Report · January 1, 2022

For the Game

Summary

The global gaming industry is undergoing a transformative shift into a primary mass medium, projected to reach 3.5 billion players and $225 billion in revenue by 2025. This evolution is characterized by gaming’s role as a central pillar of culture and social connection, with over a third of players utilizing the medium specifically for socialization. Analysis across 21 global markets reveals that gamers are highly engaged "super-consumers" who spend nearly 60 hours a week across television and internet platforms, making them a critical demographic for brand attention. To effectively reach this audience, the industry must move beyond traditional demographic stereotypes and adopt a motivation-based segmentation. This approach identifies six distinct player types, allowing for more authentic engagement. However, a significant gap remains between the diverse player base and the industry’s internal demographics, which remain predominantly male and white. Prioritizing equity, inclusion, and accessibility is essential for future growth, as evidenced by the commercial success of titles that prioritize inclusive design and representation. Successful brand integration requires a departure from standard advertising in favor of intrinsic in-game experiences and value-driven partnerships. Strategies such as gamified commerce, immersive virtual events, and the utilization of original intellectual property yield higher attention and recall rates than traditional social media formats. By fostering mutually beneficial relationships and respecting established gaming codes, brands can leverage the medium not just for visibility, but as a sophisticated tool for long-term community building and commercial innovation.

From the report

For The Game22 Data F usion S heds A N ew L ight O n P layers The Ascent of Gaming, a Unique Opportunity for Brands EXECUTIVE SUMMARY For many of us, whether new, veterans, casual or enthusiasts, gaming has become an extension of our world, a virtual destination where we express ourselves, socialise within communities, and chase our passions. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that gaming has turned into a mass medium commanding large audiences and driving colossal revenues: 3.5b people are predicted to be gamers by 2025, generating more than US$225b in revenue.1 For brands, gaming is a massive opportunity that can no longer be ignored. As the definition of gamers moves away from stereotypes and gaming goes mainstream, brands must genuinely understand their audiences’ gaming habits today if they are to thrive in and beyond the gaming arena tomorrow. Dentsu has worked with innovative brands and developers since the gaming industry’s infancy. Today, we continue our 35+ year gaming legacy started in Japan with significant investments in global research to know gamers better than anyone else and help brands capture gaming’s explosive audience growth. After conducting unprecedented research on in-game audience attention earlier this year, we now unveil the fusion of consumer panel data from dentsu Consumer Connection System (CCS) with gaming data from GWI across 21 markets. This data fusion provides invaluable information to brands seeking to connect more authentically with gamers, and sheds light on critical facets such as attitudes and behaviours, media consumption, purchases, and participation in esports. In this new report, For the Game, we build upon these troves of data to explore the gaming culture and how brands can develop a presence that truly resonates with gaming audiences and communities. Using a new-to-market approach, we show that motivation-based segmentation is the most relevant and effective way for brands to really understand gamers and gain powerful creative and media planning insights. We demonstrate through tangible measurement that gaming is a prime environment for brands looking to drive audience attention. We also examine the importance of taking incremental steps to build a consistent brand presence in the gaming world – both over time and across environments – through a constant focus on added value, authenticity, and proximity with gamers. Whether your brand is at the beginning of its gaming journey, has already met some success, or is now well versed and wants to go above and beyond, the actionable insights, inspiring examples, and practical recommendations curated by gaming experts across dentsu will help you thrive in the gaming space. Let’s play! Peter Huijboom Global CEO Media & Global Clients, dentsu international

For The Game33 Data F usion S heds A N ew L ight O n P layers Table of Contents The Ascent of Gaming, a Unique Opportunity for Brands 2 Building Actionable Intelligence for Today’s Gaming World 4 PART 1 – THE RISE OF THE GAMING CULTURE 6 1.1. Everybody Plays – On Their Own Terms 7 1.2. The Boom of Gaming Fandom 10 Spotlight: The Journey Towards Equity and Inclusion 12 1.3. More Than Just About Gaming 13 1.4. Gaming Permeates Global Culture 15 PART 2 – THE PLACE OF BRANDS IN THE GAMING ECONOMY 17 2.1. The Value Imperative 18 2.2. Engaging Gamers Across Environments 20 Spotlight: The Highway to the Metaverse 27 Fostering Mutually Beneficial Relationships 28 References 29 Credits and Methodology 30 About 31 P1 P2

4 Introduction F or The G ame When Pong, often quoted as the first commercially successful video game, was released in 1972, it would have been difficult to imagine the technical revolution it would open for the entertainment industry. Fifty years later, the one-pixel ball has turned into hyperrealistic worlds, the up-and-down controller has morphed into virtual reality headsets, and cloud gaming has replaced the bulky arcade console. Looking ahead, gaming arguably offers the best glimpse into the immersive experiences the metaverse promises, and with it, the future of connectivity. Fueled by an ever-growing community of virtual reality (VR) developers and the wider availability of 5G, popular intellectual properties (IPs) will pave the way for mainstream adoption of virtual experiences, both within and beyond gameplay. Most importantly, gaming has significantly shaped global culture. Characters such as Mario, Sonic, and Pikachu are now transgenerational, universal icons. Entire fandoms have emerged around games with their own sets of codes, vernacular, and star influencers. Today, the gaming imprint in global culture is so prevalent that gaming franchises have become some of the hottest properties for video streaming platforms looking to attract their huge audiences. Gaming has also given rise to a colossal industry that constantly reinvents its commercial model. The industry has opened to lucrative subscriptions and has embraced free-to-play models that amass huge profits through micro-transactions. This fertile ground is leading to a growing wave of concentration and diversification dynamics that will undoubtedly have a massive impact on both the gaming experience and business opportunities in the next few years. In the first months of 2022 alone, roughly US$80b deals were announced, including Microsoft’s purchase of Activision-Blizzard,2 Sony’s acquisition of Bungie,3 and Take-Two’s merger with Zynga.4 The evolution of gaming Building Actionable Intelligence for Today’s Gaming World INTRODUCTION

5 Introduction F or The G ame The gaming opportunity is not limited to endemic brands such as game publishers. As more people play, gaming environments become new prized advertising spaces. The in-game advertising market (i.e., ads inserted directly within games) is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 16% between 2021 and 2025.5 But advertising is only the tip of the iceberg. Commerce, esports sponsorship, partnership with influencers, real-life and virtual merchandising, in-platform branded experience… the possibilities are limitless. In that context, developing an authentic presence is the sine qua non condition of success for non-endemic brands. As they flock to gaming, they must fully understand what makes it unique and carefully focus on the value they can add to the experience to be accepted and resonate with audiences. A brand’s first step is to look past the clichés and develop a genuine understanding of gamers. It is not about simply looking at what people play at a given time and adding a line on a marketing plan. It is about thoroughly understanding their motivations, their communities, their lifestyles, the media they consume, and their expectations of brands. A massive opportunity for brands Building Actionable Intelligence for Today’s Gaming World INTRODUCTION

6 Introduction F or The G ame At dentsu, we place consumer intelligence at the heart of everything we do. We invest in gaming-specific research with a focus on building truly actionable insights, bringing the best data sources together through tool integration. We have fused dentsu CCS panel data with GWI gaming data across 21 markets. This means brands can now access high-fidelity portraits of gamers that encompass lifestyle and media attitudes and behaviours (e.g., shopping routines, passions and hobbies, TV consumption) as well as granular gaming habits (e.g., specific genres and games played, in-game purchases, gaming sessions lengths, motivations). This fusion opens a new depth of insights directly available for strategy, planning, and activation to connect more effectively with gamers. We have also included gaming in our Attention Economy programme, one of the largest studies dedicated to proving the value of attention as a media effectiveness metric, which led to the definition of CPMs based on an effective attentive second, and to the creation of an algorithm capable of optimising toward high attention display or video inventory in real time. Additionally, we continually develop ad hoc topical and regional research on gaming, such as deep dives on sponsorship and gamification. Building actionable gaming intelligence Building Actionable Intelligence for Today’s Gaming World INTRODUCTION Dentsu Attention Economy Since 2018, the Attention Economy programme focuses on attention as an actionable media metric. Resesarch partners include endemic gaming platforms such as Frameplay and Twitch, and other major platforms popular among gamers such as Snap. Dentsu Contextual deep-dives Dentsu and its brands frequuently publish ad hoc resesarch on gaming, from Decoding the Global Fan exploring sponsorship to Gamifide Commerce looking into gamification, regional gamers’ sentiment studies across the globe. Dentsu CCS Data Started 25 years ago, dentsu proprietary survey covers 70 markets with a global sample of 420k+ respondents. Data is updated annually across 10 sections covering 10,500 attributes such as hobbies, media consumption, demographics, and 180+ psychographic statements. GWI Gaming data In-depth gaming data collected bi-annually from 28,500 respondents across 16 markets. Surveys use 40 questions covering 2,700 attributes on gaming behaviours, motivations, esports activities, and data on 100+ franchises and games. Dentsu Gaming Intelligence Platform

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