Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Overview
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- Figure 1: Video game devices used, January 2019
- Frequent gaming dominates market
- Key takeaway
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- Figure 2: Share of dedicated vs casual gamers, January 2019
- Hardware crucial to purchase decision
- Key takeaway
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- Figure 3: Importance of gaming hardware, by rank, January 2019
- Competitive mobile gaming has room to grow
- Key takeaway
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- Figure 4: Attitudes toward competitive mobile gaming, by gamer segment, January 2019
- Building the streaming and eSports audience
- Key takeaway
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- Figure 5: Streaming games and eSports, by gaming device used, January 2019
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Key gaming markets on the rise
- Emerging tech supports gaming trends
- Digital media trends impact gaming
Market Breakdown
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- Gaming hardware and software
- What is happening
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- Figure 6: Gaming hardware and software revenue, by share of revenue
- What is coming
- Twitch and YouTube
- What is happening
- What is coming
- eSports
- What is happening
- What is coming
Market Factors
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- 5G is on the horizon
- Kids, teens driving gaming trends
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- Figure 7: Kids and teens who play video games, April 2017-June 2018
- Connected hardware enters more lives
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- Figure 8: Connected device ownership, 2016 vs 2018
Market Perspective
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- Digital video attracting new entrants, more consumers
- Streaming audio options expanding
- Online interactions can lead to further isolation
Key Trends – What You Need to Know
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- Dictating what they want to see
- Gamers give a damn about a bad reputation
- New developments coming from familiar sources
What’s Working?
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- The impact of free competitive gaming
- The play pass for unlimited gaming
- Adaptive controllers promote inclusivity
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- Figure 9: Microsoft Super Bowl Commercial 2019: We All Win (Extended Version), January 2019
- Giving tools to developers
What’s Struggling?
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- No end in sight for toxic online behavior
- Delayed starts better than buggy releases
- VR could happen…maybe…any day now…
What’s Next?
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- The development of cloud gaming
- Entering the US gaming phone market
- Facebook comes to play
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Mobile makes up most of the market
- Dedicated gamers dominate
- Easy games get played more
- Cannot undersell the importance of hardware
- Video game purchases are infrequent
- Game viewership is its own important sector
- Competitive mobile gaming growth to cross over from consoles
- Give them what’s cheap and familiar
- Gaming competes with other media
Video Game Devices
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- Key opportunity
- Mobile dominating adult gaming market
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- Figure 10: Video game devices used, January 2019
- Three in 10 gamers play on at least four devices
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- Figure 11: Number of video game devices used, January 2019
- Significant share of gamers play daily
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- Figure 12: Daily use of video game devices, January 2019
- Computer, console gamers make up in weekly play
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- Figure 13: Frequency of video game device use, January 2019
Gamer Segmentation
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- Nearly nine in 10 gamers play at least weekly
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- Figure 14: Share of dedicated vs casual gamers, January 2019
- Dedicated gamers represent traditional gaming demographics
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- Figure 15: Key demographics of dedicated gamer, January 2019
- Differences by device type
- Dedicated mobile gamers: Play weekly on mobile device
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- Figure 16: Key demographics of dedicated mobile gamer, January 2019
- Dedicated console gamers: Play weekly on console
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- Figure 17: Key demographics of dedicated console gamer, January 2019
- Dedicated computer gamers: Play weekly on computer
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- Figure 18: Key demographics of dedicated computer gamer, January 2019
Video Game Genres
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- Key opportunity
- Instant gratification tops more involved gameplay
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- Figure 19: Preferred video game genres, January 2019
- Dedicated mobile, casual gamers look to low engagement categories
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- Figure 20: Preferred video game genres – Casual genres, by gamer segment, January 2019
- Console gamers are action-oriented
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- Figure 21: Preferred video game genres – Action genres, by gamer segment, January 2019
Video Game Hardware
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- Key opportunity
- Good gear is important for most gamers
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- Figure 22: Attitudes toward gaming hardware, January 2019
- Speed and graphics top hardware concerns
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- Figure 23: Importance of gaming hardware, by rank, January 2019
Video Game Retail
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- Key opportunity
- Frequent purchases make up small share of market
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- Figure 24: Number of games purchased in last 12 months, July 2017-August 2018
- Adults can wait for games
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- Figure 25: New game purchase timeframe, July 2017-August 2018
- Gamers are cheap and games are expensive
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- Figure 26: Attitudes toward gaming purchases, July 2017-August 2018
Streaming Games and eSports
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- Key opportunity
- Significant interest in supporting professional gaming
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- Figure 27: Attitudes toward viewing gaming, January 2019
- Console gamers watch gameplay across arenas
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- Figure 28: Streaming games and eSports, by gaming device used, January 2019
- Casual gamers more likely to watch pre-recorded videos
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- Figure 29: Streaming games and eSports, by gamer segment, January 2019
- Computer, console gamers get in on the action
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- Figure 30: Competitive gaming participation, by gaming device used, January 2019
Competitive Mobile Gaming
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- Key opportunity
- Some hesitation for more competitive mobile games
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- Figure 31: Attitudes toward competitive mobile gaming, January 2019
- Console gamers looking for crossover
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- Figure 32: Attitudes toward competitive mobile gaming, by gamer segment, January 2019
- Big three smartphone providers speak to different devices
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- Figure 33: Gamer segment, by smartphone brand, January 2019
Gaming Behaviors
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- Key opportunity
- Purchase behaviors in gaming
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- Figure 34: Paid gaming behaviors, January 2019
- Free-to-play shifting landscape
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- Figure 35: Attitudes toward free games, January 2019
- Online gameplay as an important afterthought
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- Figure 36: Online gaming behaviors, January 2019
- New is not always more important
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- Figure 37: New game behaviors, January 2019
Gaming in Society
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- Key opportunity
- Gaming is competitive with other media
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- Figure 38: Gaming as a leisure option, January 2019
- Gaming is addictive but not necessarily harmful
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- Figure 39: Negative repercussions of gaming, January 2019
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
Appendix – The Consumer
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- Figure 40: Number of games purchased in last 12 months, teens aged 12-17, April 2017-June 2018
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- Figure 41: New game purchase timeframe, teens aged 12-17, April 2017-June 2018
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