Gaming has surged in China throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, though players are primarily gravitating toward older, more familiar titles.
According to Niko Partners' report on The Impact of COVID-19 on China's Video Game Market, gaming revenue in China was up roughly 30% year-over-year during Q1 2020 -- while much of China was under various stages of quarantine.
Through a survey of 1,057 Chinese gamers, Niko Partners found that 97% of respondents were spending more time on mobile games than they had prior to the pandemic.
Meanwhile, 95% said they were spending more time with PC games, and 95% were playing more console games.
Much of this uptick in gaming time was spent with familiar titles, as 89% reported sticking with games that were familiar to them, and 61% saying they returned to a game they had previously played but had stopped.
However, 75% of those surveyed said they had tried to play games on a new platform (mobile, PC, or console) since the outbreak began.
Viewership of gaming in China was also up, with 62% of respondents staying they were spending more time watching esports, 65% watching more video game live streams, and 40% saying they had tried live streaming themselves for the first time.

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