Hanson, CEO and founder of Niko Partners. “We found that foreign game titles, esports, and game livestreaming are much more popular among Japan youth than among older gamers, who historically have gravitated to domestic IP. There is an opportunity for non-Japanese gaming companies to expand and increase their presence in Japan, as the country’s youth gamers is a potential market on its own.”
Key takeaways from this report include:
- Most youth gamers play on console (72%) followed by mobile (64%) and then PC (15%). Parents favor consoles due to increased visibility and control over gaming content compared to other platforms.
- Youth gamers play an average of 8 hours per week on mobile, compared to 6.5 hours on PC and console.
- Japanese youth are more receptive than adult gamers to foreign game titles, esports, game livestreaming, and VTubers. Nearly 46% of Japanese youth are drawn into esports and competitive games, compared to 12% of overall Japanese gamers.
- Premium games still play a large role in Japan, primarily due to the popularity of consoles, and are the most popular individual purchase made by youth gamers.
- Parents of Japanese youth are generally accepting of video games as a means of entertainment and are more likely to be gamers themselves.
- The majority of both parents and youth in general believe that control over children’s game time should be managed by each family, rather than by the government or game companies, with 70% of parents and 46% of youth agreeing with this.
Niko Partners surveyed more than 300 parents of youth gamers aged 6-18 and more than 90 gamers aged 16-18 for this report. We also conducted interviews with parents, teachers, and industry experts while complementing our research and analysis with publicly disclosed data of related institutions and insights from other Niko’s reports and services. The Japan Youth Gamers Report offers recommendations for companies looking to tap into the Japan youth gamers market. Contact us for more information on our methodology for our ongoing market intelligence services and reports.
For more information, check out the 60-pages report
https://nikopartners.com/japan-youth-gamers/
ABOUT NIKO PARTNERS
Niko Partners is the world’s leading market research firm covering video games and esports in Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Leveraging unmatched local expertise with a global perspective, Niko Partners delivers the most in-depth market intelligence on the world’s fastest-growing regions. With our deeper understanding of these markets, game developers, publishers, investors, and suppliers can make smarter business decisions with the utmost confidence. Our detailed reports, subscription insights, and custom consulting services dig into the details of nuanced, complex markets, empowering firms with a stake in the video game and esports ecosystems to make the right moves for their organizations. Coverage areas include East Asia (Japan, S. Korea, Chinese Taipei), China, Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam), India, and MENA (Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt in North Africa). The company is based in Silicon Valley, with offices in Shanghai, Bangkok, Jakarta, and London. Learn more at www.nikopartners.com