A new report by Dentsu showcases a major shift in how
consumers interact digitally. As younger cohorts flock to interactive gaming platforms like Roblox and Fortnite, while streamers on Twitch and Discord become influencers with millions of followers,
gaming is becoming inherently social.
Dentsu found that almost three-quarters of players say games help them connect with others, while 36% watch gaming content
“to learn, laugh, and belong.”
Younger gamers -- especially Gen Z -- are 32% more likely than the average gamer to play for the purpose of
socializing with their friends.
Over half of this cohort agree that gaming is a great way to forge friendships and socialize.
The report shows that Gen Z, which spends an average of 2.5 hours on Roblox per day, formed 1.62 billion in-game friendships per month on the platform in 2024. Dentsu
argues that this data may showcase a shift away from traditional social media behavior and, instead, toward a more participatory social experience.
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“Traditional social platforms are built around observation,” the report reads. “Gaming is built
around immersion, interaction, and identity.”
While the majority of people (88%) game for relaxation, Dentsu found that a quarter of players primarily
game to socialize with their friends. These players are also 13% more likely to be from Indonesia, 12% more likely to be from China, 33% more likely to use a laptop to game, and 32% more likely to use
a PC than other gamers.
According to Dentsu, gaming, like social media, also drives consumer action.
The report shows that 68% of players try games because of a show, movie, or book, and 49% of players feel more positive about a
franchise when it expands formats – from games to movies and vice versa. Most recently, the release of the game-inspired blockbuster, “A Minecraft Movie,” generated $301 million on
opening weekend and led to a 17% week-on-week increase in Minecraft’s daily active players.
Gaming
isn’t “just where fandom lives, it’s where fandom deepens, spreads, and sticks,” Dentsu says.
Dentsu suggests that brands develop a strategy around expanding their entertainment IP into gaming formats in order to engage and grow fandom, especially among Gen Z.
Global consumers are actually 10 times more likely to feel positively about entertainment franchises when a video
game adapting the franchise IP is released.
Furthermore, almost half of Gen Z and Millennial consumers are
interested in buying physical products while playing games. The report states that 44% of Twitch viewers have purchased a product because their favorite streamer recommended it.
Gaming influencers highlight the effectiveness of how digital word of mouth can naturally build trust in gaming
communities. Out of 8.9 billion hours watched across all livestream platforms in 2024, 67% of players said they were likely to consider a brand that supports their favorite streamer.
“Your brand is part of a community constantly talking about your brand,” Dentsu explains. “Work
with your community and recognize what they say about you. It’s a part of your social media ecosystem, it’s the same habit you should be exploring across all of your community
platforms.”
Gaming is a rapidly growing industry.
Right
now, there are 3.4 billion gamers worldwide, and they spent 6% more time in 2024 gaming than they did the year prior. The gaming market itself generates revenues of $183.9 billion annually, surpassing
the music and movie industries.
However, despite the burgeoning success of gaming and
its ties to brand engagement across the globe, Dentsu says gaming captures less than 5% of global media investment.
In fact, Dentsu’s gaming lead, Brent Koning, urged brands to develop a gaming strategy back in November, telling MediaPost that having a gaming plan is the
equivalent to having a social media plan 15 years ago: “Anyone who made a plan that did not include a social media marketing plan today would be fired.”