The category of Video games has always been a very strong reward download favourite at Reward the World™. But many misconceptions remain regarding who plays video games, what they play and how they play them. However, according to a recent study in the US by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) we need to better understand the demographic shift in the game-player audience and behaviour. Rather than being anchored in the classic young male segment the appeal of videogames now transcends age and gender.
For instance 82% of woman between the ages of 55-64 say that games provide them with mental stimulation, which rises to 87% for men in the same age group. Probably an activity to be encouraged in this group in light of our better understanding of the causes of dementia.
According to the survey there is a total of 214 million regular game players in the US of which 64% are adults (163 million). Across all players 59% are male and 41% female. So clearly a group no longer dominated by the stereotypical ‘spotty-youth’ of old.
Potentially of more importance is the answer to the question – why do the various groups play games?
Once again, the old cliché of the introverted, sad individual locked away in his bedroom is busted.
It seems that nowadays game playing has become a much more social activity with some 65% of gameplayers playing with others, a total of 27% with a spouse or partner and 24% with other family members.
Overall women age 35-54 appear to be the most social gameplayers with 58% preferring to play with friends and 37% having a preference for family oriented games.
One interesting trend of note is the rise in popularity of Casual Games – ones we play online or via a mobile phone to while away a few minutes when we have time to kill.
In conclusion then, it is fair to say that when it comes to providing a reward for a purchase or in return for a registration or subscription videogames now have very wide appeal. In particular Reward the World, while having a huge range of videogames for reward download, can provide many casual games at a very cost-effective level, allowing their deployment in campaigns where acquisition costs per unit must be kept low.
If you are interested in exploring how you could deploy video games as instant rewards to support marketing campaigns and help achieve your campaign objectives chat with us now.
Project Makeover - a popular casual game
