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Video games are a billion-dollar business and have been for many years. In 2020, the revenue from the worldwide PC gaming market was estimated at almost 37 billion U.S. dollars, while the mobile gaming market generated an estimated income of over 77 billion U.S. dollars.

Gaming is quickly becoming a social network in its own right. And with 80% of marketing campaigns in the US featuring at least some social media component, gaming now offers a viable social network for brands to consider.

Video games have always been designed with the youth in mind. However, these days the age group that is targeted is getting younger and younger. Video game manufacturers made no secret that they are in fact targeting younger and younger kids. Experts say that this is a trend that’s been developing for years. However, recently the hardware technology has made this possible. This means that the video game manufacturers have taken away the controller so there’s no buttons or complicated sequences to learn, rather intuitive motions control the game play. This eliminates the barriers to entry, and allows younger and younger kids to enter the game play arena.

At the end of the day however, even though video game manufacturers are targeting younger and younger kids, the age group that takes part in the most video game play is still the age group between 18 to 35 years.

Market Demographics Are Expanding

Another trend in the video game industry is the expansion of the market as far as demographics go. People are playing games both earlier and later in life, and the gender mix is nearing par. The top-level gamers competing in e-Sports leagues have gained enough recognition that they can apply for the professional athlete visa when entering the U.S. Gaming has a wide appeal, and it is still growing.

Video games have become so popular on a mass scale that certain players stream videos of themselves playing video games at home and make hundreds and thousands of dollars by doing so. This has become another revenue generation sector of the video game market.

Key insights were gleaned regarding how gaming has evolved and can be used as a marketing platform for brands.

The gaming space has transformed – both in size and in substance – and there’s never been a better time for brands to take advantage of the emergent opportunities being born of this new paradigm.

Three significant shifts have opened the door for brands to reach audiences in this new frontier:

• Gaming has moved beyond an escape and has become social.
• Gaming has taken immersive marketing to whole new heights.
• Gaming is for everyone.

Gaming is quickly becoming a social network in its own right. And with 80% of marketing campaigns in the US featuring at least some social media component, gaming now offers a viable social network for brands to consider.