The perception of Gamers all being teenage boys in darkened bedrooms is a misconception. Brands who aren’t aware of current trends are missing out on opportunities to reach new communities that would be interested in their products or services.
Stats company Statista predicts that the Gamer population is set to reach 51.88 million by 2025, up from 44.3 million in 2021. It’s a market you can’t afford to not know.
The top 5 misconceptions of brands about Gaming are:
1. Gamers are young and male.
This stereotype is typically driven by the popular eSports culture, however people who play digital games are just as likely to be female and the number of 36-50 year old Gamers are increasing since the pandemic at-home boredom.
2. Gaming is all about Multi-Player Online.
Again, driven by eSports, but a Gamer is anyone who feels the urge to disappear into a fantasy world for a little while, putting off real life – if only just to finish a level. This could be online, on a mobile or via a console.
3. Gamers are unsociable.
Gamers are driven by eight different behaviours, the most prevalent of which is Fellowship. The rise of gaming social networks such as Twitch and Discord prove how important community is to Gamers.
4. Sell to young Gamers to sell to young Gamers.
Pester power plays a massive role in Gamer purchases. The shopping list is controlled by parents, and they need to be convinced of the benefits for their children. If the Gamer goes out and purchases it themselves there is still a sense of ‘under my roof’ to consider within purchase decision-making (in the same way that the current misconceptions of brain-enhancing Nootropic powders long term effects have worried parents.) Also consider that the parent may be the one purchasing the Gamer product.
5. To identify with Gamers, become one.
Gamers are all about authenticity and if your brand’s values don’t identify with your target audience, you will be vilified by Gamers’ cynical tone. Brands must enable and support Gamers in their craft.
Want to know more and discover the experiential and shopper opportunities that can identify with your Gamer audience? Let’s talk.
We have a Do You Speak Gamer? Workshop that we are running with brands looking to get into the Gamer space. Contact Phil.Coffin@n2o.co.uk to find out more.
