Bryony Barker
04 MARCH 2021
Since being confined to our homes, the gaming industry has thrived and evolved; long gone are the days of gaming being seen as a niche community built on a stereotype. With less stigma and gaming culture moving away from an individual pursuit to a community image, everyone is becoming a gamer.
As this industry continues to innovate and grow, its audience has broadened and developed – is this mode of entertainment and connection the new way to talk to the audience you’re chasing after?
With our days built on the heavy rotation of computer screen to TV screen, people were looking for new ways to entertain themselves on the various rectangles they stare at all day long. Nintendo Switch flew off the shelves at the beginning of lockdown, and last week PS5 game sales surged again. For the people who dabbled in games growing up or those looking for new distractions, the idle time we’ve had on our hands has become the gateway to re-embracing the gaming industry.
Levelling the playing field, gaming is now any one’s sport, and the connection it creates has become a social lifeline. When Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched it was the new way to socialise. Users could build a life for their character outside the four walls of a house, they could even visit friends’ islands and go shopping; some people held virtual birthday parties on the game as a way of celebrating within the limitations of lockdown and one couple held a makeshift wedding when theirs was cancelled. The release of new games and people dipping their toes into the gaming world has meant the audience make-up of gamers has changed – from teenage boys in their dark bedrooms to any one seeking much needed social stimulation.
But gaming isn’t just about the game itself anymore and the gaming lifestyle has had a serious rebrand. With 4 billion views and counting, #GamingSetup is one of TikTok’s trending hashtags. Audiences using the popular transformation format on the app to show off their setups and room makeovers. With Google searches for ‘gaming room setup’ increasing by 120%, this aesthetic angle on gaming has become a new lense to the industry and some influencers are creating whole accounts dedicated to how users can curate the best set up over actual gameplay. Though he has a presence across different platforms, including Twitch and Discord, UK influencer Spudd Gaming has gathered the highest following on his TikTok account where he creates content focussing on his gaming setup, telling followers what products he likes and how he tackles his cable management.
And as the amount of gamers has risen, so has the popularity of esports. With sports games prohibited and networks needing to replace their traditional sports programming, esports has become the sporting substitute. With virtual races like eNASCAR as well as tournament games like League of Legends and Rocket league drawing millions of viewers, esports has emerged as a serious contender for airtime, replicating the same sense of investment and satisfaction in audiences as watching their team play in the Euros.
As always, we never stop searching for the new and best ways to connect with audiences; to find them in their unique territories and create campaigns which talk to them in their own language. The gaming audience isn’t new but it certainly has changed. Never judge a book by its cover – what was once considered a very specific target market is now merging into a considerable and varied demographic.
If you’re interested in what cultural spheres your audience belongs to and how you can talk to them in unforeseen ways, drop us a line and we can delve into our unique Tribes process.