Pre-teen Gamers are a new and burgeoning consumer group. But
the ability of the media industry to understand their behaviors and motivations
has been fairly limited until now. In what is being described as a first-of-its-kind,
Nielsen
has just released the results of its SuperData Preteen Gamer study which revealed
how preteens discover, recommend, cross-play, engage with others, purchase and
communicates through platforms in the gaming environment.
Carter
Rogers, Principal Analyst at SuperData, took me through the study
and revealed the trends he saw and some surprises from the data. “SuperData is
a market research company focused on digital games and related media,” he
began, “and we joined Nielsen about a year ago to augment the research in the
game space.” This study had two parts – an online survey of 1000 U.S. parents
of preteen gamers and in-person focus groups with 100 preteens aged 7-12 years
old in the New York City in area with an even gender skew. The focus groups in
particular, “were really neat,” Rogers noted, “because many previous studies
have interviewed the preteen’s parents instead of the kids. It may not give a
clear picture of what the children are actually up to. So we went through a lot
of effort to make sure this was a proper study on preteens.”
A Social Ecosystem
One of the
big study takeaways was that preteen gamers are using the gaming environment as
a social ecosystem. “Preteens really like socializing in games. They play
online with friends but they don’t just jump on to a game, play for five
minutes and then leave. They want to use these games as virtual hangout
spaces.” The top three games for preteens at this time are Roblox (33%),
Fortnite (26%) and Minecraft (24%), all of which are used by preteens as
virtual hubs. “A lot of the younger players are using gaming as a social
network to hang out with friends in games,” he stated.
Awkward Commerce
Another
takeaway is the commerce aspect of gaming. “A lot of preteens ask their parents
to spend on cosmetic items. In Fortnite these are called skins. We found that
generally it is very difficult for preteens to spend in games,” Rogers noted,
“It is really an under addressed audience.” His contention is that, in digital
games, purchasing is conducted online only and is creating, “awkward systems
where the preteens give their parents cash that the parents originally gave
them in their allowance, the parents give the preteen their credit card and
then the preteen uses the credit card to make a purchase in the game. It is
confusing for parents and a hassle for preteens.”
Devices Matter
Multi-platform
play is very important. In the past, the big games were predominantly played on
a console, “but you couldn’t have some of these big games so world dominating
and such phenomenal successes if all games were still on console.” Rogers
explained. “We’ve found that mobile is a gateway device for these younger
preteens. Fifty-five percent of 7-9 year olds are playing games on tablets
compared to 27% of 10-12 year olds. Consoles are very, very popular among these
older preteens. Seventy-six percent of those preteens play on a console,
compared to 54% of 7-9 year olds.” The major three games are available on
multiple devices so,” preteens with only access to a smartphone (which often
belongs to their parent) can still play with their friends who might be playing
on a Playstation 4 on a TV.”
Different Levels of Engagement
There are
very distinct groups of preteens in gaming, according to Rogers. “The younger
gamers tend to play on smartphones and tablets and aren’t really engaged in
gaming in the way that some of the older players are.” Older preteens are very
engaged and aware of specific happenings in the gaming industry such as any new
titles. As so, as the study revealed, gaming habits tend to shift around ages 9
or 10, coinciding, interestingly, with greater migration to consoles that seem
to offer a more immersive, engaging experience for the gamer. “Preteens go from
playing casually on a phone to the much more dedicated gaming around age 10 and
gaming more on a platform deck at that point.”
Perception of Popularity is Vital
Marketers
should take note. The way preteens find out about games is online, such as via
YouTube or Twitch or the Amazon streaming platform. “We found that among
preteens, 78% of 10-12 year olds watch gaming video content as do 69% of 7-9
year olds.” They will definitely take game recommendations from people online.
Rogers concluded that game developers should, “appeal to these tastemakers
because if an influencer says that a game is not cool anymore, that really
influences preteen attitudes. It is very important for a game to be perceived
as ‘popular’ than it is for a game to develop a new concept to keep it fresh.
Perception of popularity is very important.”
Looking Forward
In sum, while this is a new study, there are ways to ascertain
trends for both game developers and marketers. For one, the lifecycle of games
is getting longer which means that preteens may be playing these games well
into their young adult years and that the games themselves, according to
Rogers, “have a much longer revenue tail,” and are being built to “allow for user-made
content. They can make their own environment and share it with a friend. This
can impact the gaming industry for many years to come.”
For brands, the extended content life means this valuable audience
has to be reached using a more holistic approach. The very nature of the
content requires that brands appear in-program and via cross-promotion in games
and not as traditional commercial spots. So the main takeaway from this seminal
study is for Media and Brands to be nimble, creative and prepared because gaming
content consumption is different from traditional video content consumption and
this new way of viewing is establishing new behavioral norms in the consumers
of tomorrow.
This article first appeared in www.MediaVillage.com
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