Myth Busting Canadian YouTube Gamers

Key insights

5 takeaways

01
Over 30% of YouTube Gamers in Canada are female, which challenges the myth that all gamers are young men.See it on page 2
02
Half of YouTube Gamers in Canada watch YouTube gaming content every day, according to the research.See it on page 3
03
YouTube Gamers also watch non-gaming categories, with music at 55% and comedy at 47% among the top non-gaming categories watched.See it on page 3
04
Over half of YouTube Gamers say they use YouTube videos as a source to help inform purchases of new products or services.See it on page 4
05
The research reports that 77% of YouTube Gamers take some sort of action after watching a video, and 47% read or post comments.See it on page 5

Summary

This Google research document, published in November 2016, examines Canadian "YouTube Gamers," defined as adult online Canadians over 18 who turn to YouTube for gaming content. It draws on a survey of 4,000 adult online Canadians, of whom 450 were YouTube Gamers, supplemented by qualitative groups in Toronto and Montreal. Sourced figures come from a Google/Ipsos study from June 2016 with 384 gamers on YouTube, and from Google Search Trends covering the 12 months since October 2015. The document reports that the number of game studios in Canada rose from 143 in 2013 to 472 in 2015, citing an ESAC report.

The research challenges four myths about this audience. It reports that over 30% of YouTube Gamers in Canada are female, that 1 in 4 are between 35 and 54, and that 30% have children in their household. It also finds that half of YouTube Gamers in Canada watch gaming content daily, and that they watch non-gaming categories such as music (55%) and comedy (47%).

The document further reports that over half of YouTube Gamers use YouTube videos to inform purchases, and that they are more likely than the general online population to buy across several categories. Finally, 77% of YouTube Gamers take some action after watching a video, with 47% reading or posting comments.