A new report commissioned by the French Embassy in Senegal DER in partnership with, Kayfo Studio, Game Hub Senegal and Masseka Studios has provided some intriguing game creation and playing havits habits into a trio of French speaking countries.
The 47 page report is the result of a survey featuring 785 respondents and was conducted over a month in July and August 2023. Key indicators covered included the types of phones used, the frequency and duration of gaming sessions, preferences for online or offline gaming, the number of games downloaded recently, social media interactions, gaming styles, experiences and evaluations of African games, spending and payment preferences, favourite game models, motivations for gaming, difficulties encountered, video game preferences, and willingness to spend money on games.
Key Takeaways
The survey primarily involved participants aged 19 to 25, with a balanced gender distribution.
The report also highlighted the dominance of mobile gaming across the region, with Android demonstrating a commanding share of the market (80%) among respondents. The report also illustrates most respondents haven’t played any African developed games citing avlack of knowledge the about locally developed games and their developers.
Additionally, a majority have spent money on games, preferring Mobile Money as the preferred payment method.
Participant Distribution by Country:
Cameroon: 35.4%
Senegal: 32.2%
Côte d’Ivoire: 32.4%
Distribution by Gender and Age Group:
The most represented age group is 19 to 25 years, with participation exceeding 43% in each country. Women in this age group average 18 respondents per country, while men number 104. The age group of 26 to 35 years averages 80 participants per country, with 7 women and 72 men. These results provide a detailed overview of participant demographics, highlighting the importance of younger generations in this survey.
I. Phone Type by Country:
In Francophone countries, Android phones dominate, with usage exceeding 80% among respondents in each country. However, iPhone usage is more prevalent in Senegal compared to the other study countries.
II. Distribution of Respondents by Daily Gaming Sessions:
The majority of respondents in all countries play once or twice a day, with a proportion exceeding 40%, except in Senegal where it is 33%. In Cameroon, 33% of women and 42% of men play once or twice a day, while in Côte d’Ivoire, the respective percentages are 50% and 39%. In Senegal, the proportion of men playing once or twice a day is higher, but among women, 35% do not play at all. In each country, the age group under 18 prefers to play less than three times a day, exceeding 40%. In summary, most respondents, regardless of gender and age group, play once or twice a day, except in Senegal, where the age group of 26 to 35 prefers to play between 3 and 5 times a day.
III. Relationship Between Daily Playtime by Country, Gender, and Age:
The distribution of daily playtime varies by country, gender, and age of respondents. Overall, most players spend between 10 and 30 minutes per day on the game, except in Senegal, where the majority spends less than 10 minutes per day. In Côte d’Ivoire, respondents are evenly distributed between those who play between 10 and 30 minutes and those who play less than 10 minutes per day. The age group of 19 to 25, the most represented, generally spends between 10 and 30 minutes per day. Respondents aged 26 to 35 in Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire spend more time, with 43% playing between 30 minutes and 1 hour in
Cameroon and 35% spending between 10 and 30 minutes in Côte d’Ivoire. In Senegal, 30% of respondents aged 26 to 35 play more than an hour per day. The category of over 45, less represented, generally spends less than 10 minutes per day on the game.
IV. Distribution on Gaming Mode (Online or Offline):
The majority of respondents in Francophone countries prefer offline gaming, with over 53% in each country. In general, more than 50% of respondents, regardless of gender, opt for offline gaming, except in Côte d’Ivoire, where 55% of female respondents play online. Regardless of age group, the trend is towards offline gaming, exceeding 50%, except in Cameroon and Senegal, where over 67% of respondents over 45 prefer online gaming.
V. Number of Games Downloaded in the Last 12 Months:
In each country, most respondents (over 40%) report downloading less than 5 games in the last 12 months, with notable variations such as 44% in Cameroon, 41% in Côte d’Ivoire, and 42% in Senegal. Regardless of gender, the proportion of those who downloaded less than 5 games exceeds 40%, except in Côte d’Ivoire, where 32% of women downloaded less than 5 games. In the age groups of 19 to 25, 26 to 35, and under 18 (except in Senegal), over 36% of respondents report downloading less than 5 games in the last 12 months. However, in the age group over 45 in Cameroon, 44% did not download games during the period, while in Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, over 40% downloaded less than 5 games.
VII. Preferred Gaming Style by Country, Gender, and Age:
The general preference for 3D games is evident in all countries, with over 55% of respondents favoring this style, except for women in Senegal, where the proportion is 47%. Regardless of the age group, the preference for offline games is dominant, exceeding 50% in each country, except in Cameroon and Senegal, where over 67% of respondents aged over 45 play online.
VIII. Names of the Latest Games:
In Côte d’Ivoire, “Call of Duty,” “Football,” and “Ludo” are the most frequently mentioned games as recent downloads, while in Senegal, “Free Fire” is more popular. In Cameroon, “Temple Run” is mentioned more frequently. For men aged 19 to 25, “Football” and “Free Fire” are the most recently downloaded games, while “Temple Run” is more popular among women of the same age group. “Call of Duty” and “Ludo” are preferred by men aged 26 to 35. Overall, games like “Call of Duty,” “Football,” “Ludo,” and “Free Fire” are primarily downloaded by men, except for “Temple Run,” which is more popular among women.
IX. Analysis of African Game Experience (Played African Games):
The vast majority of respondents from the studied countries, over 60% (60% in Cameroon, 66% in Côte d’Ivoire, and 62% in Senegal), claim never to have played African games, according to their responses to the question about their experience with African games.
X. Reasons Why Respondents Play or Don’t Play African Games:
The majority of respondents in each Francophone country, exceeding 82%, claim never to have heard of African games, according to the survey results on why respondents play or do not play African games.
XI. Evaluation of Respondents Who Have Played African Games:
The respondents from three French-speaking countries (Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Senegal) predominantly assess African games as “Good” and “Excellent,” with percentages of 37% in Cameroon, 49% in Ivory Coast, and 48% in Senegal. Women primarily attribute an “Excellent” rating (over 54%) to African games, while in Cameroon, 38% of men consider them “Average.” In age groups 19-25 in Cameroon and Senegal, as well as 26-35 in Cameroon and Senegal, games are judged “Good” and “Excellent.” In Ivory Coast, the majority of respondents believe the games are “Excellent,” while in Senegal, the 26-35 age group presents a balanced evaluation between “Excellent” and “Average.”
XII. Have you ever spent money on a game?
Overall, in Cameroon and Ivory Coast, a majority of respondents, 52% in Cameroon and 57% in Ivory Coast, have spent money on a game. In contrast, 60% of respondents in Senegal have never spent money on a game. The proportion of women who have never spent money on a game is high, reaching 52% in Cameroon and Senegal. Notably, the proportion of men who have spent money on a game is high, exceeding 55% in Cameroon and Ivory Coast. In Ivory Coast, regardless of age group, there are more respondents who have spent money on a game, while in Senegal, regardless of age group, there are more respondents who have never spent money on a game.
XIII. How did you pay?
In general, Mobile Money is the most used payment method, exceeding 46% usage in Ivory Coast and Cameroon. In Senegal, the credit card is more frequently used as a payment method, representing 31% of respondents.
XIV. Maximum amount to spend on a game
The proportion of respondents willing to spend more than 1000 F for a game is higher in Senegal (40%) compared to other French-speaking countries. In Ivory Coast, those willing to spend between 251 and 500 F are more numerous than in Cameroon and Senegal. In each country, more than 25% of men are willing to spend more than 1000 F on a game.
XV. Interested in paying a subscription of 100F per day and access unlimited games according to the country
The proportion of respondents willing to pay a 100F per day subscription to access unlimited games is equal to or greater than 56% in all countries, except Senegal where it is 48%.
XVI. Preferred game models
In Cameroon, the majority of respondents (30%) prefer the “subscriptions, unlimited games, without ads” option, particularly appreciated by men. In Senegal, the preference is for the “free game with lots of ads” option (45%), while in Ivory Coast, the proportion is equivalent between those opting for “free games with lots of ads” and “free games, without ads but with paid options,” at 30%.
XVII. Reasons for playing games by country
In each country, the majority of respondents (over 32%) play video games to relax, with specific variations in subcategories. In Cameroon, 45.02% mainly play to relax, while in Ivory Coast, 32.68%, and in Senegal, 32.26%, share the same motivation. Other reasons include the desire to pass the time, discover, learn, outperform others, or surpass oneself, with nuances in preferences according to countries.
XVIII. Difficulties encountered when you want to play
Overall, there is a balanced distribution between those who do not encounter difficulties when playing games and those who think the internet poses a problem, with a proportion of 25%. In Cameroon, the majority (25%) cites the problem of the internet as a source of difficulties, while in Senegal, the majority (29%) indicates not encountering any particular problem.
XIX. Favorite types of games
The favorite type of game varies by country: in Ivory Coast and Senegal, “Sports” games are the most appreciated, with a proportion of respondents exceeding 40%, followed by “Action” games. In Cameroon, “Adventure” and “Sports” games are preferred.
XX. What attracts you to video games?
The main attraction in video games varies from country to country. Respondents from all three countries are mostly attracted to challenges and progression, representing 40% in Cameroon, 37% in Ivory Coast, and 34% in Senegal among 99, 132, and 114 respondents, respectively. On average, the number of respondents attracted to challenges and progression is twice as high as those attracted to “playing with friends,” which is the second most cited attraction.
XXI. Why have you never spent money?
The main reason respondents do not spend money on a video game in each country is the absence of a credit card, cited by more than 45% of respondents in each country. It is important to note that this proportion is nearly three times higher than that of respondents stating they do not like to make purchases.
XXII. What motivated you to spend money on a game?
The majority of respondents in the three countries (over 35%) are motivated to spend money on a game, with unlocking a game level being the second source of motivation for these expenses.
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