All Correct Games Research: How Chinese players differ from Russian ones

Chinese players know English quite well, while Russian players prefer Action to other genres. The localization company All Correct Games came to these and other conclusions as a result of its research.

The data were obtained during a large-scale survey concerning the attitude of Russian and Chinese players to localization.

Why were Russians compared to the Chinese?

According to the Statista portal, in 2016, Chinese gaming companies earned $10.7 billion, second only to their American counterparts ($11.6 billion). At the same time, the annual growth of the US games market is 3.1%, and the PRC market is as much as 8%, and it is assumed that by 2018 China will come out on top.

After analyzing these and many other data, we decided to pay attention to one of the most closed, but at the same time promising gaming markets in order to create a portrait of a local player.

Who are our respondents?

For Russian players, the survey was posted on VKontakte and Odnoklassniki social networks, and for Chinese players — on various gaming sites.

We received a lot of responses: 4573 from Russian and 3099 from Chinese players.

The survey showed that the vast majority of players in both markets are men. At the same time, about 48% of the female population in China, and about 50% in Russia. But in general, according to a study by the Statista portal, there are indeed more male players in both the Russian and Chinese markets, although the percentage difference is not too big.

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Probably, our survey turned out to be more attractive for console and PC players, among whom there are more men.

As for the age categories, the 18-25 age group prevails in China, and in Russia — up to 18 years.

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Answers to the question “How much time do you spend playing games?”

we were especially pleased. We found out that approximately 40-50% of the total number of respondents are hardcore players, that is, users who spend at least 10 hours a week playing games. This means that the answers of such respondents can be trusted, because they know what they are talking about.

The survey also showed that the majority of players in both Russia and China prefer to play on PC (86% and 55%, respectively). Mobile games are in second place among Russians, console games are in third place. But the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire are exactly the opposite. Such popularity of games on consoles can be associated with an almost 15-year ban on the sale and production of game consoles, completely lifted only in 2015. After all, the forbidden fruit, as you know, is the most desirable.

As for genres, Russian players most often choose Action. RPG, Adventure, Strategy are in second place for them, and Match 3 and Puzzle are in third place.

The data on the preferences of their Chinese comrades turned out to be quite unusual:

The conclusion about the “omnivorous” Chinese players suggests itself, but we will study the situation further.

We also found out if our respondents speak English. It turned out that about 30% of respondents from China have an Upper-Intermediate or Advanced level, and only 10% of Russian players can boast of the same.

Why are they playing?

Interestingly, Chinese and Russian players like different things. The first ones like to learn something new, and also transform into various characters. The second likes to overcome difficulties during the passage and enjoy being in the game universe.

Despite the fact that the priorities of the players are different, they are united by one thing — the desire to fully immerse themselves in the world of the game, which is impossible without its high-quality localization. And read about what they mean by it in the continuation of our article.