Hello, kiki!
Our clarifications last evening kept crossing one another. At first,
I was unsure about whether you wanted me to continue to answer your
question due to the poor amount of detail relating to the female
market and online gaming. However, I now realize that your second
clarification indicated that you still want market data on the Online
Gaming Industry in Taiwan:
==
umiat
'but i still need a lot of information and resource about
online game industry in taiwan."
regard
kiki
==
Therefore, I am providing the information I have found regarding the
online gaming industry in Taiwan. I have unearthed a few, scattered
statistics relating to female gamers, but not enough to make much
difference.
BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION OF ONLINE GAMING IN TAIWAN
======================================================
1999
----
"Online gaming first made an impact on the Taiwanese market with King
of Kings released by Chinasoft in 1999 and with the introduction of
Ultima Online. Initially, given the considerable complexity of the
games, they were the exclusive preserve of hard-core gamers, many of
whom had been following developments overseas through BBS sites.
"When Interplay released its Everquest series in 1999, the game
received much media attention, but the complexity of the games and the
lack of a Chinese-language interface continued to restrict the online
games to a dedicated group of role-playing game addicts."
2000 - Games attract more people, including Females
----------------------------------------------------
"It was not until 2000 when Waei introduced the Japanese game Stone
Age that online gaming broke out from its geekish enclave and spread
to a wider public.
* "Its avoidance of the swords-and-sorcery scenario meant that it had
appeal to both female and male players."
"Moreover, the relative ease of play also attracted people who had
previously used BBS sites to discuss relationships and other matters.
This shift encouraged Taiwanese companies to establish their own
gaming Web sites."
2001 - Lineage draws in 400,000 members
---------------------------------------
"The following year, Gamania released Lineage, a game that had been
developed in Korea, although published by Gamania Digital
Entertainment. Korean games, with their stricter adherence to D&D RPG
conventions -- characters assume one of a number of professions such
as swordsman or magician and go out into the world finding adventure,
killing monsters, finding treasure and rising in skill level -- are
distinct from the softer Japanese games such as Stone Age which are
more in the tradition of the Pikachu animation series that emphasizes
daily life over superhero adventure. Of the top six online games in
Taiwan at present, all but one -- JY Online were developed in either
Korea or Japan."
"Lineage entered the Taiwan market in a flurry of celebrity-driven
media hype and immediately attracted a player base of 400,000 members
and continues to be one of the most popular online games on the
market, commanding high licensing fees."
"Although Lineage has a relatively high level of difficulty, it is
still easier than Stone Age and was therefore able to broaden the
online gamer player base even further. With its effective marketing,
it was able to grab a big slice of the market," Chen Chih-ho of
Gamebase Web site, a gamer information Web site, said.
Fu went on to say that many of the new products released in Taiwan
last year were new Korean games, which not only were rather similar in
content, but also had poor systems management functions so that
although Taiwan distributors spent a lot of money promoting them, they
failed to make an impact.
"Stone Age has already gone through two new editions, and incorporated
new maps and character types. Although this has made the game more
complex, cutting into the number of return players in Taiwan, it has
met with great success in China, even surpassing the Chin Yung games,"
said a marketing manager for Waei.
2000 Value of Online Games Market - NT$1.7 billion - Spurs new growth
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"According to the Market Information Center of the Institute for
Information Industry, the total value of Taiwan's online games market
was NT$1.7 billion, and this year (2001) the value is likely to rise
up to NT$3 billion. Conversely, the market value of stand-alone games
(including imported games distributed in Taiwan) has seen the first
negative growth in 10 years. These figures, not surprisingly, are
spurring companies to even greater efforts on the online market."
The games themselves, unlike the fancily packaged expensive
stand-alone games, are sold at a relatively cheap price, or in some
cases are given away free with purchase of Web site membership, with
the profit being derived from people spending long periods logged into
the game Web sites."
Software Patches allow users to "fast-foward" the action
--------------------------------------------------------
"An interesting sidelight on this catch that emerged in Taiwan is the
use of software patches to speed up the progress of character
development in the game. Instead of taking a couple of months of game
time -- which means hundreds of hours of logged time at the game Web
site -- players in Taiwan have developed ways of fast forwarding the
action, so that a character can rise in levels of ability many times
faster than the game designers imagined."
"According to Antonio Lu, senior editor of the Gamebase Web site, game
consoles are also following the online trend including Sony's PS2 and
Microsoft's Xbox. "Moreover, Japan's Square company's Final Fantasy XI
will be released as an online edition, and this is likely to be one of
the hottest sellers for this year."
From "Gamers find their thrills online," by Lin Chieh-yu. Taipei
Times. (January 2002)
http://taipeitimes.com/chnews/2002/01/27/story/0000121697
OVERVIEW OF TAIWAN'S CURRENT GAMING MARKET
===========================================
"Korea and Taiwan formed two of the world's largest online gaming
markets, the market research firm said in a statement. (IDC) The
study, which spanned seven countries including Malaysia, showed Korea
as the single biggest online gaming market in the region with a 54%
market share, while Taiwan had 26%."
"North Asia, which consists of China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, captured
45% of the total market share in the survey."
"These three countries have also developed into a promising
destination for enterprising Korean online gaming service providers
who are looking to venture into foreign markets. The online gaming
industry promises to be a huge revenue generator for vendors in the
supply chain, IDC said in its statement."
"The value chain components of online gaming are made up of service
providers, Internet service providers, data communications equipment
vendors, and storage, server and database software vendors."
"Online gaming utilizes a pay-per-use business model, pointing to huge
revenues generated by the service providers," said Chin. "Game
merchandisers are also cashing in on the popularity of game
characters, and there are even talks of building theme parks based on
these Internet games in North Asia," he said.
"Market demand for online games comes mainly from teenagers and youths
as they spend a lot of time on the Internet. The popularity of online
games is spread by word of mouth, and this accelerates the awareness
of "in" games, IDC said."
"To maximize revenue opportunities, each component of the online
gaming value chain should remain aware of each other's needs and work
with one another to provide users with a superior gaming experience.
More importantly, they should look to reap the benefits of longer-term
but significant revenue opportunities, IDC added."
From "Great Future For Online Gaming." Gaming Magazine. (May 22,2003)
http://gamingmagazine.com/managearticle.asp?c=500&a=449
See Pie Chart at http://www.idc.com.my/Press/releases/PR_MY_AP_Online_Gaming_2003.htm
=====
A survey conducted by Ipsos-Reid found that "online gaming is
significantly more popular in China, South Korea and Taiwan than
anywhere in the world." "Online gaming hit its peak in the United
States about 18 months ago," said Megahed. "In Asian countries, the
Web is newer and games are following the same course as they did
here."
"Gaming sites that offer casino gambling appear to be most popular in
South Korea, with 65 percent of Internet users there visiting them,
according to another industry survey. NetValue said its study showed
that Hong Kong ranked second for gamblers with 39.8 percent.
** Taiwan, with 34.2 percent, was third in the region, followed by
Singapore and China."
From "Online Gaming Is Significantly More Popular In China, South
Korea and Taiwan."
(October 2002) http://www.kanga.nu/archives/MUD-Dev-L/2002Q4/msg01065.php
====
** The gaming industry is only 3 1/2 years old and has plenty of room
to grow.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
** Gamania is at the top of the gaming industry. "Gamania Digital
Entertainment is an industry champion that distributes NCSoft's
popular role-playing online game Lineage."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
** Currently, online gaming is dominated by two types of games.
----------------------------------------------------------------
"The first one features larger-than-life action heroes and the other
type features cuddly and cute characters." However, according to U-Bon
Technology Chairwoman Connie Ma, "Asian warrior games would likely be
the future stars of the online gaming industry."
** New companies hoping to enter the Taiwan online gaming market
include U-Bon Technology and South Korea's Uzdream
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"U-Bon Technology Corp. yesterday said it was teaming up with South
Korea's Uzdream to break into Taiwan's booming 3D online gaming
market. "We are not looking at becoming another Gamania," U-Bon
Technology Chairwoman Connie Ma said at a media gathering in Taipei
yesterday. We have a different business model. Instead of focusing
only on the distribution of online games, we will also be providing
outsourcing services to smaller online game publishers. We are
building a different kind of Gamania."
"Saying her company had invested roughly NT$175 million in U-Bon
Technology, Ma said the firm chose to hook up with Uzdream because of
its stable of strong titles. The South Korean company has the game
development rights to titles such as Muhon, Yong Bi, and Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon."
"For its opening salvo, U-Bon Technology is bringing in Muhon, an
action-packed, fast-moving warrior game featuring legendary fighters
safeguarding their kingdoms, she said. The 3D online game, which
focuses on the struggles faced by various tribes of Asian warriors,
caters to the taste of Taiwanese hardcore gamers, Ma added. The
massively multiple online role-playing game uses motion-capturing
techniques, added U-Bon Technology Vice President Michael Fu."
From "U-Bon tries to catch up with Gamania," by Marie Feliciano.
Taiwan News. (2003-09-03)
http://etaiwannews.com/Business/2003/09/03/1062552485.htm
=======
** A good Partnership - Internet access and Online Gaming
----------------------------------------------------------
Partnering with an online gaming company is an attractive option for
internet access providers. Parnership provides secure access to the
population and differentiation from other online service providers. In
2000, Gigamedia, one of Taiwan's most popular providers of high-speed
Internet cable access, partnered with Sega.com Asia Ltd. to build a
co-branded online service.
"Our vast nationwide infrastructure, coupled with Sega's Dreamcast
video game console, will provide Gigamedia a new low-cost way to
secure access to the eyeballs of its 3.8 million covered residential
households," said Raymond Chang, chief executive officer of Gigamedia.
Mr. Chang added "The partnership gives us a killer application to
differentiate Gigamedia from other broadband or narrowband ISPs
(Internet services providers)."
"Mr. Chang also added that the partnership will focus on localizing
Sega games for Taiwan's subscribers. Not only will the companies
translate the Sega games they are offering into Chinese, they will
also work with local games producers to come up with new games, Chang
said."
From "Sega to Start Game Service in Taiwan," by Michael Custer. Gaming
Age (8/2000)
http://www.gaming-age.com/news/2000/8/14-98
===
** Online Gaming boosts Broadband
---------------------------------
"The spike in Internet games also spells a boon for broadband usage.
"The study confirmed online gaming is and will be a main market driver
for broadband adoption," Chin said. "In more mature markets such as
Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, broadband penetration is
exceptionally high among online gamers."
From "IDC: Online gaming rules in Asia," by Winston Chai, CNETAsia.
(January 2003)
http://asia.cnet.com/newstech/personaltech/0,39001147,39107161,00.htm
TAIWAN GIANT - GAMANIA - HOPES TO ENTER MAINLAND CHINA
======================================================
"Taiwan's largest online computer game company, Gamania Digital
Entertainment, has so far drawn nearly a million kids to its online
world of swords and sorcery -- now it aims to cast the same spell in
China."
"Since bringing Korean firm NCSoft's "Lineage" online fantasy game to
Taiwan in July 2000, Gamania has picked up more than 950,000 players,
who log on to its servers to compete or cooperate with thousands of
other gamers."
"But Gamania's profits have spawned a host of competitors, including
local tech giant the Acer Group, and the market of predominantly
teenage boys hankering to don virtual chain-mail and skewer goblins
after school is quickly growing saturated."
"Time to strike out for new territory, says Gamania's chairman and
chief executive officer, Albert Liu. "Of course we are really excited
about mainland China. But China is a pretty huge market, we need
capital, we need human resources and we need a product. So I think the
best place to get the three elements is in Hong Kong," Liu told
Reuters."
"China's state media estimates the mainland has about 26.5 million
Internet users -- bigger than Taiwan's entire population of 23
million."
"However, Gamania is far from giving up on its home market, where 43
percent of the population has access to the Internet, according to
media research firm Nielsen/NetRatings. Gamania is developing its own
game aimed at a new segment of the market."
"While the project is still under wraps until an estimated fourth
quarter launch, Liu revealed that it would trade knights and wizards
for cute animal characters in a bid to target younger players."
"Lineage's customer base is from 15-25 and male, so boys play this
game, right?," Liu said. "And with the new product we hope we can set
up a new community, like (ages) eight-15, and 50/50 male and female,"
he said."
From "Taiwan's Gamania Expands Online Empire to China," by Michael
Kramer (2001)
http://66.218.71.225/search/cache?p=female+gaming+in+Taiwan&ei=UTF-8&b=41&url=v2HaQz6XY30J:www.kidpowerx.com/newsletter/issues/010820/Taiwan.shtml
INTERNET CAFES AND ONLINE GAMING
================================
"Taiwan gaming is online-oriented. You can see this in the hundreds of
Internet Cafes, not arcades that are packed all night long in Taipei."
From "Feature: Taipei Game Show." Insert Credit. (February 2003)
http://www.insertcredit.com/features/taipei/
GROWTH AND REVENUE - ONLINE GAMING
==================================
** Online Game Subscriptions worth US$50 million in 2002 - Predicted
at US$77 million in 2003.
"According to the Institute for Information Industry's Market
Intelligence Center, sales of computer games in Taiwan topped US$145
million last year. The bulk of it went to online games, with US$50
million generated by paid subscriptions. That figure represents a
growth of 256 percent from 2000. Analysts predict that the online game
market will grow to US$77.9 million this year."
"Industry observers estimate that this gaming market will continue to
expand at an annual rate of 11.94 percent. By 2005, sales could exceed
the NT$10 billion--or US$294 million--mark, driven primarily by sales
of PC games. Online gaming, however, is estimated to take up 59
percent of the total PC game products sold."
From "Taiwan logs in to online gaming phenomenon," by Myra Lu.
(11/15/2002)
http://publish.gio.gov.tw/FCJ/past/02111581.html
Revenue predictions:
---------------------
* "Gaming service revenue is expected to grow at an annual rate of 20%
to 25% over the next four to five years" according to a year 2000
prediction by Raymond Chang, chief executive officer of Gigamedia.
* "Sega.com expects Taiwan's online game market will generate $35
million this year (2000) and grow at an annual rate of 25 percent for
the next five years."
From "Sega to Start Game Service in Taiwan," by Michael Custer. Gaming
Age (8/2000)
http://www.gaming-age.com/news/2000/8/14-98
GAMING CONTESTS BOOST ONLINE GAMING MARKET IN TAIWAN
=====================================================
"In order to boost the game industry and to attract more players,
Taiwan game industry operators are holding computer game contests as a
way to enhance their popularity. In order to meet game contest needs
and make the game industry an international one, the Taiwan Computer
Game League (TCGL) is holding the first Computer Game Referee Camp
both in Taipei and Taichung. Trained players will be certified as
professional referees. TCGL hopes to introduce international
standards and judging to Taiwan in order to throw off the derision
people normally have toward computer games. After the establishment
of TCGL, their first goal is to introduce to Taiwan international game
rules and provide training for international referees."
From "TCGL holds first Computer Game Referee Camp."
http://www.taiwanslot.com.tw/eng/gti/gtinews/taiwan.htm
FEMALES JOIN GAMING COMMUNITY WITH "PROFESSIONAL" COMPETITION TEAM
==================================================================
"@Corner internet house recently held a competition to select women to
form the first female computer game team. After a requirement
examination, the first competition in southern Taiwan was held on
April 20 at the Quinshan branch in Tainan with eight girls from
southern Taiwan competing to qualify. A competition in central Taiwan
was held in Fongyuan on April 21 with 11 girls joining the game and
only 5 passing on to the next level."
"All the 14 female candidates who passed their qualifying rounds took
part in a final competition on April 27 at the main branch in Taipei.
All the female competitors had to choose among the five games Lineage,
Fenewal, Ages of Empire, CS and Fortress II. Ten out of the 14 who
passed the first round of the competition had to take part in another
round of the game so that in the end only five people were left.
Players' game scores made up only 60% of the judging criteria with 20%
judged based on clothes and poise, and 20% decided by the voting and
support from the Internet."
"Each woman that joins the @Corner team of Tai-Gium Information Co.,
Ltd will undergo one year of training and receive NT$600,000
(US$19,000) in annual salary. They will also have the opportunity to
participate in domestic and international game competitions and TV
commercials. Mr. Lo chunsen, the president of Tai-Gium Information
Co., Ltd said that the Taiwan game market has always been dominanted
by males. Tai-Gium Information Co., Ltd hopes to make good use of
this competition at @Corner to gain more attention for and from female
game players."
From "First female professional computer game team."
http://www.taiwanslot.com.tw/eng/gti/gtinews/taiwan.htm
==
** For Female Gaming numbers in Asia (does not include taiwan), see
"IDC: Online gaming rules in Asia," by Winston Chai, CNETAsia (January
2003)
http://asia.cnet.com/newstech/personaltech/0,39001147,39107161,00.htm
TOP ONLINE GAMES
================
Top Games in 2002
-----------------
Lineage
Members (in Taiwan):
Approx. 1.2 million
Monthly Fee: NT$369
Distributor: Gamania Digital
Entertainment Co
JY on-line
Members: Over 1 million
Monthly Fee: NT$379
Distributor: Soft-world Int'l Corp;
Chinesegamer Website
Cross Gate/Fantasy for You
Members: Approx. 700,000
Monthly Fee: NT$350 (Cross Gate)
NT$300 (Fantasy for You)
Distributor: Joy Park Website Inc; the Soft Star Entertainment Group
Stone Age
Members: Approx. 400,000
Monthly Fee: NT$369
Distributor: Waei Int'l Digital
Entertainment Co
Dragon Raja
Members: Approx. 200,000
Monthly Fee: NT$360
Distributor:
Acer Third Wave Publishing Corp
From "Gamers find their thrills online," by Lin Chieh-yu. Taipei
Times. (January 2002)
http://taipeitimes.com/chnews/2002/01/27/story/0000121697
ONLINE GAMERS VS. ONLINE BUYERS
===============================
For a statistical chart of online gaming versus online buying in
several countries, including Taiwan, see:
"IDC Sees A Big Boom in Online Gaming." IDC Press Release. (January
2003)
http://www.idc.com.sg/Press/2003/MAL-PR-online_gaming.htm
ONLINE GAMING BEHAVIOR - BOYS AND GIRLS IN TAIWAN
==================================================
A study of the online gaming behavior of Junior High School boys and
girls in Taiwan found that online gaming is extremely popular among
adolescent boys, but not girls. Boys find that online gaming helps
their social and peer relationships. Girls, on the other hand, will
play a game online if there is "nothing else to do".
Read "The Gender Differences of Online Game Playing: Behavior,
Motivation and Attitudes," by Meng-Jung Tsai. Center for Teacher
Education. National Taipei University.
http://nscnt05.nsc.gov.tw/document/report/90/S/902520S305002.pdf
=====
"When it comes to one of Taiwan's favorite pastimes -- playing video
games -- half of the under-19 age group engage in online games, but
twice as many boys participate. Boys are also more willing to pay for
game services, shelling out on average NT$275 per month."
From "More women get online," by Bill Heaney. Taipei Times (January
2003)
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2003/01/17/191341
YEAR 2001 PROFILE OF ONLINE GAMERS IN ASIA, INCLUDING TAIWAN
STATISTICS
=======================================================================
"Overall, online gamers in Asia tend to be male, 24 years of age or
under and predominantly students. Korea is the exception where online
gamers are almost equally represented by males (55.3%) and females
(44.7%)."
"The most significant difference in the profiles of online gamers in
Asia relates to the users connection year."
* "In Taiwan and Korea, a high proportion of users who played games
online were late adopters. Specifically, 42.1% of Korean and 31.5% of
Taiwanese online gamers first connected to the Internet in year 2000."
"In the other markets surveyed, the majority of online gamers had
connected to the Internet prior to 1997."
From "Battling it out in Asia: Who is winning the online gaming war?"
http://finance.sina.com.tw/personal_finance/ipr/20010316-000008.html
ONLINE GAMING CASINO MARKET
============================
Overview of Asian casino market, including Taiwan
--------------------------------------------------
Read "Change affects Asian casino market." Casino Journal (Feb. 2001)
http://www.gamblinglicenses.com/articlesFull.cfm?Articles_ID=20
Some excerpts follow:
* "At present Asian casino expenditure is estimated at US$8 billion
and is likely to triple to US$24 billion by 2010."
* "We’re anticipating a decade of great change for the Asian casino
market. Key changes will occur in Macau, the Philippines, Japan,
Taiwan and even Cambodia and this has enormous implications from the
premium player perspective," says Sean Monaghan of the Australian
brokerage firm of Burdett Buckeridge Young Ltd."
"There are enormous opportunities for foreign investors prepared to
invest the time and effort. The 1997-98 financial crisis is now being
felt in a new way, creating a window of opportunity with respect to
new licenses, asset sales and privatization. Companies have to move
fast before this window once again closes,"" says Monaghan.
"One of the fundamental reasons for casino companies not diversifying
offshore is the lack of knowledge of the Asian market. "Many Western
companies have focused on their domestic markets and have viewed Asia
as being in the too-hard basket, but this will very quickly change,"
says Monaghan.
"Asia will stabilize and the outlook for economic growth is
extensive," Monaghan adds. "The emergence of a middle class in
countries such as China represents huge long-term opportunities."
"Asia can be broadly characterized as home to some of the world’s most
prolific gamblers, although the region has a general lack of quality,
land-based legal casino facilities. In its report Burdett Buckeridge
Young defines "Asia" in terms of Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan,
Hong Kong, Macau, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei,
Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia."
"The lack of available facilities has resulted in a significant
illegal casino market, a high degree of inter- and intra-regional
travel to legal casinos, an emerging cruise-ship industry with onboard
casinos, and the creation of casino resorts in remote locations."
****
"Despite an absence of legal casinos in Taiwan, a number of illegal
facilities exist, in addition to a cruise ship operation servicing the
local market."
****
Online Gambling Still Illegal in Taiwan
========================================
"Taiwan - Feb 18, 2003: According to news reports, prosecutors and
police yesterday raided the offices of a Taiwan advertising company
that has helped promote business for British Internet sports betting
company Sportingbet, one day after the bookmaker's founder pitched for
his company on the island. Taiwan's Minister of the Interior, Yu
Chen-hsien, issued a warning to online gambling sites targeting Taiwan
citizens. He said that gambling is still illegal in Taiwan and said he
will stamp it out "even in cyberspace."
The Criminal Investigation Bureau has set up a task force to keep a
close eye on online sports gambling in Taiwan."
From GamblingLicenses.com
http://www.gamblinglicenses.com/
====
Now......If only you had $1500 to spare, you could buy a report that
tells it all!
"Taiwan Online Gaming Forecast, 2002-2007," by Olivia Sin (2003)
http://www.nwfusion.com/research/reports/IDCAP322102K.html
"This study covers the market sizing and forecast of the online gaming
industry in Taiwan, including analysis of online gamers based on IDC
Marco Polo study. It will provide analysis of the latest trends in
Taiwanese online gaming market. "Online gaming is an extremely
interesting venture for a number of local companies," said Chin Jun
Fwu, Market Analyst, Software Research. "As the Web penetration grows,
start-ups have attempted to gain a foothold in the online gaming
space, with varying degrees of success. Due to the software piracy
problem in Taiwan, many traditional offline or PC game developers view
this space as a natural market progression to go into, with actual
profits to boot."
******************
I hope this information proves helpful to you. If you have any
further questions, please let me know. I will be happy to help if I
can!
Sincerely,
umiat
Search Strategy
Taiwan and Gaming
taiwan gaming industry
taiwan AND +female gaming
site:.tw +females +gaming +taiwan
site:.tw online gaming
female gaming in Taiwan
taiwan AND +female +online +gaming |
