Canadians are better at video games than Americans, reveals a new study by mobile game developer and publisher Kwalee. Some may be surprised to learn that South Korea, the country which has won the Overwatch World Cup and has esports pros across several major leagues, isn't in the top 10.
Kwalee, the developer and publisher of mobile games like Draw It and Jetpack Jump, has compiled data revealing which country gets the most achievements per capita. The company looked at more than 42,000 achievements in more than 16,000 games and found that Finland, which has a population of just 5.18 million people, has the most skilled gamers of any country.
In second place is Canada, which was several spots ahead of the United States which finds itself in sixth place. 15 out of the top 20 countries are European and South Korea, which has produced esports greats like League of Legends' player Faker, is 39th because of the size of its population compared to its achievements.
Gamers in the US may not be happy with their sixth placing ranking, but the country does take the crown in some popular titles. Kwalee found that American gamers have the most achievements in the games Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Madden NFL, Crazy Taxi, and the WWE 2K game series. The Metal Gear series is also on there so this may give rumored Metal Gear series buyer Sony something to think about when developing the next game. The USA also dominates when it comes to first-person shooter games.
Canada on the other hand, is the best at Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Fight Night, GoldenEye 007, and Ecco the Dolphin. There are rumors that a brand new Tony Hawk's Pro Skater reboot is in development so perhaps Activision should consult fans in Canada before release.
Americans may feel a little hard done by the rankings but that's not to say that the country's contributions to esports go unrecognized. Some of the most well-known Overwatch League players are from the USA, Americans excel at series like Halo, and Super Smash Bros. Melee, and there are more than a few great American esports pros playing League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. That hard part is getting more of the US popular to unlock achievements in these games as this is what will really affect Kwalee's rankings.
Source: Kwalee
Image source: PXHere Creative Commons