Adolescent and women are fast arising as `power users` of online games, pushing up popularity of these games to top ranks, outpacing multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs).
In the online game market, `O2Jam`, a typical feminine game developed by O2 Media and is in service by a game portal MGame, ranked first place in the number of hit, shunning `Lineage`, the most popular online game among men users. `O2Jam` attracted 2 million users in four months of commercial service.
Games for children, `Maple Story` of Wizet, and `GetAmfed` of Windy Soft, took third and fifth place in popularity, respectively. Women`s favorite online games, `Geosang` and `Seal Online`, ranked sixth and seventh place, respectively. Among top 10 games, hardcore multiplayer online role playing games such as `Lineage`, `Lineage 2` and `Mu` took second, fourth and ninth place, respectively.
Popularity of online games for children and women also proved to be high in rating made by Ranking.com in the third week of November. `Maple Story` ranked first, outpacing `Lineage` and `Lineage 2` in online game segment. Women role playing games, `Lunentia` and `Seal Online` took ninth and tenth place, respectively. In 3D action and shooting game genre, `GetAmfed` for children placed second in rank.
According to statistics released by the Korea Network Information Center, ratio of men in ages between 6 and 19 who used the Internet mainly for online games slightly increased to 85.3% in June this year from 81.8% a year ago, while that of women in the same ages rose from 54.9% to 62.5% in the same period.
"With launch of a large number of quality online games in the latter half of this year, the number of adolescent and women users is rapidly increasing," said Sohn Seung-cheol, CEO of MGame.