Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
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- Figure 1: Hours spent watching video game content, October 2019
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- Figure 2: Short, medium and longer term impact of COVID-19 on gaming and gaming influencers, May 2020
- Gaming content platforms to watch
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- Figure 3: Platforms for gaming content, December 2019
- Walkthrough of gaming content
- Top takeaways
- Key trends
- Staying in during COVID-19 will introduce more viewers to gaming content
- Personality matters
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- Figure 4: Why people watch video game content, December 2019
- Action is more fun to watch than play
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- Figure 5: Favorite games to watch vs favorite games to play, 2019
- Direct financial support for a burgeoning market
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- Figure 6: Supporting gaming influencers directly, December 2019
- A loyal audience sticks by streamers
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- Figure 7: Attitudes toward loyalty to gaming influencers, December 2019
- What it means
The Impact of COVID-19 on Gaming Influencers
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- What you need to know
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- Figure 8: Short, medium and longer term impact of COVID-19 on gaming and gaming influencers, May 2020
- Top takeaways for brands
- Opportunities and threats
- Gaming content can be a conduit for brands to reach a new audience
- Flood of new influencers during quarantine provides a better chance to find the right partnership
- Cross-category collaboration can draw new and established audiences
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- Figure 9: The Great One vs The Great Eight Presented by TekSynap, Caps Gaming Twitter, April 23, 2020
- Brands can leverage their own built-in community of gamers
- Lack of live events will hamper reach through the medium term…
- …but digital events can bring people together
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- Figure 10: Fortnite x Travis Scott Astronomical Concert, April 27, 2020
- The impact on the gaming industry
- Gaming booms during stay-at-home orders and audiences will remain after quarantine
- Consumers will seek out games to help them to relax and relieve stress
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- Figure 11: Top three reasons to play video games, December 2019
- The impact on gaming content, influencers and followers
- Gaming content will get more mainstream media coverage
- Current followers will become even more engaged…
- …while new viewers will enter the world of gaming influencers
- A sense of community will drive viewers to support streamers/gaming influencers
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- Figure 12: #PlayApartTogether, Ubisoft tweet, May 1, 2020
- How the crisis will impact key segments of gaming content followers
- Young men will have more time to watch and produce gaming content
- Teens use extra leisure time to create content, which drives the influencer market
- Underrepresented gamers can find their place, leading to a wider reach
- How a COVID-19 recession will reshape the market for gaming influencers
- New industry makes historical comparisons difficult
- Teen and young adult unemployment brings more engagement, less spend
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- Figure 13: Summer employment growth among workers aged 16-19 years, 2006-12
- Free content will keep audiences engaged, but gaming followers will spend less
- Narrowed interests deepen relationships, but limits reach
- COVID-19: US context
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Gaming content consumption led by heavy users
- Gaming interests will grow gaming content
- Content creation is on the rise
- Outside interests drive gaming innovations
Video Game Viewing Overview
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- Gaming content consumption driven by active gamers
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- Figure 14: Hours spent watching video game content, October 2019
- Social media sites amass billions of hours of gaming content
- Twitch leads live streaming, but competition is hot on its heels
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- Figure 15: Global monthly streaming hours watched and platform market share, December 2018 vs December 2019
- League of Legends and Fortnite dominate streaming hours
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- Figure 16: Top 10 publishers watched across all platforms, 2019
The US Gamer: Who They Are and How They Play
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- Who are gamers?
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- Figure 17: Profile of US gamers, by key demographics, December 2019
- Mobile attracts the largest audience
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- Figure 18: Gaming devices, December 2019
- Gaming is a daily habit
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- Figure 19: Frequency of gaming and weekly hours, December 2019
- Casual gaming is common
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- Figure 20: Reasons to play video games, December 2019
- Puzzle and board games have the largest audience
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- Figure 21: Favorite gaming genres ranked, October 2019
Market Perspective
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- Share of influencer followers is growing
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- Figure 22: Share of influencer followers, 2019 and 2020
- Teens driving content creation
Market Factors
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- Asian interests drive US trends in gaming content
- Free games have become more important to gaming content
- Streaming content needs to be mobile
- Technology that informs, connects and entertains is essential amidst COVID-19 pandemic
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- Figure 23: Reasons to use technology, February 2019
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Gaming platforms set up for future growth
- Gaming influencers establish their importance in a crowded market
- The dark side of gaming looms large
- Shorter, collaborative gameplay extends an influencer’s reach
Leading Platforms Overview
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- Twitch
- What it is
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- Figure 24: Amazon Twitch Prime email, July 2019
- Where it’s going
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- Figure 25: Twitch “Just Chatting” UFC banner advertisement, February 2020
- Steam
- What it is
- Where it’s going
- Discord
- What it is
- Where it’s going
- Caffeine
- What it is
- Where it’s going
- Mixer
- What it is
- Where it’s going
What’s Moving the Market Forward
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- Facebook and YouTube making moves to strengthen gaming audience
- Luring creators with lucrative exclusive deals
- Celebrities enter as player one
- Clans and collectives to keep content coming
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- Figure 26: @fazeclan Instagram post, February 2020
- The importance of representation in an emerging market
- Keep the conversation going on social channels
What’s Holding the Market Back
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- Fighting predatory behavior online
- Responding to violent video game content
What to Watch
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- Creating gaming content with brands
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- Figure 27: @gillette Gaming Alliance Instagram post, February 2020
- Capitalizing on the mobile gaming boom
- Rewarding viewers for in-game challenges
- Making clips easier to create and go viral
- Bringing streamers into the real world
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Social media is the easiest entry point into gaming content
- Entertaining personalities bring people to gaming discussions
- The barriers to attracting new fans are miles high
- Walkthroughs and live streams make gaming content stand out
- Action genres are more appealing to watch than play
- Find ways to support a growing market
- Influencers are more than the games they play
- Segmentation highlights unique opportunities among viewers
Who Watches Gaming Content
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- Nearly half of adults watch gaming content
- Social media reaches many gamers
- Gaming platforms have room to grow
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- Figure 28: Platforms for gaming content, December 2019
- Gaming demographics drive influencer content
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- Figure 29: Gaming content viewers, by share of gamers vs non-gamers, December 2019
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- Figure 30: Overview of gaming content viewers, by key demographics, December 2019
- Many viewers only need a few sources for gaming content
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- Figure 31: Number of gaming content platforms viewed, December 2019
- Some platforms are just for gaming
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- Figure 32: Share of gaming versus non-gaming content watched, by platform, December 2019
Why People Watch Gaming Content
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- Entertainment is more important than skill
- Relax, it’s just a game
- There’s always room to improve
- Personalities need to be good, but not great
- Support the gaming community
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- Figure 33: Why people watch video game content, December 2019
- Parents flock to personalities
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- Figure 34: Why people watch video game content, by parental status, December 2019
- Games bring people to certain platforms
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- Figure 35: Why people watch video game content, by gaming content platform viewed, December 2019
Why People Avoid Gaming Content
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- Disinterest and desire to play put barriers in front of gaming content
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- Figure 36: Why people avoid gaming content, December 2019
- Young adults want to get to the games
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- Figure 37: Why people avoid gaming content, by age, December 2019
Types of Gaming Videos
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- Timely, in-depth videos attract the most people to gaming videos
- Learning how to play
- Learning what to discuss
- Learning how to participate
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- Figure 38: Types of gaming videos watched, December 2019
- Millennials want to learn about games, Gen Z about gamers
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- Figure 39: Types of gaming videos watched, by generation, December 2019
- Social Gamers look to stay informed
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- Figure 40: Types of gaming videos watched, by gamer segment, December 2019
- Streaming platforms used for immediate reactions
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- Figure 41: Types of gaming videos watched, by gaming content platform used, December 2019
Favorite Games to Watch
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- Competitive action games rise to the top
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- Figure 42: Favorite games to watch, December 2019
- Gaps between what adults watch and what they play
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- Figure 43: Favorite games to watch vs favorite games to play, 2019
- Closing the gender gap with story-based games
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- Figure 44: Favorite games to watch, by gender, December 2019
- Twitch and Mixer users flock to action games
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- Figure 45: Favorite games to watch, by gaming content platform used, December 2019
How Consumers Support Gaming Influencers
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- Influencer viewers want the right brand support
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- Figure 46: Attitudes toward advertising in gaming, video game content viewers vs gamers, December 2019
- Viewers offer to support gaming influencers in multiple ways
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- Figure 47: Number of ways people support gaming influencers, December 2019
- Most people support by subscribing and sharing
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- Figure 48: Supporting gaming influencers through social channels, December 2019
- Gaming influencers can be the brand
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- Figure 49: Supporting gaming influencers directly, December 2019
- Viewers support brands that help streamers
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- Figure 50: Supporting brands that support gaming influencers, December 2019
Attitudes toward Gaming Influencers
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- Personality over prowess when deciding who to watch
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- Figure 51: Attitudes toward a gaming influencer’s skill, December 2019
- Gameplay comes first
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- Figure 52: Attitudes toward gaming content and gameplay, December 2019
- Viewers are loyal to streamers, and may switch platforms if necessary
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- Figure 53: Attitudes toward loyalty to gaming influencers, December 2019
- Real life personas matter
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- Figure 54: Attitudes toward social gaming and meeting gaming influencers, December 2019
Gaming Influencer Follower Segmentation
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- Factors
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- Figure 55: Gaming influencer follower segmentation, December 2019
- Vacant Viewers (31%)
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunities
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- Figure 56: Profile of Vacant Viewers, December 2019
- Absorbed Allies (29%)
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunities
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- Figure 57: Profile of Absorbed Allies, December 2019
- Passive Players (23%)
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunities
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- Figure 58: Profile of Passive Players, December 2019
- Social Supporters (17%)
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunities
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- Figure 59: Profile of Social Supporters, December 2019
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Direct marketing creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Appendix – The Consumer
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- Figure 60: Genres played by gamers, by sites visited in past 30 days, April 2018-June 2019
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- Figure 61: Number of games bought in the past year by gamers, by sites visited in past 30 days, April 2018-June 2019
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- Figure 62: Devices played on by gamers, by sites visited in past 30 days, April 2018-June 2019
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- Figure 63: Attitudes toward gaming, by sites visited in past 30 days, April 2018-June 2019
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