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Have you ever played a competitive multiplayer match and wondered where the other players are from? The global gaming industry is thriving, and millions of players from across the world are engaging with offline and online games every day. However, each country has a slightly unique gaming culture, from game development to esports tournaments, influencing the gaming experience for players.
Determining which country has the best gaming culture is tough, as it can be influenced by development, technological innovation, participation, and esports prize pools.
1. China
China tops the list as having one of the largest gaming markets in the world. It has over 600 million gamers and has produced winning esports teams that take home the titles of League of Legends and PUBG tournaments.
Chinese game developers have also seen global success. Genshin Impact, Honor of Kings and Honkai: Star Rail were created by Chinese studios and have taken over the gaming world.
Mobile gaming culture is especially thriving in China due to smartphone penetration. Crossfire, Clash of Clans, and PUBG Mobile are top mobile games in the country.
2. United States
It comes as no surprise that the US is near the top of the list, as the country has played a big role in shaping international gaming culture. From the early days of the first arcade game created in California to the live-streaming service Twitch, the US has a global impact on videogames.
The United States regularly hosts gaming expos, like TwitchCon and PAX, and many game developers have their headquarters in the country, including:
- Rockstar Games (New York)
- Electronic Arts (California)
- Ubisoft (California)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment (California)
- Microsoft (Washington)
- Epic Games (North Carolina)
- Activision Blizzard (California)
The gaming market consists of diverse communities, with over 200 million players enjoying PC games, consoles, and mobile gaming. The US also has a very strong esports sector, hosting tournaments with prize pools in the millions of dollars. Popular esports titles include League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, Fortnite, Dota 2 and Overwatch. These tournaments attract millions of viewers and media coverage.
3. Japan
Japan has had a big influence on gaming culture over the years. It is home to some of the most renowned game developers in the world, including Nintendo, Capcom, and Sony. It’s the country where arcade classics like PAC-MAN, Galaga, Donkey Kong, Space Invaders, and Dance Dance Revolution were created, and today, you can find multi-level gaming arcades in major cities that are an inherent part of the population’s culture.
But the country’s developers have expanded beyond arcade games. Some of the most well-known gaming franchises were conceived here, including:
- League of Legends
- Pokemon
- Final Fantasy
- Street Fighter
- Super Mario Bros.
- Dragon Quest
The citizens’ love of gaming and the country’s gaming culture can be seen in the number of gaming cafes that can be found in most cities and towns, as well as unique anime-inspired indie titles catering to the diverse community of Japanese gamers.
4. Australia
Australia is a surprise contender on this list, but with 91% of households owning a videogame device, the gaming culture is strong Down Under. The gaming demographics here look different from those in many other parts of the world, with the average age of gamers around 35 years old. This older group grew up with games, starting with old-school SEGA consoles to today’s Nintendo Switch.
One sector of the gaming industry that has seen significant growth over the past few years is iGaming. With online gambling and betting legal in Australia, dozens of reputable platforms offer a wide variety of games and bonuses. Online poker has especially become popular, with online poker rooms like Coin Poker drawing over 50,000 players (source: https://coinpokeraustralia.com/).
5. South Korea
South Korea’s gaming culture is largely centred around esports tournaments. Titles like League of Legends, Starcraft, and Valorant have received a cult-like following, and those who perform well in tournaments are treated like celebrities. Esports are backed by the government, and the country has gaming schools and incredible arenas all dedicated to this aspect of the gaming industry.
It’s not all competitive, though. There are PC bangs (like gaming cafes) throughout the country, where players can either train for tournaments or enjoy recreational games.
Several game developers have set up shop in South Korea, like NCSOFT, BitMango, and Com2uS. Although the developer sector is not as strong in the country as in other nations, it is steadily growing.
Mobile gaming in the country sees a loyalty to local titles, like Lineage M, while some international titles are also enjoying frequent downloads, including Last War: Survival Game and Brawl Stars.
6. Germany
Germany is the first European country on this list, and is the gaming hub in the region. It’s home to more than 40 million gamers, although the videogame culture is not as strong as in other countries. Instead, Germany is known for its board game culture, although the esports scene is steadily growing and more gamers are emerging every day.
The largest gaming event in Germany is gamescom, which attracts thousands of game enthusiasts to the technological showcase. Local developers are also starting to make their mark, like Goodgame Studios and Bigpoint.g
7. Canada
Canada’s gaming culture centres predominantly around game development. Many of the same studios that have headquarters in the US have also set up shop in major Canadian cities, including Rockstar Games, Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft.
Canada is also host to some of the largest gaming conventions, like Game Con Canada and the Canadian Gaming Summit.
