Everyone’s a gamer

To some, gamers are still ​stereotypically believed to be teenagers in their bedrooms.  However, in 2022 nothing could be further from the truth.  With the average gamer age now 34, males and females are fully dedicating their precious downtime to fully engage themselves in immersive virtual environments.  With 16% of gamers now over 55, the draw of these virtual experiences shows the breadth of modern gaming's appeal to all ages.

Gaming continues to grow its share of media downtime too with the average gamer dedicating over 6 hours a week, and 18-45 year old gamers now preferring gaming to watching TV and movies. This phenomenal growing trend is presenting brands with the unique opportunity to organically integrate into these chosen virtual environments, where gamers are fully focussed and not multitasking.

These brands are enjoying cut-through, awareness, positive brand association and recall.  In-game is now a standout challenger to the traditional forms of brand advertising.

The genesis of the 'Metaverse' has excitedly and firmly placed it within the zeitgeist.  However in its embryonic state, and with the unknowns that even the creators can't foresee, it shall still be some time before advertisers and brands can confidently invest without the real fear of brand and audience safety.  Surely in good time this shall be a resolvable issue. The good news for brands right now is that, ahead of that epiphany moment, in-game advertising in curated brand-safe environments offers a tried and tested platform to create meaningful and scalable connection with the burgeoning modern gaming audience.

Data sources: Statista 2022 | The State of online gaming report 2020