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February 18, 2025
Marketing and user acquisition
Mobile gaming has grown into a global phenomenon, with millions of players logging in daily to compete, collaborate, and connect. Among these, gamers in South Korea in particular stand out for their unique social behaviors and the role community plays in their gaming experiences – especially considering that South Korea has the highest social media penetration (92%)1 in the Asia-Pacific region. But how do these factors compare to their mobile gaming counterparts in the US and UK?
In this blog, we dive into exclusive data to uncover the social dynamics and community-driven influences shaping gaming habits across these key markets. From the power of in-game friendships to the cultural nuances of gaming communities, we explore how social factors impact player engagement, retention, and monetization.
By drawing comparisons between Korean, US, and UK players, we aim to illuminate the distinct and shared trends that define mobile gaming in South Korea, which boasts a strong gaming culture, high smartphone penetration, and deep integration of social media into their daily lives.
Note: This article’s findings are based on a survey of over 1,000 Korean mobile game spenders (aged 18+) from Q2 2024. The full social & community report is based on over 2,300 mobile gamers in North America.
While in-app advertising remains the top game discovery channel across markets, Korean mobile gamers are much more likely to take their passion offline and discover new games through in-person gaming conventions and events (26% vs 3%). While gaming conventions in the US are fewer and farther between for a consumer audience, popular events like G-STAR in Korea have strong representation with both consumer and B2B audiences.
Surprisingly, while social media ads are the third most popular discovery channel, organic posts and discussions are not a strong channel for UA. As we cover further below, Korean mobile gamers are more likely to engage in communities with games that they already play rather than use social media and community as an avenue to find new games.
🌟 Takeaway: In-person events are much more important in South Korean mobile gaming culture than in the US, so making your presence known at the major South Korean event, G-Star, should be a key consideration to grow your game’s player base and reputation in the market.
As mentioned above, Korean mobile gamers are much more likely to participate in online communities for games they play, which is why it should come as no surprise that they are more likely to consider the reputation and activity level of a game’s online community before installing it (26% vs 15%).
In fact, they’re the segment most likely to consider social factors overall before installing a game, such as assessing content creator reviews and let’s plays and the publisher’s social media presence.
Once a new mobile game is installed, South Koreans take to online communities for deeper engagement in their new titles, activating an out-of-game feedback loop that can greatly contribute to a game’s retention and growth. It’s no surprise that social factors can so heavily influence Korean gamer behaviors, especially when you consider that RPGs are the most popular genre2 of game in the country – with MMORPGs, an inherently social gaming experience, are the most popular subcategory of the genre.
"Gamers will have different motives to be part of a social community. Take for example gamer A, who enjoys and takes pride in sharing his or her knowledge within the game. Gamer B might feel happiness in participating in a social community club or group. Many local mobile games have "clubs" and "cafes" within the game where players can attend and take part. This is possible because, culturally, South Korea embodies closeness when you have something similar or share the same interest." – Yoonki Chang, Senior Account Manager, Mistplay
Our findings that a whopping 83% of Korean mobile gamers engage with online gaming communities compared to only 65% of their US and UK counterparts underline the importance of these factors.
So what motivates Korean mobile gamers to participate in online communities? Predominantly information about the games they’re already playing. Specifically:
Conversely, a lack of engagement in these communities can spell trouble for keeping your Korean gamers engaged in the game itself, as a total 76% report that community engagement impacts their behavior with the game – much more than US and UK gamers.
🌟 Takeaway: An active, positive online community is a key influential install and engagement factor for mobile gamers in South Korea, so ensuring you have a robust community engagement program and are active on local social apps like KakaoTalk – which 87% of South Koreans use3 – is a must for this market.
With 49% of Korean mobile gamers taking a game’s ratings and reviews into consideration, knowing what influences gamers to leave feedback can help you gather more positive feedback and improve your conversion rate at the top of the funnel.
66% of Korean mobile gamers have left reviews for at least one mobile game, and they’re more likely to have left a negative review than their UK or US counterparts (89%).
🌟 Takeaway: Positive community sentiment is critical to growing your game in the South Korean market, so ensuring efficient support processes, frequent engaging content updates, and overall technical performance of your game is a must to grow your positive reviews (and mitigate negative ones).
Getting your social and community engagement strategy right is crucial for unlocking high LTV and long-term engagement in the South Korean market. Plus, with 40% of Korean mobile gamers purchasing IAP, it’s a must-have for your monetization, too.
Download the full social and community report to dive into the data behind the power of community in mobile gaming.
If you’re looking for more tips on improving engagement with Korean gamers, make sure to check out our article on “The spending habits of Korean mobile gamers,” and contact us today to learn more about taking a loyalty-first approach to UA and engagement with Mistplay.
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