The gaming industry has driven trends in the entertainment sector globally. Thailand has also picked up on popular worldwide gaming trends and cultivated a demand for gaming segments in the past decade, such as the rising popularity of online gaming for battle royale and match genres. The country’s online gaming scene has become a prevalent segment in its video games market as it continues to cater to consumer preferences that are evolving towards casual gaming.
The rise of online gaming in Thailand
Online gaming in Thailand increased in popularity in correlation with
the country’s high levels of internet penetration in recent years. The
introduction of fifth-generation technology or 5G coverage in Thailand has contributed to the accelerating growth of the gaming industry. Due to lower latency, gamers using 5G connections experience fewer lags and faster live streaming speeds. This improvement in streaming quality allows more Thai consumers to
watch online gaming streams through popular platforms such as Twitch, YouTube Live, and Facebook gaming. It also allows more people to create online gaming content, which further markets online gaming to potential players. Additionally, rising
smartphone penetration rates have also contributed to the popularity of online gaming since smartphones are a highly accessible option for consumers to play games on the go.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has also considerably pushed the popularity of online gaming since it allows consumers to spend time together remotely amid social distancing regulations. These combined factors have escalated Thailand’s online gaming environment, contributing to the country’s overall gaming market size,
making it one of the largest compared to other countries in Southeast Asia in 2020. Online gaming devices and popular titles
Although PCs, laptops, and gaming consoles are the traditional online gaming devices,
smartphones have become the most penetrative device for casual online gaming in Thailand. Games in recent years have catered to casual players who are not looking to buy dedicated gaming consoles or PCs. Popular console and PC online gaming titles, such as Diabolo, have been converted to mobile platforms, making online gaming very pervasive,
especially among the younger age groups. Some popular mobile online gaming titles in Thailand include Garena RoV, Garena Free Fire, Roblox, and PUBG Mobile. For online games on consoles and PCs, Thais prefer multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) titles such as Dota 2 and League of Legends. Fortnite has also contributed to the popularity of the battle royale genre in Thailand, along with PUBG.
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