Survey: 200 Million Online Gamers In China, As Warcraft Returns In 'Closed Beta'

Around 200 million internet users in China play online games, or about 64 percent of total web users in the country, representing double-digit growth from a year ago, according to a new survey by the China Internet Network Information Center.

The figures measure internet usage in China as of June 30, 2009, and place online gaming as the sixth most-used application for the web, analysts at Stern Agee reported, citing the survey. Online game usage is up 16 percent year-on-year.

"This may explain why the average number of hours spent per internet user per week went up to 18 hours from 16.6 hours at year-end 2008", Stern Agee analysts said.