Indonesia becomes key mobile gaming nation in South East Asia

“As a microcosm of the South East Asian gaming market, Indonesia has demonstrated that there is the significant growth potential for mobile gaming in the region due to better accessibility and affordability, as well as the need for ‘snack-sized entertainment,” said Rishi Bedi, the general manager and vice president of Southeast Asia, Japan, and Korea at InMobi.

“Gaming is among the biggest opportunities for advertisers across Southeast Asia today. What it provides is not just a huge reach, but the ability to access an audience that is highly engaged and receptive to ads in an environment that is completely brand safe and impactful. This, in combination with the richness of mobile, ensures that every brand can drive relevant ad experiences at scale.”

Smartphone gaming experienced triple growth in SEA during initial lockdowns in April 2020 and saw major behavioural shift beyond the pandemic as gaming usage more than doubled on average since January 2020.

What does the report say?

• 46% of people in Indonesia turned to mobile gaming for entertainment for the first time because of the pandemic.

• 80% of Indonesian gamers play once to several times a day, with over half of respondents have seven or more games installed.

• 62% remembered the ads they had seen when playing mobile games because it catered to their interests, was immersive or provided them with in-game rewards.

• Peak gaming times have also shifted, with 8am seeing quadruple growth in gaming app engagement compared to pre-pandemic times.

• About 54% of Indonesian respondents have three or more games installed and 46% of gamers download games several times a week.

• 24% of respondents spend an hour gaming while the average mobile gamer spends 11-20 minutes ‘snack sized’ playtime per session.