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Gaming is for Everyone: A Guide to How Brands Can Win with Gaming

Charlie Bossy

Charlie Bossy

Senior Buyer at Involved Media Canada

Picture this: a teenager, a preteen, your parents, your grandfather, your grandmother, your uncle, your aunt, your brother, your sister, your boss, your teacher, your personal trainer, your butcher, your baker, your candlestick maker. It’s likely these people do not have a ton in common beyond maybe a handful of things. Likely one of the traits that unites them is that they are gamers. Yes, video gamers.

Let’s unpack this a bit.

Gaming is BIG

It’s estimated that nearly 3 billion people worldwide (and 56.4% of the population in North America)* play games and that the worldwide market value of gaming is in the ballpark of $350 billion in 2024 and is expected to continue to grow.** This is roughly triple the market value of the global film industry*** making gaming the biggest media category in the world. With something so big and played by so many there’s a huge range of diversity within the space. Different platforms, different games, different ways to play. Fifty percent of gamers play on more than one platform(79% on mobile, 41% on console, 43% on PC)**** which makes it a truly cross-platform play for brands.

Gaming is culturally impactful with household names such as Super Mario, Fortnite and Roblox to games that skew older like Wordle. It occupies a huge place in a large swath of people’s daily lives: what they consume, what they interact with, what they do with their spare time, what they’re interested in.

This presents a huge opportunity for brands to reach audiences in impactful and meaningful ways. So how do we do this and where do we start?

Gaming is for everyone

First and foremost we need to dispense of our preconceived notions of what a gamer is. Gone are the days of gamers being exclusively nerds in dimly lit basements subsisting off of high caffeinated beverages. Gaming is for everyone. This means there isn’t a one-size fits all approach for marketers. Focus should instead turn to how brands can leverage the space to build trust in their products and services, building awareness and engaging with applicable audiences and communities in meaningful ways. Audiences are vastly different from game to game, with varied expectations and interests.Brands need to be aware of this and tailor their messages and approach accordingly.

Generation Twitch

While games are played across generations, gaming is the preferred entertainment activity of Gen-Z. The opportunity to engage with an audience that is harder to reach via traditional media and is seeing their disposable income grow, should have brands chomping at the bit. Again, marketers must be aware that this isn’t just “gamers” we’re targeting, but a specific community that is going to vary from game to game. Live-streaming platform Twitch (where users can broadcast, watch and interact primarily with video game streamers) have given insights into this audience and identified a series of different pillars that marketers should consider when targeting what they dubbed “Generation Twitch.”

Compared to even millennials, Generation Twitch has only ever known the digital world and have different expectations about their social and advertising experiences. Twitch emphasized the need to “speak their language” and rethink how we advertise with a shift in ideals:

Curated → Authentic: brands must show an authentic side; seek out real, raw experiences. Not polished.

Fixed → Fluid: due to tech, the distinctions between the real world and online are more fluid; the ability to influence live contact is unique and you don’t see that in many places; Gen Twitch is looking for fluidity to enhance their consumer experience. Integrate your brand in a way that takes advantage of the creative opportunities available via the digital experience

Exclusive → Inclusive: Gen Twitch prefers inclusivity. Shouldn’t matter where you are in the world, everyone should be able to participate in art and culture. They feel they have a lot to learn from each other and are idealistic.

Passive → Collaborative: Community is more important than the individual. They like collective experiences.

Disengaged → Purposeful: Money must be spent on something they believe in. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves. Brands with purpose drive causes and Gen Twitch expects brands to stand for something

We’re seeing legacy brands lean into these principles to reach younger audiences. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has partnered with popular streamers Kai Cenat and iShowSpeed to reach a more gaming-centric audience which benefits both streamer and brand. Both WWE and these streamers are known for their larger-than-life personalities and high-energy which showcases the brand tailoring their strategy in a purposeful way and makes the partnership come across as authentic.

Things to remember

If you keep in mind that gaming isn’t monolithic but universal and tailor your messages accordingly, you can find success in a space that is going to continue to see ad revenue and investment grow. Ingratiating your brand into the community, learning the language of each space and understanding the changing ideals of newer generations will go a long way in setting your marketing initiatives up for success. While brands have often had trepidation about gaming because of ideas about who gamers are and what video gaming is, this has evolved and, in most cases, marketers should be there to tap into big and growing audiences and build affinity and awareness of your brands and products.

Sources

* https://content-na1.emarketer.com/worldwide-digital-gamers-forecast-2025

** https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/gaming-global-market-report

*** https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/movies-and-entertainment-global-market-report

****Newzoo Global Gamer Study 2023

***** https://advertising.amazon.com/en-ca/library/news/what-marketers-should-know-about-engaging-generation-twitch

Reach out to see how gaming can boost your marketing capabilities. 

    What is 9 + 7 ?


     

    Charlie Bossy

    Charlie Bossy

    Senior Buyer at Involved Media Canada

    Picture this: a teenager, a preteen, your parents, your grandfather, your grandmother, your uncle, your aunt, your brother, your sister, your boss, your teacher, your personal trainer, your butcher, your baker, your candlestick maker. It’s likely these people do not have a ton in common beyond maybe a handful of things. Likely one of the traits that unites them is that they are gamers. Yes, video gamers.

    Let’s unpack this a bit.

    Gaming is BIG

    It’s estimated that nearly 3 billion people worldwide (and 56.4% of the population in North America)* play games and that the worldwide market value of gaming is in the ballpark of $350 billion in 2024 and is expected to continue to grow.** This is roughly triple the market value of the global film industry*** making gaming the biggest media category in the world. With something so big and played by so many there’s a huge range of diversity within the space. Different platforms, different games, different ways to play. Fifty percent of gamers play on more than one platform(79% on mobile, 41% on console, 43% on PC)**** which makes it a truly cross-platform play for brands.

    Gaming is culturally impactful with household names such as Super Mario, Fortnite and Roblox to games that skew older like Wordle. It occupies a huge place in a large swath of people’s daily lives: what they consume, what they interact with, what they do with their spare time, what they’re interested in.

    This presents a huge opportunity for brands to reach audiences in impactful and meaningful ways. So how do we do this and where do we start?

    Gaming is for everyone

    First and foremost we need to dispense of our preconceived notions of what a gamer is. Gone are the days of gamers being exclusively nerds in dimly lit basements subsisting off of high caffeinated beverages. Gaming is for everyone. This means there isn’t a one-size fits all approach for marketers. Focus should instead turn to how brands can leverage the space to build trust in their products and services, building awareness and engaging with applicable audiences and communities in meaningful ways. Audiences are vastly different from game to game, with varied expectations and interests.Brands need to be aware of this and tailor their messages and approach accordingly.

    Generation Twitch

    While games are played across generations, gaming is the preferred entertainment activity of Gen-Z. The opportunity to engage with an audience that is harder to reach via traditional media and is seeing their disposable income grow, should have brands chomping at the bit. Again, marketers must be aware that this isn’t just “gamers” we’re targeting, but a specific community that is going to vary from game to game. Live-streaming platform Twitch (where users can broadcast, watch and interact primarily with video game streamers) have given insights into this audience and identified a series of different pillars that marketers should consider when targeting what they dubbed “Generation Twitch.”

    Compared to even millennials, Generation Twitch has only ever known the digital world and have different expectations about their social and advertising experiences. Twitch emphasized the need to “speak their language” and rethink how we advertise with a shift in ideals:

    Curated → Authentic: brands must show an authentic side; seek out real, raw experiences. Not polished.

    Fixed → Fluid: due to tech, the distinctions between the real world and online are more fluid; the ability to influence live contact is unique and you don’t see that in many places; Gen Twitch is looking for fluidity to enhance their consumer experience. Integrate your brand in a way that takes advantage of the creative opportunities available via the digital experience

    Exclusive → Inclusive: Gen Twitch prefers inclusivity. Shouldn’t matter where you are in the world, everyone should be able to participate in art and culture. They feel they have a lot to learn from each other and are idealistic.

    Passive → Collaborative: Community is more important than the individual. They like collective experiences.

    Disengaged → Purposeful: Money must be spent on something they believe in. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves. Brands with purpose drive causes and Gen Twitch expects brands to stand for something

    We’re seeing legacy brands lean into these principles to reach younger audiences. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has partnered with popular streamers Kai Cenat and iShowSpeed to reach a more gaming-centric audience which benefits both streamer and brand. Both WWE and these streamers are known for their larger-than-life personalities and high-energy which showcases the brand tailoring their strategy in a purposeful way and makes the partnership come across as authentic.

    Things to remember

    If you keep in mind that gaming isn’t monolithic but universal and tailor your messages accordingly, you can find success in a space that is going to continue to see ad revenue and investment grow. Ingratiating your brand into the community, learning the language of each space and understanding the changing ideals of newer generations will go a long way in setting your marketing initiatives up for success. While brands have often had trepidation about gaming because of ideas about who gamers are and what video gaming is, this has evolved and, in most cases, marketers should be there to tap into big and growing audiences and build affinity and awareness of your brands and products.

    Sources

    * https://content-na1.emarketer.com/worldwide-digital-gamers-forecast-2025

    ** https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/gaming-global-market-report

    *** https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/movies-and-entertainment-global-market-report

    ****Newzoo Global Gamer Study 2023

    ***** https://advertising.amazon.com/en-ca/library/news/what-marketers-should-know-about-engaging-generation-twitch

    Reach out to see how gaming can boost your marketing capabilities. 

      What is 3 + 2 ?