The New Face of Gamers

8/12/2019 The New Face of Gamers

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A generation ago, gaming was a heavilystigmatized activity. Throughout the late 1980sand 90s, press coverage evoked images ofteen boys zoning out in front of their Nintendoscreens as Congressional officials held federalhearings on the dangers of violent video games.The message was clear: When games werentrotting kids brains, they were encouragingaggressive behavior and desensitizing players toviolence. Educators warned parents that gameswere addictive and linked them to lower schoolachievement. Gamers themselves also becamethe subject of unattering stereotypes: In theeyes of pop culture, gamer equaled sociallyinept loner or guy living in his parentsbasement.

Over the last 15 years, its remarkable howmuch these sentiments have changed.

Outdated gamer stereotypeshave been slow to catch upwith the new reality that takesgamers out of the basementand into the mainstream.

STUDY BY LIFECOURSE ASSOCIATESCOMMISSIONED BY TWITCH

J U N E 4 , 2 0 1 4


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T H E N E W F A C E O F G A M E R S

Its a pastime enjoyed by players of all ages: The majority of Americans (63%)have played a game on a console, computer, or mobile device in the past 60

days. The younger generations who grew up with video games have playedinto adulthood, while older generations are taking up gaming for the rst time.Whether its building new worlds in an immersive sandbox like Minecraft ,taking a break with a bite-sized game like Candy Crush Saga , or livestreamingones progress on a platform like Twitch, gaming now has something to offereveryone.

2005 marked the release of the bestselling book Everything Bad is Good for You, which argued that media like video games andtelevision didnt deserve their dismal reputation. And today, gaminghas become a universal part of our entertainment diet.

BOOMERS

1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

MILLENIALSGENERATION X

BIRTH

YEAR

70

60

50

40

30

% of Americanswho have played

a video game inthe past 60 days

by generation 1

1 LifeCourse online survey of 1,227 U.S. persons ages 13-64. March 12-30, 2014.


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Perceptions about games effects have also taken a positive turn.Educational games are increasingly being integrated into formal institutionslike school and work as instructors and managers use them to engagestudents and hone the development of new skills. Meanwhile, seniorcenters and retirement homes are turning to devices like the Wii as a wayto keep aging players active and their minds sharp.

63% of Americanshave played a game on a console,

computer, or mobile device in thepast 60 days.

Stereotypes of gamers have been slowto catch up with this new reality. In manycases, we still see gamers portrayed asglassy-eyed addicts or isolated automatons.Given how pervasive a pastime gaming hasbecome, it should seem obvious that these

negative characterizations arent true. Andin fact, theyre completely at odds with whogamers are.Gamers are now split

fairly evenly by gender 2

F 48%

2 Entertainment Software Association. 2014 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry . 2014.


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Spending time with myfamily is a top priority.

82

68

ACCORDING TO A RECENT SURVEY, GAMERS ARE...

My friends are the mostimportant thing in my life.

57

35

KEY STATEMENTS

% OF GAMERS

% OF NON-GAMERS

Gamers lead more social lives than non-gamers. Gamers are morelikely than non-gamers to be living with other people. This includestheir families, roommates or friends, or signicant others. In contrast,non-gamers are more likely to be living alone (16% vs. 10%). Theirsociability also applies to other forms of media: Gamers are lesslikely than non-gamers to watch TV alone (23% vs. 40%) and lesslikely to prefer to watch this way (21% vs. 36%). Furthermore, theyrefar more likely to say that they watch video on TV, PCs, or mobile

devices when at a friends (42% vs. 15%).

Theyre closer to their families . Gamers are more likely to say thatthey have a good relationship with their parents (79% vs. 63%).Similarly, strong majorities agree that spending time with theirfamilies (82% vs. 68%) and parents (67% vs. 44%) are top priorities.

Theyre more educated. Gamers are more likely to hold a collegedegree or higher (43% vs. 36%). The same is also true for gamersparents (52% vs. 37%).

3 LifeCourse online survey

3


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I feel positive about mycareer aspirations.

67

42

Theyre more optimistic. Gamers express far more condenceabout their abilities and prospects for future success, and are moreupbeat about their career aspirations: While 67% of gamers feelvery positive or positive in this regard, only 42% of non-gamerssay the same.

Theyre more conventionally successful. Gamers are slightly more

likely to be employed full-time than non-gamers (42% vs. 39%).Theyre also more likely to say that theyre working in the careerthat they want to be in (45% vs. 37%).

Theyre more socially conscious. A majority of gamers agree thathaving a positive impact on society is important to mea full21 percentage points higher than non-gamers. Gamers are morelikely to prioritize socially conscious business practices. A greatershare of them agree that its important that the companies theybuy products from support social causes (58% vs. 36%) and that

companies treat their customers fairly (82% vs. 72%). Furthermore,theyre more likely to feel better about companies that have ethicalbusiness practices (78% vs. 65%) and would rather buy from thosethat [have] nothing to hide (81% vs. 66%).

I am more creative thanmost people.

65

43

GAMERS

NON-GAMERS

Having a positive impact onsociety is important to me.

76

55

I am a natural leader. 6135


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Non-gamers, on the other hand,

tend to use traditional, morepassive outlets. Unsurprisingly,gamers are far more likely to usegaming consoles than non-gamers(68% vs. 12%). But this gap alsoextends to other forms of recenttechnology, including tablets,smartphones, and Internet-capabledevices for streaming content totheir TV.

Gamers are far more likely to usethese gadgets regularlyregardlessof location. In almost everyinstance, gamers are three timesmore likely to use their deviceswhen outside their household thannon-gamers.

Gamers with smartphones are also

using them to engage in a widerrange of activities involving boththe consumption and productionof content. Almost all91%textoften or sometimes (versus83% of non-gamers), while 82%regularly use their smartphones forsocial media (versus 58% of non-gamers). Meanwhile, over three-quarters (76%) of gamers watchvideos often or sometimeson their smartphonesalmosttwice the share of non-gamers(41%). Fully 43% of gamers havelivestreamed an event on theirphones, compared to only 13% ofnon-gamers.

Other gures illustrate that gamers are at theforefront of media change. They are actively usingthe latest technology to consume content andconnect to their peers.

% OF GAMERS % OF NON-GAMERS

% USE GAMINGCONSOLES

% USE SM ARTPHONES

% USETABLETS

% HAVE DE VICESFOR STREAMING

TO TV

% use of consoles, smart phones, tablets,and streaming devices outside of home

ON VACATION AT FRIENDS DURINGCOMMUTE

AT WORK AT RESTAURANT

40

18

42

15 19

5

2010

18

6

62 72

6861


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These preferences and behaviors reectbroader shifts that are remaking the mediaenvironment. Consumers are increasinglymoving away from traditional televisionand consuming more entertainmentcontent online.

GAMERS NON-GAMERSwatch more livestreaming contentnow compared to last year.

would rather watch a programthrough live streaming thanconventional TV.

21

59

1836

%

%

%

%

According to Nielsen, the total 18- to34-year-old primetime television audiencedeclined 9% from 2011 to 2014, driven bya decline in broadcast viewers. Over thesame period, average tune-in frequency

also fell, with broadcast declining by12%, and cable by 5%. Several networksand shows popular with young adultshave lost ground: The audience sizes ofComedy Central and ESPN shrank by 24%and 22%, for example, while the programreach of Tosh.O and Family Guy droppedby 53% and 31%. 4

PRIMETIMEAUDIENCE

BROADCASTTUNE-IN

FREQUENCY

CABLETUNE-IN

FREQUENCY

9 %

12%

5 %

4 Nielsen. Twitch TV Media Engagement Analysis: 2011-2014 Online and TV Viewing Trends. February 2014.


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NETFLIX

GOOGLE

APPLE

TWITCH

HULU

FACEBOOK

AMAZON

32

22

4.3

1.8

1.7

1.5

1.2

At this point, competitive websites are assuccessful as TV networks and shows atreaching 18- to 34-year-olds. Interactiveplatforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter,and Instagram attract enormous amounts oftraffic that easily rivalor surpassthe pull oftraditional entertainment.

In February 2014, Facebook and YouTubereached 27 million and 25 million young adults,respectively. Thats comparable to the 33million young adults who watched Fox duringthe same month. But websites also boast morerepeat visits and higher time spent: That month,users viewed Facebook an average of 21 times,but tuned into Fox a mere 3 times.

Perhaps the bestillustration of where rapidlychanging entertainmentpreferences and gamersmeet is Twitchthegameplay streamingsite that has gained 45million monthly users and1 million active streamers

in just three years. Nearlyhalf of Twitchs visitorsare 18- to 34-year-olds. 6 In many ways, gamerstastes can be interpretedas a bellwether of mediasfuture.

Meanwhile, 18- to 34-year-oldsspent an average of 276 minuteson online gaming websites and169 minutes viewing onlinevideogures that dwarfed thenumber of minutes they spentwatching any broadcast or cablenetwork.

For week ending Feb 3, 2014

5 Drew Fitzgerald. Apple Quietly Builds New Networks. The Wall Street Journal. February 3, 2014.6 Nielsen


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To be sure, like everything entertaining andengaging in life, gaming is best practiced inmoderation. No one would deny that some

players can go overboard or that playing toomuch can interfere with peoples lives. But thisis a relatively small issue in the broad contextof gaming. The majority of gamers (63%) playfor less than 10 hours a week, with the mostpopular option among respondents being 3 to5 hours a week (24%). 7

Its also important to acknowledge that beinga gamer today doesnt necessarily implyparticipation in traditional gaming culture.

Today, casual gamers who play bite-sizedmobile offerings are counted alongsidedevotees who line up for the latest consolerelease. But this in itself is a testament to

just how mainstream an activity gaming hasbecome, with selections diverse enough toaccommodate a wide range of tastes andlevels of investment.

Its a way to relax, have fun, learn new things, and connect with friends and family. Its at the cutting edge of a whole new

way that Americans are interacting with technology, in which the virtual behaviors and digital literacy skills that we onceconsidered training for the real world are increasingly the real world. Gaming offers a road map for who we are becomingand where society is going

and its time that perceptions of gamers moved past tired stereotypesand were recalibrated to reect this much richer reality.

For most players, gaming is a positiveforce in their lives.

7 LifeCourse online survey

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The New Face of Gamers