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[Spyxos]

Millennials are the largest untapped market that video game companies should be focusing on, per a new study from Fandom, which finds that the generation spends more time gaming than both Gen Z and teens.

According to fan-community platform and entertainment company Fandom’s annual Inside Gaming report, which was released Thursday, “despite teens and Gen Z spending more time gaming than they did last year, older generations of players are spending more hours per week gaming.”

Compiled based on proprietary user data from Fandom.com and a global study that examines how gamer motivations and behaviors vary by generation, the report found that 52% of Millennials surveyed rank playing video games as their top interest and 40% of Fandom’s Millennial audience spends over 22 hours per week gaming, compared to only 29% of tweens.




Additionally, Fandom’s report found that “influence to purchase brands that have investments in the gaming space gets stronger with age,” as Fandom’s millennial users are at least 24% more likely to be “heavily influenced” to buy games compared to the average Fandom user.

But that doesn’t mean studios and developers should start sleeping on the younger generations: While 45% of gamers overall are spending more time gaming than they did a year ago, and Millennials are the demo playing the most of anyone, the biggest growth in overall time spent gaming vs. last year was seen among tweens and teens, up 63% and 48%, respectively.

According to Fandom’s “Inside Gaming” report:

• The younger generations of gamers are more interested in competitive gaming and making social connections, while older gamers gravitate more toward games with potential for intellectual stimulation.
• Among gaming genres, adventure, sandbox, survival and fighting games are most popular with Fandom gamers of all age.
• Tweens, however, are most likely to play battle royal (49%), racing (46%) and survival games (39%); while Millennials gravitate more toward MMO (41%), strategy (27%) and RPG (26%) genres, with games like Elden Ring or World of Warcraft.
• The biggest drivers for Gen Z and Millennials are character and storyline, with rich and complex backgrounds; while younger gamers gravitate more toward competitive games, with an emphasis on coordinated teamwork.

https://variety.com/2023/gaming/news/millennials-video-games-gen-z-study-gaming-1235579573/

 

[winjer]

A bit more info:

Millennials spend more time gaming than any other age group

Two out of five millennials surveyed said they spend 22 hours or more gaming per week, compared to just 29 percent of tweens. Millennials also tend to...

www.techspot.com

 

[The Cockatrice]

and Millennials are character and storyline, with rich and complex backgrounds

Well yes, us 80's folks were present to the best moments in gaming in our childhoods and it's hard to let go.

 

[bluecowboys]

Probably because millennials grew up during the golden age of gaming.

AAA gaming is getting worse each generation and it won’t stop getting worse. It takes way too long to make games since there is a lot more details and expectation for games.

Games are released incomplete just to make its money back among other things.

I’m starting to think Nintendo has the right idea and focus on making nothing but AA games. It usually gets better reception, sell better, and makes a lot of money.

 

[winjer]

Also, the economy is so bad for millennials, there isn't much entertainment they can afford.
Gaming still provides a lot of bang for your buck.

 

[Punished Miku]

Gaming companies surely are aware of this as well. Will be interesting to see what they try to appeal to younger kids.

Costs rising?
Most games being IP from the 80s?
Games abandoning local multiplayer, and largely being isolated single player experiences?
Too many sad dads?

We may never know.

 

[Supple]

What about Gen X?

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

Well duh, millennials are the ones that grew up when gaming got good and also experienced all different kinds of technology to make it happen, which I suspect is one of the reasons why the group regards mobile gaming the way it does.
It's also the group that actually has disposable income now.
Gen z has the attention span of a gold fish, and gen alpha has no money.

 

[Rush2112]

GenX made all the classics: baldurs gate, half life, super mario, deus ex, FEAR. Millenials made fortnite.

 

[RevGaming]

GenX made all the classics: baldurs gate, half life, super mario, deus ex, FEAR. Millenials made fortnite.

Fortnite came about when I was in my early 20s so no. I'm the gap between millenials and gen z so no.

 

[tmlDan]

cause we also have something called money

 

[TGO]

GenX made all the classics: baldurs gate, half life, super mario, deus ex, FEAR. Millenials made fortnite.

The key people behind Fortnite are in their mid 40's
That's Gen X
Most those games you mentioned was made by young Baby Boomers.

 

[Gambit2483]

What about Gen X?

Guessing most of them have aged out or lost interest by now (morseo than millenials)

 

[DeepEnigma]

Gen Z are addicted to TikTok.

 

[64bitmodels]

Most games being IP from the 80s?

I don't think this is much of an issue... Nintendo's IP are all mostly from the 20th century and they're still one of the biggest gaming companies period. People don't really care about the age of an IP as much as they care if it's good or not

 

[hemo memo]

What else we should do?

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

I think if we make games more woke, that would really help appeal to the gen Z audience

 

[Ev1L AuRoN]

Millennials are adults, they grew up with gaming and now have disposable income to invest in their hobby. I bet that what is holding back the gen z is money.

 

[NeonGhost]

I think if we make games more woke, that would really help appeal to the gen Z audience

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

The younger generations of gamers are more interested in competitive gaming and making social connections...

We need to protect the children at all costs. They know the way.

 

[64bitmodels]

I bet that what is holding back the gen z is money.

I think it's also time, many Gen Z are sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to school. Not to downplay the issues of work and a family but middle-high school takes up a lot of Gen Z's time. (not to mention the young adult guys who are out of school and are trying to hold a job) I think that's also why mobile gaming is so successful among our demographic, next best thing to playing games on a PS4 is playing them on your Iphone, Especially since one is with you always and the other you can only access on sundays and saturdays. It also ties into the money issue, Gen Z probably knows that the best portable games are on handheld (quite a few of my peers in school carry around a switch) but since they don't have much money they'd rather just try to get away with what they can play on the app store

And also TikTok. I think it's pretty obvious the new generation is more interested in social media than videogames which is also because of the fact that again Gen Z spends most of their time on a phone thanks to not having enough time to stay at home and do their own stuff.

 

[RagnarokIV]

Which is which? Gen Z are the tiktok twats and the ones who will #cancel you on twitter if they don't like you, right?
If so, fuck them. Stay out of our hobby.

 

[Fuz]

What about Gen X?

 

[Cyberpunkd]

40% of millenials game more than 22 hrs per week? How is that possible with work? Unless you do nothing else outside work than play videogames.

 

[64bitmodels]

Gen Z are the tiktok twats and the ones who will #cancel you on twitter if they don't like you, right?

those are also the millennials.

 

[Laptop1991]

Are the lumping all games together including Mobile, and game's got longer with Open World title's as well.

 

[TGO]

those are also the young millennials.

Had to correct you there.
Remember there can be a 15 year gap between old & young Millennials.
And the difference between them is massive.
I personally don't think anyone born in the 90's should be classed as a millennial or people born before the 90's should have their own group.
They are way too different.

 

[MatrixReloaded101]

40% of millenials game more than 22 hrs per week? How is that possible with work? Unless you do nothing else outside work than play videogames.

That's like 3 hours a day which is very possible after work and on the weekends.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Gaming is important and should be cherished.

 

[nightmare-slain]

40% of millenials game more than 22 hrs per week? How is that possible with work? Unless you do nothing else outside work than play videogames.

You'd be surprised how many people have a routine of work and staying at home (therefore playing video games). Why bother spending stupid money going out when it's cheaper to stay at home and play games, binge netflix, etc. Shit is too expensive these days.

Teenagers and kids are still staying at home. At the most they are spending their time studying/doing part time jobs. Most <18 year olds still don't really understand the true value of money and don't have to worry about paying rent/buying food so their money is more likely to be spent on going out, travelling, partying, etc.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

40% of millenials game more than 22 hrs per week? How is that possible with work? Unless you do nothing else outside work than play videogames.

Why do you think millennials are so pissed off about having to return to the office? (Aside from crippling fear of social interaction)

 

[GermanZepp]

Why millenias tweens and that slang. Put the freaking age range in the damn chart

 

[kiphalfton]

If that's the case then why does it feel like games are catered to everybody but millennials (i.e. the OG's)?

Besides trying to appeal to a bigger audience.

I'm sick of this shit where it feels like they're trying to alienate millennials, or people who actually enjoyed video games before the the mid-to-late 2010's), by trying to appeal to these fringe crowds who couldn't care less about the medium.

 

[64bitmodels]

Why do you think millennials are so pissed off about having to return to the office? (Aside from crippling fear of social interaction)

because they'd be able to do their jobs just as well in their home sitting at their computer rather than having to drive and get stuck in traffic to get to an office?
I can empathize.

 

[kiphalfton]

because they'd be able to do their jobs just as well in their home sitting at their computer rather than having to drive and get stuck in traffic to an office?
I can empathize

I just returned to office, from working completely remote to now on site 5 days a week, and it feels pointless.

Barely anybody comes in, and those who do spend probably 1/4 of their day fucking around (talking to each other, aimlessly walking around, etc.). Then when there's a meeting, it's through Skype/WebEx/Teams/Zoom/whatever.

And yeah, the traffic is killer. Spend an hour round trip in traffic on a good day, and 2 hours on a bad day. Would rather be doing literally anything with that time.

 

[64bitmodels]

I just returned to office, from working completely remote to now on site 5 days a week, and it feels pointless.

Barely anybody comes in, and those who do spend probably 1/4 of their day fucking around (talking to each other, aimlessly walking around, etc.). Then when there's a meeting, it's through Skype/WebEx/Teams/Zoom/whatever.

And yeah, the traffic is killer. Spend an hour round trip in traffic on a good day, and 2 hours on a bad day. Would rather be doing literally anything with that time.

gotta make up for all the money they wasted and are currently wasting on those gigantic soulless corpo office buildings instead of just using the internet

 

[nightmare-slain]

Why millenias tweens and that slang. Put the freaking age range in the damn chart

yeah, i remember the millenium but didn't know if i was a millenial. i thought it was for people born after 2000 but apparently i am a millenial since i was born 10 years before the millenium.

 

[StereoVsn]

40% of millenials game more than 22 hrs per week? How is that possible with work? Unless you do nothing else outside work than play videogames.

You answered your own question, lol. Likely these folks treat gaming as their main hobby.

 

[Flutta]

Which is which? Gen Z are the tiktok twats and the ones who will #cancel you on twitter if they don't like you, right?
If so, fuck them. Stay out of our hobby.

 

[Satansblade]

Makes sense. I played a lot less games in high school and college. The one thing on my mind that wasn't hockey/gym walked on two legs, and had nothing dangling in between them (since you have to specify nowadays). I most certainly play more games now than I did back then. Games were something we played the boys were drunk alone, or when I was home in the summer/at christmas.

 

[Satansblade]

Why do you think millennials are so pissed off about having to return to the office? (Aside from crippling fear of social interaction)

it's a great divider though. I have friends who own a tech company, quite a large one (not Corporation large, but worth millions), and when I flew their jet to a convention, they mentioned how this has been great for weeding out unwanted people. If you're in tech and you left your job because you didn't want to be in the office, you singled yourself out for every hiring manager as a problem hire and aren't wanted by executives.


On top of that, a bunch of them brag on twitter about how if their jobs making them go back, they'll quit. How very intelligent of you to trash your employer in public under your own name.
they should keep separating themselves from hard working peers.

 

[OCASM]

They'd rather watch streamers play the games than actually play them themselves. Sad.

 

[64bitmodels]

They'd rather watch streamers play the games than actually play them themselves. Sad.

think that says more about the games than it does the age group. A twitch stream is free, a video game usually is not

 

[SmokedMeat]

Makes sense. Gen Z’s too busy getting offended over everything.

 

[OCASM]

think that says more about the games than it does the age group. A twitch stream is free, a video game usually is not

There's no shortage of free games in today's world.

 

[64bitmodels]

There's no shortage of free games in today's world.

true but whether or not the game the streamer is playing is free varies and most of the time it's paid.

 

[Phase]

This is probably true, but I bet general screen-time is much higher in the younger gens.

 

[Nydius]

*Checks my birth year*

Guess I'm a Millennial now.

How do you do, fellow kids?

 

[OCASM]

true but whether or not the game the streamer is playing is free varies and most of the time it's paid.

Yeah, but the thing is that they'd rather watch than play.

 

[ANIMAL1975]

I'm out of the loop here, gen Z, millennials... I was born in the 70s what the fock am i lol?