Gaming is fast entering both the cultural and advertising mainstream, but brands should remember that even relatively heavy gamers don’t accept these broad-brush definitions.

This is one of the findings in a recent WARC Exclusive, Gen Z on Gaming, written by executives at the video platform Imagen and based on a survey of 661 young gamers.

Gaming is a tough nut to crack: it exists across multiple worlds and ranges from the recreational mobile gamer through to the globally broadcast elite champions playing in front of their adoring fans. Understanding its nuance matters.

“The research found that half of Gen Z who play games don’t identify as gamers: 73% of male respondents identified as gamers, while only 27% of females did so.”

While there is a correlation between playing more hours and self-identifying as core or hardcore gamers, the report continues, the categories are fluid.

  • There are significantly more core and hardcore gamers among Gen Z males (66%) than females (30%).
  • Women who game as much as men are almost half as likely to identify as core gamers.

So what does it mean? “Respondents emphasised how the gaming industry puts the player (customer) at the centre of everything on a level other industries are yet to reach,” the report states.

Gaming is extremely valuable as a learning tool, but one of the first steps is to find the right language and to know who you’re talking about.

Sourced from WARC