The Game Hub Senegal: Video Games in Africa
51% of people from Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Cameroon haven't paid in games because they do not have a bank card.
The survey was conducted in Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Cameroon. Interviews were conducted with 785 people from July 21, 2023, to August 28, 2023. The majority of respondents (over 80%) were male.
Android is the main platform in Senegal (81%), Ivory Coast (89%), and Cameroon (96%).
Around 80% of residents of the surveyed countries play games at least a couple of times a day. For example, 22% of Senegalese residents play more than 5 times a day.
Only 24-25% of residents of the listed countries play games for more than one hour a day. The majority play for up to 30 minutes a day.
The majority of players play offline (66% in Cameroon; 57% in Ivory Coast; 54% in Senegal).
Almost half of the residents of Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Senegal download fewer than 5 games per year.
Call of Duty, "soccer," Garena Free Fire, Ludo, and Temple Run are the games mentioned by residents when asked about the last game they downloaded.
More than 60% of the local population have never played games by African developers. The main reason is that they have never heard of them.
52% of Cameroonians, 57% of Ivorians, and 40% of Senegalese residents spend money on games.
Interestingly, only 15% of users paid with a credit card. The most popular payment method is through mobile money (43%). Next is Airtime Money Transfer (22%) and buying a top-up card in a store (21%).
Mobile Airtime Money Transfer is a prepaid phone balance top-up.
Residents of Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Senegal are united in their preference for F2P (Free-to-Play) games and reluctance to pay for games. However, in Senegal and Ivory Coast, a large percentage of respondents (30% and 28% respectively) said they were willing to pay for games on a subscription basis.
51% of residents of these countries noted that they did not pay for games because they did not have a credit card. The next most popular response (14% of respondents) was "I don't like to buy."
Regarding motivation, the majority of players from these countries play to relax and unwind.
