Many of us have seen lively cybercafés in cities around the world, full of young people playing games. We know that richer countries have more Internet users and poorer countries have fewer Internet users. Surprisingly however, in many of the commercial Internet access points we canvassed, game playing in developing cities was not as popular a use of time as it was in the cities of more advanced economies.

Researchers contacted cybercafés around the world to find out how many users, on a average day, came in to play games online.1 They surveyd three cybercafés in each of 19 cities. The cities were chosen for geographical spread and assumed cultural differences. The researchers asked:

  1. How many Internet users did they normally have during one day?
  2. What percentage of Internet users use the Internet for gaming purposes?

After the data was collected from each researcher, the numbers of Internet users and the percentage of gaming users were averaged for each city.2

As a result, about 50 percent of all Internet users that pay for Internet access at cybercafés use the Internet for gaming purposes. On average, one-third of total Internet users in developing cities were using the Internet for gaming purposes. In developed cities, however, two-thirds of total Internet users were using the Internet for gaming purposes. This data tells us a realistic number of what the world is using the Internet to access. London, Seoul and Athens had the largest number of total Internet users per day, and consequently, the most gaming users as well. Conversely, cybercafés in cities such as Cairo reported fewer users on a average day, and a smaller portion of online gamers. With connection speeds and costs varying widely around the world, it is not surprising that online gaming has become a luxury activity in many cities.Â

If someone in Cairo were to use the Internet everyday, roughly 26 percent of their average daily income would go towards Internet use which causes Internet use to be significantly lower in developing cities compared to developed areas. In wealthy global cities such as London, cybercafés are accessible, widespread, and convenient. Internet rates are also more feasible compared to average income, making up only 5 percent of a Londoners average daily income.3

The most surprising statistic from a global city would be the data that was retrieved from Nairob’s Internet cafés. With an average of 150 Internet users per day, each cybercafé surveyed reported that none of its users were using the Internet for gaming purposes. Nairobi is perhaps the poorest city polled and yet had the least amount of gaming users. Developed cities such as London, Seoul and Athens had the most gaming users. This contrast suggests that perhaps people in Nairobi can not access the Internet as easily compared to those in wealthier cities, and therefore, use the Internet for more practical purposes.

  1. Staff Research. (2006). World Information Access Report. Seattle, WA: World Information Access Project, Department of Communication, University of Washington. [back]
  2. Download WIA Spreadsheet Gaming Online in 19 Cities [back]
  3. Staff calculations based on data from: World Bank. (2006). World Development Indicators. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank. [back]