2024
9
US Teen and Tween Gaming Consumer Report 2024
2024-05-08T17:04:02+01:00
REPDD8E53C5_189B_4F85_A0E6_5B64E8BE8586
3695
172868
[{"name":"Gaming","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/industries\/leisure-entertainment\/gaming"}]
Report
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Don't let your Skibidi gyatt pay the Fanum tax for weak Ohio rizz. You need a no cap rizzler with sigma Gen Z and Alpha battlepass drip, my brother.
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  8. US Teen and Tween Gaming Consumer Report 2024

US Teen and Tween Gaming Consumer Report 2024

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Covering younger gamers aged 10-17, this report analyzes the gaming trends that drive engagement with this age group. With near-universal engagement with gaming, brands that understand the trends behind this age group’s participation will succeed in driving their future participation. Below, we’ve summarized the core topics analyzed and provided hand-selected findings from the full report.

Core Topics Analyzed

  • Trends impacting teens and tweens and the greater gaming industry.
  • How often teens and tweens play video games, and how much they watch when they can’t.
  • Which hardware devices teens and tweens use, and what they wish they had.
  • Which gaming genres teens and tweens drawn to, and how that might shape future trends.
  • Where teen and tweens get the money for in-game purchases, and how rising costs impact them.
  • How teens and tweens feel about gaming social online, and what they think of AI.

US Teen and Tween Gaming Trends

It cannot be understated how important gaming has become. Half of teens and tweens play daily, and 88% watch or read about gaming in some form daily.

Gaming genres played

Younger gamers aged 10-11 are shaping genre trends. This demographic, which includes a significant number of Asian tweens, leans toward action/adventure titles. Young girls also show an affinity for this genre but are likely to age into open-world and Battle Royale games soon. Household size also influences genre participation with racing and fighting games showing popularity in households with siblings. Having someone to compete with on-screen is likely to shape this trend.

Game purchase influencers

Most teens and tweens feel confident that their parents listen to them when it comes to picking a game title off the shelf. Clearly, kids play a significant role in deciding which games end up in the game rack at home. Seven in 10 also realise gaming is a pricey hobby, showing an awareness of the costs that their parents have to foot. This helps the success of games like Fortnite, a game parents may have already OK’d and therefore allowing for repeat in-game purchases.

Opportunity for Gaming Brands

The broad appeal of gaming makes it key for creative cross-industry collaborations. Tailoring messages for platforms popular among young US gamers, brands can, and should, effectively engage with this demographic. Choosing the right platform, however, will be pivotal for impactful outreach.

Buy the full report to explore this demographic’s gaming participation trends, and get ahead today.

Readers may also be interested in the US Gaming Trends Report 2024, or Live Service Gaming Market Report 2024.

Additional Features Included in Your Report

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  • Custom PowerPoints: Incorporate our consumer research data into your own work so you can win over your clients and stakeholders. Select insights from your report to create a custom presentation that is ready to download in minutes.
  • Interactive Databook: Each Databook is provided as an interactive website where you can deep dive into our consumer research data on your chosen topic so you can draw your own conclusions.
  • Mintel’s Clients Portal: Our portal provides instant access to actionable analysis, podcasts, and trend pieces relevant to your industry that are published almost daily, as well as our annual Global Consumer Trends. You can also browse our extensive library of market research reports.

Teen and Tween Gamer Vocabulary

This demographic’s gaming vocabulary emphasizes the importance of understanding their unique world.

  • Battlepass: Working hard to get better; direct reference to video game terminology for reward progression and hustle culture.
  • Cap: Fake or a falsehood.
  • Drip: Cool style, outfit or overall demeanor.
  • Fanum tax: Casual extortion or racketeering among friends or acquaintances.
  • Rizz/rizzler: Charisma, or a very charismatic person.
  • Gyatt: A positive exclamation, shortened version of “god damn,” often references an individual’s level of attractiveness.
  • Ohio: The worst or terrible; a negative reference or comparison to the actual US state
  • Skibidi: Nonsensical lyric, used conversationally as a multipurpose adjective with no strict or agreed upon definition.
  • Sigma: A macho personality who is both knowledgeable and capable with a rise-and-grind hustle culture lifestyle.

Expert Analysis

With this insightful report, leading gaming analyst Brian Benway puts you in the shoes of teen and tween gamers. See the above vocab explainer to shed light on what is said below!

Don’t let your Skibidi gyatt pay the Fanum tax for weak Ohio rizz. You need a no cap rizzler with sigma Gen Z and Alpha battlepass drip, my brother.

Brian Benway - Gaming Analyst
Brian Benway
Senior Tech and Gaming Analyst

Collapse All
    • Learn to speak like a Gen Z/Alpha teen or tween
  1. Executive Summary

    • What you need to know
    • Consumer trends: key takeaways
    • Global video game market size
    • Market predictions
    • Opportunities
  2. Consumer Insights

    • Consumer fast facts
    • Profile of teens & tweens
    • US teens & tweens by age and gender
    • Graph 1: age split of teens & tweens, 2024
    • Graph 2: gender split of teens & tweens, 2024
    • US teens & tweens by number of siblings and race
    • Graph 3: number of children in household, 2024
    • Graph 4: teens & tweens, by race, 2024
    • Household composition – teens & tweens
    • Graph 5: household composition – teens & tweens, 2024
    • How teens & tweens get their spending money
    • Graph 6: how teens & tweens get their spending money, 2024
    • How teens & tweens are spending their money
    • Graph 7: when teens & tweens have money, they spend it on…, 2024
    • Frequency and time spent playing video games
    • Gaming is universal among teens and tweens
    • Graph 8: gaming frequency – teens & tweens, 2024
    • Gaming is as much a core part of teen and tweens daily life as school
    • Graph 9: time spent playing video games daily – teens & tweens, 2024
    • Sharing or escaping, larger families tend to game more
    • Graph 10: time spent playing games daily – teens & tweens, by child status in household, 2024
    • Recontextualize the differences of young gamers by levels of engagement
    • Graph 11: time spent playing games daily – teens & tweens, by gender, 2024
    • Evolving non-gaming opportunities may impact play time across different ages
    • Graph 12: time spent playing games daily – teens & tweens, by age, 2024
    • Young Asian gamers get their play time in quicker hits than most
    • Graph 13: time spent playing games daily – teens & tweens, by race, 2024
    • Gaming opens up opportunities to reach players outside of the games they play
    • Graph 14: content behaviors – teens & tweens, those who play video games daily vs overall, 2024
    • Time spent consuming gaming content daily
    • Teens and tweens don't just play, they watch content about the games they play daily too
    • Graph 15: time spent consuming gaming content – teens & tweens, 2024
    • Boys are eager to consumer gaming content as a secondary hobby
    • Graph 16: time spent consuming gaming content – teens & tweens, by gender, 2024
    • Boys are less likely to mind watching other people play games
    • Graph 17: content behaviors, by gender, 2024
    • 12-14 year olds are also the key audience for watching gaming content
    • Graph 18: time spent consuming gaming content – teens & tweens, by age, 2024
    • Black and Asian teens and tweens are tuned out to content creators
    • Graph 19: time spent consuming gaming content – teens & tweens, by race, 2024
    • Turning the "play with friends" crowd on to watching with friends
    • Graph 20: "I don't follow streaming content creators very closely" – teens & tweens, by race, 2024
    • Hardware ownership and interest
    • Smartphones and PCs dominate the interest of teen and tween gamers
    • Graph 21: hardware ownership – teens & tweens, 2024
    • Tablets and Nintendo Switch get equal use by teens and tween boys and girls
    • Graph 22: "I have this and use it often" – teens & tweens, by gender, 2024
    • Rapid shifts in device preferences present unique opportunities
    • Graph 23: "I have this and use it often" – teens & tweens, by age, 2024
    • Todays teens and tweens are in ravenous demand for more gaming
    • Graph 24: "I do not have this, but I am interested in getting one" – teens & tweens, 2024
    • AR/VR is demand is about the same as disinterest from owners
    • Graph 25: "I do not have this, but I am interested in getting one" – teens & tweens, by age, 2024
    • Young Asian gamers are less likely to own and much more likely to want devices
    • Graph 26: "I do not have this, but I am interested in getting one" – teens & tweens, Asian consumers vs overall, 2024
    • Gaming genres played
    • Action adventure games lead with broad support, pleasing both active and casual fans alike
    • Graph 27: genre of videos games played – teens & tweens, 2024
    • Young players interests are broad, may narrow with with age and experience
    • Graph 28: genre preferences, by age, 2024
    • Teen and tween genre preferences shaped by gender nuances
    • While boys have overstated interests in more genres, girls interests aren't absent
    • Graph 29: genre of video games played – teens & tweens, by gender, 2024
    • Cooperative fun on the couch can help strengthen familial bonds in large homes
    • Graph 30: genre of video games played (select) – teens & tweens, by child status in household, 2024
    • Hardware ownership, especially mobile, may be impacting genre preferences
    • Graph 31: genre of video games played (select) – teens & tweens, by race, 2024
    • Gaming purchasing and gifting influence
    • Convincing parents to buy things is a core skill for teens and tweens to level up
    • Graph 32: how teens & tweens get access to DLC (I usually…), 2024
    • Family dynamics have a powerful impact on how games are bought and sold
    • Graph 33: attitudes toward gaming and gifts – teens & tweens (% any agree), 2024
    • Active VR gamers tend to be highly enthusiastic toward gaming, but they're right in step with others regarding the cost of gaming as a hobby
    • Graph 34: attitudes toward gaming and gifts (% any agree), by gamer segments, 2024
    • Woe to parents who have factor the latest season's battlepass into budgets
    • Graph 35: how teens & tweens get access to DLC (I usually…), by gaming frequency, 2024
    • Attitudes toward social engagement
    • Online interactions are very import to modern teens and tweens
    • Graph 36: attitudes toward social engagement – teens & tweens (% any agree), 2024
    • Online gaming for self-expression
    • Larger families may push teens and tweens online for freedom of self expression
    • Graph 37: attitudes toward social engagement – teens & tweens (% any agree), by child status in household, 2024
    • Asian teens and tweens may take a different approach to adolescent individual identity exploration
    • Graph 38: attitudes toward social engagement (% any agree), by race, 2024
    • Attitudes toward an AI future
    • AI is a great tool when used ethically, but it's no substitute for human creativity
    • Graph 39: attitudes toward an AI future – teens & tweens (% any agree), 2024
    • AI news may trigger extra excitement for the future in some boys' brains
    • Graph 40: attitudes toward an AI future – teens & tweens (% any agree), by gender, 2024
    • Human centric sentiment prevails, but young Hispanic gamers welcome AI
    • Graph 41: attitudes toward an AI future – teens & tweens (% any agree), by race, 2024
  3. Competitive Strategies

    • Launch activity and innovation
    • Made independently in a game engine, Skibidi Toilet has captured Gen Alpha's imagination and become part of their slang
    • Amazon Prime brings Fallout franchise to life
    • Sentiments toward the Fallout show is positively impacting older game sales
    • Marketing and advertising
    • Knorr takes to Twitch to see if Fortnite can help make vegetables more appealing to kids
    • Duolingo heads to TikTok with some Hylian language words of encouragement, hiiii haaaa hyahhh!
    • AI and mindfulness in VR could be the future of virtual support, but requires extra data security
    • Gaming gains recognition in the classroom
    • IKEA levels up where gaming meets lifestyle
    • Half of teens are on social media almost constantly
    • Opportunities
    • Opportunities to engage with teens and tween gamers
  4. The Market

    • Market context
    • Market overview
    • Global video gaming revenue is forecasted for slower growth after 2023
    • Graph 42: global video game industry revenue, 2019-26
    • 2.6% year-over-year growth does little to alter device shares globally
    • Graph 43: global video game industry revenue share (% billions), by device, 2023
    • Households' wages have exceeded the rise in prices since May 2022
    • Graph 44: wages and CPI, percent change from year ago, 2021-24
    • Consumers are the most upbeat they have been in over two years
    • Graph 45: consumer sentiment index, 2021-24
    • Market drivers
    • Players' time was dominated by six-year-old games in 2023
    • Graph 46: % of total hours played, by release date, 2023
    • 27% of total playtime in 2023 went to five, six+ year old games
    • Graph 47: 6+ year old games, 2023
    • Graph 48: % of total hours played by top five, 6+ year old games, 2023
    • New games have very little room to grow among older games, live services, and annualized franchises
    • Graph 49: <3 years old games, 2023
    • Graph 50: % of total hours played by top five, <3 years old games, 2023
    • Head of Xbox stresses the need to get back to growth in 2024
    • In-game economies have drawn aggro from the  Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
    • Kids will pay to be deemed cool in video games
  5. Appendix

    • Market definition
    • Consumer research methodology
    • Generations
    • Abbreviations and terms
    • The consumer
    • Gaming device usage
    • Graph 51: gaming device usage, 2024
    • Gaming console brand usage
    • Graph 52: gaming console brand usage, 2024
    • Top gaming motivations – NET – any rank
    • Graph 53: top gaming motivations – NET – any rank, 2024
    • Mintel gamer segments – motivations
    • Graph 54: Mintel gamer segments – motivations, 2024
    • Gamer segments – Achievers and Explorers
    • Gamer segments – Socializers and Competitors
    • Mintel gamer segments – device and frequency
    • Graph 55: Mintel gamer segments – device and frequency, 2024

Why Choose Mintel?

Mintel is the world’s leading market intelligence agency. We show you how consumers think today and tomorrow. As a trusted partner to industry leaders, we deliver game-changing insights to businesses across the globe, fuelling their marketing and innovation strategies that will shape the future.

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  • Access to Mintel’s Clients Portal: After your purchase is completed, you’ll receive an invitation to join Mintel’s Clients Portal, providing instant access to supplementary insights from Mintel’s industry experts.
  • Interactive Databook: Mintel’s bespoke consumer data is presented as an interactive website, so you can deep dive into your chosen topic, explore demographics and download specific statistics.
  • Custom Presentation Tool: Easily incorporate selected research data and analysis into a tailor-made presentation to win over clients and stakeholders.

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Please Note: All of the figures, graphs, and tables in this sample report have been redacted.
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