Games Consumer Insights

Trend - In order to immerse consumers more into their video games, brands are launching accessible products that can seamlessly enhance roleplay. These innovations boast voice changing capabilities or even enable users to speak to each other, despite language barriers.

Insight - In the last couple of years, the gaming community has increased in size—and this is especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic when consumers are advised to stay at home and have picked up new hobbies. While some consider games to be entertainment and a way to socialize with their friends, for others—it is a passion. This, in turn, is creating a demand for better experiences, as consumers look to be more immersed, amused, or even distracted.

Trend - In recent years, beauty brands have embraced campaigns in partnership with the esports industry and now, they are going a step further by creating specialized products and/or routines that are tailored to answer the needs of the gaming community.

Insight - Either out of habit or motivated by the health and wellness movement, individuals are emphasizing their skincare routines because taking care of themselves allows them to feel refreshed. Many, however, have hobbies, professional occupations, and everyday lifestyles that are faced-paced and as a result, they are looking for options that will provide a seamless experience, without interrupting their day-to-day activities, ensuring comfort and efficiency.

Trend - "Wellness" isn't typically associated with the fast-paced gaming industry, but brands in this space are increasingly focusing on the overall wellbeing of people who consider themselves to be gamers. This can be seen in everything from mental health initiatives to gamer-specific supplements.

Insight - The gaming industry tends to require focus, concentration, and large amounts of time spent in practice. Whether recreational players or professional ones, many consumers who engage with this space spend a lot of their time in the same position, focusing on their games. This can have unintended health consequences, and gamers are increasingly acknowledging this issue and trying to address it.

Trend - Technology is enhancing the player experience during chess and other popular board game offerings. By integrating artificial intelligence into tabletop game designs, brands are able to also provide training to consumers.

Insight - Contemporary consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable and open to using technology in their daily and work routines, as well as for entertainment and in other facets of their lifestyle. As tech becomes more accessible to a larger portion of the population, individuals will look to satisfy their curiosity by testing out novelty tech-powered versions of products that they are familiar with.

Trend - The luxury fashion industry is leveraging the rise of eSports by introducing unique new products and campaigns specifically aimed at gamers. The unlikely pairing features everything from luxury in-game skins to apparel lines and eSports watches.

Insight - Many young consumers of today, including Gen Z and Millennials, are completely immersed in the world of esports, spending hours a day on the platform, either playing themselves or watching professionals play. Since more traditional platforms like radio and cable tv are less frequently used by these consumers, brands are adapting their products to reach these younger consumers on their preferred platform. As these consumers are already extremely familiar with e-sports, they readily accept new offerings that incorporate the pastime.

Trend - Performance beverages are common in the eSports space and now, food brands are engaging the industry with food and snack options that target the gaming community. These products claim that they offer cognitive boosts that enhance performance.

Insight - Millennial and Gen Z consumers who are part of the eSports community are interested in improving their performance and excelling in the space. Comparing it to other athletic activities, individuals are deducing that a healthy diet, rest, and general self-care practices can be beneficial in enhancing their mental and physical states, enabling them to have stronger cognition, better focus, and reflexes. As a result, many turn their attention to wellness-minded products.

Trend - Videos games require certain skill sets and companies across various industries are recognizing the skills obtained through various games. They are leveraging this in recruitment strategies by partnering with game developers to find players who are aligned with the skills they're looking for.

Insight - The Millennial and Gen Z demographic have been raised in a technological era and naturally push boundaries in many traditional practices, and that includes recruitment and job-seeking. As a result, they're more likely to experiment with alternative approaches and challenge conservative methods when it comes to the hiring process.

Trend - Technology brands ranging from video games to smartphones are now including non-binary characters for consumers to use as representation. These include AI assistants, video game avatars, and emojis.

Insight - Consumers are demanding representation at all levels and from all businesses they frequent. This is especially prevalent in younger demographics, including Gen Z and Millennial consumers, who are less conservative and have become more educated on inclusion and self-representation. As a result, they are unencumbered by the social restrictions of the past and are seeking the opportunity to represent themselves digitally with the same ease of their cis-gendered peers.

Trend - Many developers are working alongside medical professionals to develop immersive mobile and multi-media games to help doctors in training. Emphasizing the practical experience and removing the fear of error, these gamified platforms are more accessible and engaging.

Insight - Many contemporary consumers maintain that immersion through gamified experiences makes content more memorable and engaging for them. In training, individuals who partake in such ventures—whether it is to identify the hazards of the job or for hands-on procedures—experience a sense of security as they feel more comfortable to test and practice their skills in a simulated and risk-free environment of trial-and-error.

Trend - With gaming being an increasingly popular form of entertainment, particularly under stay-at-home orders, brands outside this industry are collaborating with it in unique ways. In-game product experiences are on the rise and showcase artistry, retail stores and products in a way that prioritizes virtual engagement when in-person engagement isn't an option.

Insight - Now that retail and entertainment industries have undergone rapid changes that, in some cases, will remain indefinitely, consumers are re-thinking what they value when it comes to branded engagement. Now that they're not going out of their way to seek experiences out, they expect that brands seamlessly integrate them into the habits they're already taking part in--gaming and social media are two areas in which this can be done.