Stay ahead of the curve and ground your gaming business strategy with Mintel’s Gaming Influencers and Streaming Market Report. The report provides a data-led understanding of what consumers want to see from gaming influencers and why, and opportunities within the gaming industry to accelerate social media strategy.
Topics Analyzed
- Trends in social media use and influencer marketing within the gaming industry.
- Where social media influencers should position themselves to have an impact on gaming.
- What types of content gamers most want to see from social media influencers.
- What social media drama will spark the most negative reaction from followers.
- Types of social media users follow and how demographics on platforms are changing.
- Attitudes toward social media’s impact on gaming, their interactions, and content.
Gamer Streaming Preferences
59% of younger gamers, in the 18-34 age group, prefer YouTube as their social media platform, while older gamers lean towards Facebook. Instagram and TikTok are also popular, showing diverse social media preferences among gamers that follow broader modern trends in platform usage.
Notably, 70% of younger gamers find watching others play a good replacement for playing themselves, but this viewing can often lead to influencing them to purchase game themself. Authentic enjoyment from streamers and influencers on any platforms is vital, as most would unsubscribe due to negativity towards others or inauthenticity, highlighting the importance of positive genuine content.
Looking ahead
AI use is growing in social media marketing, offering interactive AI influencers. However, it risks eroding trust, highlighting the need for authentic content. Collaborating with popular human influencers for charitable causes boosts engagement and brand image while providing an authentic human touch.
Human effort in social media and influencer marketing remains the most meaningful. However, a large majority of US adults want stronger privacy and data protection laws for social media to address widespread concerns.
Readers may also be interested in our wide range of gaming industry reports.
Meet the Expert
As a Gaming Analyst, Brian researches and analyzes the video game industry across genres and platforms. Brian has been with Mintel since 2017. His education background in Game Design and Animation informs his expertise and consumer insights in the gaming sector.
Age matters to gamers social media usage, but watching others play positively leads gamers to gain interest in purchase games themselves.
Brian Benway
Senior Tech and Gaming Analyst
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Executive Summary
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Overview
- What you need to know
- Consumer trends: key takeaways
- Global video game market size
- Market predictions
- Opportunities
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Market Dynamics
- Market context
- Market overview
- Global video gaming revenue is forecasted for slower growth after 2023
- Graph 1: global video game industry revenue, 2019-26
- 2.6% year-over-year growth does little to alter device shares globally
- Graph 2: global video game industry revenue share (% billions), by device, 2023
- Consumer prices rose by 3.3% in May, down for the second consecutive month
- Graph 3: headline CPI and shelter CPI, 2021-24
- Consumer sentiment remains down, but is expected to rebound soon
- Graph 4: consumer sentiment index, 2021-24
- Market drivers
- Why gaming influencers and streamers matter
- Video games thrive on streaming platforms
- Top Twitch users
- Top YouTube users
- Hours of content doesn't equate 1:1 with hours viewed
- The TikTok ban and gamers
- Gamers of all stripes overwhelmingly support social media data protection and privacy laws
- Graph 5: social media platforms need laws and regulations that force them to prioritize user privacy and data protection (% agree), by gamer segment – device and frequency, 2024
- Graph 6: social media platforms need laws and regulations that force them to prioritize user privacy and data protection (% agree), by gamer segment – motivations, 2024
- If YouTube and Twitch scale back, openings for new platforms and personalities could emerge
- No functionality is better than having X functionality
- Jingle the keys for baby, playable games on YouTube
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Consumer Insights
- Consumer fast facts
- Social media platform usage
- Social media is dominated by the top four platforms
- Graph 7: most preferred social media platforms (any rank), 2024
- Appeal to youth on TikTok with fun content
- Women seem to lean more towards the social side, men prefer the media
- Graph 8: preferred social media platform (any rank), by gender, 2024
- Facebook was exclusively for college students, but now it's a nursing home
- Graph 9: most preferred social media platforms (any rank), by age, 2024
- VR's immersive capabilities could enhance live streaming and esports
- Graph 10: "I prefer to watch live streams of video game content on social media", by gamer segments – device and frequency, 2024
- Types of gaming content viewed on social media
- Unboxings aren't as interesting as watching someone do something difficult
- Graph 11: types of gaming content viewed on social media, 2024
- Gamers engage with content that enhances play
- Older gamers aren't a lost cause, but younger viewers are easier picking
- Graph 12: types of gaming content viewed on social media, by age, 2024
- Expect older viewers to engage with content on their own schedule
- Graph 13: watching gaming behaviors, by age, 2024
- Gamers always want to play, but older gamers really don't want to sit and watch
- Graph 14: attitudes toward gaming social media interactions (% agree), by age, 2024
- Women often have to fight for their seat at the gaming table, help make it easier
- Graph 15: types of gaming content viewed on social media, by gender, 2024
- Women are more drawn by individual personality than by gaming content
- Graph 16: follow related gaming behaviors, by gender, 2024
- Connection within content can strengthen appeal for groups of creators
- Graph 17: "I prefer to follow content groups on social media", by age, 2024
- Content strategies for Black and Hispanic gamer audiences reinforce engagement and growth
- Graph 18: types of gaming content viewed on social media, overall vs Black and Hispanic consumers, 2024
- Understanding why they play to predict what they will watch
- Graph 19: types of gaming content viewed on social media, by gamer segment – motivation, 2024
- Gaming merchandise purchases and social media influence
- In all cases, social media sponsorship is a big benefit but not a driver of purchasing decisions
- Graph 20: gaming merchandise purchases and social media influence, 2024
- Extending experiences and reaching time-constrained gamers
- Entrenched lifestyle gamers likely to be more influenced to purchases by social media recommendations
- Graph 21: proportion of gaming-related merchandise purchases made because they were sponsored or recommended on social media, 2024
- Social media influencers are most impactful making recommendations for men
- Graph 22: have purchased this because it was sponsored or recommended on social media, by gender, 2024
- Hispanic gamers buy in to social commerce recommendations
- Graph 23: have purchased this because it was sponsored or recommended on social media, Hispanic gamers vs overall, 2024
- Algorithmic based recommendations can't compete with friends sharing across all gamers' backgrounds
- Graph 24: social media algorithm recommendations aren't as interesting as content my friends recommend to me (% agree), by race, 2024
- Social gamers respond best to social media recommendations
- Graph 25: have purchased this because it was sponsored or recommended on social media, by gamer segment – motivations, 2024
- Social media turn-offs
- Gamers want social media personalities to be low drama and real
- Graph 26: behaviors by social media content creators/influencers that would make one consider unsubscribing or unfollowing them, 2024
- Authentic positive content over commercialization
- Women are more likely to be turned off by social media behavior
- Graph 27: behaviors by social media content creators/influencers that would make one consider unsubscribing or unfollowing them, by gender, 2024
- Some gamers will seek to avoid ads, and financially driven negative behavior, by donating to content creators directly
- Graph 28: attitudes toward gaming social media content (% agree), by age, 2024
- Older individuals less willing to tolerate negative behavior
- Graph 29: behaviors by social media content creators/influencers that would make one consider unsubscribing or unfollowing them, by age, 2024
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Innovation and Marketing Trends
- Marketing and advertising
- Why pay for human influencers when you can AI generate your own?
- AI influencers are already recommending products to consumers
- Gamers are mostly OK with AI influencers and think they're entertaining
- Graph 30: attitudes toward the future of social media (% agree), by age, 2024
- An obvious touchstone example, Pewd's Gfuel
- Why does it continue to work when others fade?
- My Talking Tom 2 gets an outfit collaboration with Mr. Beast
- My Talking Tom 2 sponsored philanthropy in the Philippines
- With E3 officially gone, Summer Game Fest fills the gap for gaming industry news and spectacle
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Appendix
- Market definition
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
- The consumer
- Gaming device usage – NET
- Graph 31: gaming device usage, 2024
- Gaming console brand usage
- Graph 32: gaming console brand usage, 2024
- Gaming frequency – NET
- Graph 33: Gaming frequency, 2024
- Mintel gamer segments – motivations
- Top gaming motivations – NET – any rank
- Graph 34: top gaming motivations – NET – any rank
- Mintel gamer segments – motivations
- Graph 35: Mintel gamer segments – motivations
- Gamer segments – Achievers and Explorers
- Gamer segments – Socializers and Competitors
- Mintel gamer segments – device and frequency
- Graph 36: Mintel gamer segments – device and frequency, 2024
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