29 Interesting Online Gaming Facts

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer

Published February 25, 2020

Grand Theft Auto 5 is the most expensive video game ever made—$265 million in production costs._[7]
The Scottish game company DMA created Scotland's largest cultural export ever with the video game Grand Theft Auto. DMA was later acquired by Rockstar Games, who continues to publish the series._[7]
Nearly 30% of online gamers are now over 50 years old. They especially like online crossword puzzles and other word games._[1]

Parents can request that their children be exempt from the South Korean online-gaming shutdown law

In 2011, South Korea passed a law that prohibited children under 16 from playing online video games between midnight and 6:00 a.m._[13]
An estimated 68% of smartphone or tablet owners play online games on their devices._[5]
The number of online console gamers is estimated to be over 57 million globally._[6]
Online games go back to the 1970s in the form of MUDs, including the first MUD1, which was connected to ARPANET in 1980. MUDs (multi-user domain) are multiplayer real-time virtual worlds where players interact._[5]
The first commercial online role-playing game was Islands of Kesmai, which debuted in 1984._[6]
At its peak in 2010, the online game World of Warcraft had over 10 million subscribers. In 2018, there were 5.5 million._[12]
Female online gamers outnumber male gamers. Researchers note that the increase in women players may be due to more personalized characters, complex storylines, and more acceptance of a "geek" culture._[9]

There is a growing female online-gamer market

In 2015, a Shanghai man died after playing World of Warcraft for 19 hours straight. Even when he started to cough up blood, he kept playing._[12]
The worth of the global PC online game market is estimated to be about $2.6 billion._[5]
Worldwide online gaming traffic reaches over 915 petabytes per month._[5]
The evolution of online games mirrors the evolution of computers and computer networking._[5]
Early online computer games in the 1980s encouraged openness and creativity, which later fundamentally influenced the evolution of the Internet itself._[8]

Paul Walker and Vin Diesel were BFFs in life and online

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker used to play World of Warcraft together._[12]
The online game League of Legends is more popular in urban and Democratic areas of the United States; World of Warcraft seems to be more popular in very Republican and more rural states._[14]
World of Warcraft is most popular in Alaska, Oregon, Idaho, and Wyoming._[14]
League of Legends is most popular in Hawaii, California, Alaska, and Washington._[14]
Players of the online video game called Foldit decoded the HIV enzyme that had baffled scientists for 15 years._[4]
Pathological gambling was officially recognized as a clinical disorder in 1980. Online gambling addiction is diagnosed using similar criteria. Because it is available 24 hours a day, online gambling can be even more addictive and its addiction more difficult to recover from._[10]
The first online gambling casino launched in 1996._[10]
The first Internet Bingo site went online in 1998._[10]

Anshe Chung is the online persona of Ailin Graef, the world's first virtual millionaire and developer of digital property

Anshe Chung is an avatar in the online game Second Life and was the first person to become a virtual millionaire. Her make-believe money is legally convertible into genuine US currency worth $1 million._[11]
Okan Kaya, an online gamer from Australia, smashed the Guinness World Record for the longest video game ever played when he played Call of Duty for over 135 hours._[2]
One in three gamers has experienced fraud while paying online games._[3]
Console and PC games, such as Gang Beasts, Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, and Fortnite are frequently cloned and sold in mobile app stores. While most of the clones are harmless, others are created by cybercriminals._[3]
In 2019, a South Korean man was arrested for operating a fake lottery site. He and a group of 14 others had stolen over $41 million from over 340 individuals who had visited the site._[3]
Over 27% of US teens play Fortnite._[3]

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