The gamer fascination – what makes this target audience so interesting?

A prototypical gamer doesn’t exist

We’ve all pictured it: PC game addicts hiding away in their gaming dens, living off junk food, and not seeing the light of day for weeks because they can’t tear themselves away. In many people’s minds, a typical gamer is someone who never got past puberty and is psychologically dependent on games, games, games. However, in reality, not all gaming fans can be thrown into the same pot nowadays.

Who are gamers?

The cliché is a far cry from reality: a study conducted by the FH Westküste University of Applied Sciences in 2021 clearly showed that PC and online games have been embraced by the whole of society. The participants were split into age groups and asked if they play games at least once a week. Those who answered with yes were as follows:

As the results reveal, only when it comes to the 50+ age groups does the percentage of respondents who indulge in gaming once a week fall below half. Nevertheless, the 36% and 28% figures for older people were still surprisingly high. The study also found that gender plays hardly any role when it comes to gaming fans: among everyone surveyed between 14 and 75 years old, 45% of women said that they regularly play PC and online games, compared to 59% of men. A similar pattern was observed in terms of the respondents’ level of education: whether low, medium, or high, 49 to 55% used digital games.

Narrowing down the gaming target audience

We should point out that the aforementioned study only focused on PC or console games. Smartphone gamers were not included – although they represent a particularly fast-growing community. According to the Gaming Personas Report published by GlobalWebIndex, a British audience targeting company, smartphone gamers form a key strand when segmenting the gaming target audience. To make the entire target audience more tangible for marketing purposes, GlobalWebIndex proposes the following segmentation:

• Esports gamers: a predominantly male audience with a keen interest in esports events and sports in general
• Social gamers: male and female users in equal measure who move around in virtual worlds to meet new people and improve their status
• Smartphone gamers: mainly females interested in beauty and cosmetic products who follow celebrities and other personalities on social media

Another important thing that the entire gaming target audience has in common is the possession of hardware, such as PCs, consoles, and tablets, along with a general interest in entertainment. What’s more, egames users are also willing to dig deep into their pockets for their hobby: the market research institute INNOFACT found that 31% of gamers regularly bought new hardware and 33% spent money on special gaming accessories.

Who can benefit from the gaming target audience?

Companies offering new digital devices, paid apps, or streaming services will certainly appeal to the gaming target audience. And since gaming fans now come from the full spectrum of society, providers of consumer goods would also be wise to tap into the market. Businesses shouldn’t be afraid to price their products a little higher here. Big brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz have already recognized this opportunity and are currently investing heavily in esports and gaming.

How can gamers be optimally reached?

From esports gamers to social gamers and casual gamers: the gaming target audience is highly diverse and offers great market potential to companies. Do you want to seize the opportunity with your brand? Then start advertising in the gaming world! Discreetly placed in-game ads that are integrated into the game world or ads in video game apps allow you to reach gamers.

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