Zoomers Reshape Game Industry
Amber Studio published their research on Generation Z's consumer habits when it comes to gaming.
Even though it is hard to draw the line between Millenials and Gen Z (as some believe Gen Z includes people born in 1994 – 1995, the others say everyone born before 1997 is a Millenial), it would be fair to say that everyone who is a teenager at present can be definitely considered a representative of Generation Z. 97% of Zoomers own a smartphone, and they are undoubtedly the most tech-savvy generation so far (though the 'iPad kids' of Generation Alpha are basically half-robots).
Amber conducted a survey to analyze Gen Z's consumer behavior in the gaming market. A total of 195 respondents took part in the study, 64% of them are male, 33% are female. 63% of participants are between the age of 20 – 23, 17% are 16 – 19 years old. 55% of respondents are students (55%), 27% are full-time workers.
As Amber studios discovered, the average time a Gen Zer spends playing ranges between 1 and 2 hours a day on average, with smartphones and PCs being the most popular gaming platforms. 25% of the time Gen Zers spend playing mobile games goes to PUBG Mobile, Free Fire, and other Core Action games. Then come games like ROBLOX, Minecraft, etc. According to this data, multiplayer games are Gen Z's favorite genre.
Amber reports that older Gen Zers prefer using PC for gaming, while the younger ones are highly interested in consoles with Nintendo Switch being the most popular one. Overall, PC is still the winner across all age subcategories.
Speaking of Generation Z's favorite genre, RPG and Action-Adventure Games are the absolute leaders. Older teens have a slightly higher preference for Shooters and Battle Royale and the younger players tend to enjoy Fighting and Survival games more. Generation Z players are not very enthusiastic about Strategy and MMORPG games, even though overall users within this age group show an interest in multiplayer games.
When it comes to Gen Z's favorite titles, there are 3 key characteristics almost all of them share: they are hyperpresent in pop culture thanks to YouTube, TikTok, and Reddit; they are multiplayer games; they allow the players to express themselves either through sandbox mode or through modifiable skins. Gen Z's top games are ROBLOX, Minecraft, Persona 5, Among Us, Animal Crossing, and Fortnite.
Just like probably any other generation of gamers, Gen Zers play primarily to relax. However, the second reason why they play is socializing, as gaming has become a perfect opportunity to hang out with friends online via multiplayer mode. The least popular answer was "I play to make content/stream".
Speaking of how Generation Z gamers find new games to play and choose what to add to their cart, most of them make their choice based on what they have seen on social media. Being present all across Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, and other social media apps is key for attracting this group of gamers. Younger Gen Zers, however, rely on the streamers' reviews and opinions a lot, more than any other age subgroup within Generation Z.
Finally, because Gen Z mostly includes teenagers so far, most of them do not have a stable source of income, hence why they are not likely to spend money on games. Generation Z gamers do not make in-game purchases often, most times they are willing to spend some money if they see a really good deal. Only 20% of them spend over $29.99 a month on video games, and another 20% spend less than $0.99 a month on game-related purchases.
Check out Amber's report for more details. Also, don't forget to join our new Telegram channel, our Discord, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we are sharing breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.
