Tehran and four other provinces namely Fars, Isfahan, Khorasan Razavi, and Khuzestan are the largest markets for video games, generating 5.1trillion rials ($31 million) for the sector in revenues.
A survey conducted by Iran’s Digital Games Research Center, known as DIREC, shows that 12.9 million gamers live in the five provinces and spent more than $30 million on video games and gaming devices in the past fiscal which ended in March.
According to the report published on DIREC’s website, Tehran leads with 5.1million gamers, followed by Fars with 2.2 million, Isfahan 2.2 million, Khorasan Razavi 2 million, and Khuzestan 1.3 million.
Anyone who spends over an hour a week playing video games on a mobile phone, computer or console is considered a gamer.
DIREC reported earlier that Iran has 28 million gamers, annually generating 9.2 trillion rials ($55m). The five provinces collectively have a 55.4% share of the domestic market.
The amounts include money spent on video games, gaming consoles, and accessories.
Tehran has a 33.6% share of the lucrative market in terms of revenue with $18.78 million, followed by Fars 4.5 million (8.1%), Isfahan $2.93 million (5.3%), Khorasan Razavi $2.55 million (4.6%), and Khuzestan $2.16 million (3.9%).
Residents in Tehran spent $11.4 million on gaming devices and $7.36 million on games. Mobile games have the largest share of the revenue from software sales with $3.67 million (19.5%) followed by console games $2.9 million (15.5%) and computer games $1.62 million (4.2%). Gaming devices sales have the biggest share of the industry’s revenues in the other four provinces as well.
In the survey 8,000 people were asked how much time they spent every day playing video games, how much the hobby costs them and what is their preferred gaming platform.
It was found that 39% of those surveyed in Tehran play video games, 31% in Khorasan Razavi, 47% in Khuzestan, 46% in Fars and 25% in Isfahan.
>Ardent Game Lovers
The most ardent game lovers were in Isfahan with 51% of those surveyed saying that they play video games every day, followed by Tehranis with 45% giving the same answer, 42% from Khuzestan, 41% in Khorasan Razavi and 40% from Fars.
Moreover, on average the Isfahanis spend 104 minutes every day playing, followed by Tehran with 97 minutes, Khuzestan 88 minutes, Fars 84 minutes and Khorasan Razavi 80 minutes.
Data released by DIREC indicates that most gamers are men. For instance, 60% of gamers from Tehran are men while the gender divide grows to 69% to 31% in Khuzestan.
As expected, gaming is more popular with younger people with the average age of gamers at 21 in Fars dropping to 17 in Isfahan.
The survey further showed that most Iranian gamers are unmarried. For instance, 80% of gamers in Tehran were single.
According to the data, mobile phones are people’s preferred gaming platform. For example, 92% of gamers in Tehran use their handsets to play games, while 29% use consoles and 27% computers. Mobile phones are the most popular gaming platform in the other provinces as well.
>Popular Games
The most popular game in the five provinces was the Clash of Clans, a mobile strategy video game developed and published by Finnish company Supercell. In second place was Grand Theft Auto (GTA) in Fars and Khuzestan, and Pro Evolution Soccer series (PES) in the remaining three provinces.
Pro Evolution Soccer series is a series of association football simulation video games developed and released annually since 2001. It is developed and published by Konami. It consists of eighteen main installments and several spinoff-style titles and has seen releases on many different platforms. GTA is an action-adventure video game series.
With Khuzestan an exception, the first-person shooter video game Counter Strike is the third most popular game in the provinces. The title is claimed by FIFA in Khuzestan.
FIFA, also known as FIFA Football or FIFA Soccer, is a series of association football video games or football simulator, released annually by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label.
Locally developed word game Baghlava also appears in the top games chart earning the rank of the fourth most popular game in Fars and Khuzestan and fifth in Isfahan.
Some of the most popular game genres in the five provinces are sports, puzzle, platformer/runner, arcade and strategy.
Online gaming is also gaining traction in Iran, with 59% of gamers from Tehran playing online, followed by 54% in Fars, 49% in Khuzestan, 44% in Khorasan Razavi, and 38% in Isfahan.
