YouGov’s new gaming report shows that a quarter of young urban Indian males between 18 to 34 years follow gaming influencers in India. YouGov’s International Gaming Report 2021 is a three-part series on the global gaming influencer landscape.
Part one sizes the gaming influencer global fanbase across 17 international markets and reveals where these influencer followers sit within the global influencer sector as a whole. When it comes to the type of influencers followed among adults of all ages, data suggests that just under one in ten (nine per cent) consumers across all 17 markets follow gaming influencers. However, this changes significantly when we look at different demographic groups. Globally, gaming influencers are the most popular type of influencer followed by males aged 18 to 34 years, with almost a quarter (23 per cent) of all adults in this demographic segment following gaming personalities.
The proportion is higher in Asian countries, with Hong Kong (42 per cent) and Indonesia (36 per cent) reporting the highest numbers within this cohort.
In India, about a fourth (25 per cent) seem to be following gaming influencers, which is higher than the proportions in the UK (11 per cent) and US (19 per cent).
When it comes to gaming frequency, YouGov data shows 68 per cent of adults across the 17 international markets surveyed currently game at least once a week. The global proportion of those following gaming influencers increases from 9per cent overall to 15 per cent among active gamers (playing video games one+ hours per week), and to 20 per cent among heavy gamers (playing video games 11+ hours per week).
India stands out from the rest of the world with the highest penetration of gaming influencer followers both among active gamers (25 per cent) as well as heavy gamers (33 per cent). India is closely followed by Indonesia and China, reporting high numbers for gaming influencer followers in both groups. The lowest numbers are reported by Denmark, where only 11 per cent of heavy gamers and 7 per cent of active gamers follow gaming influencers.
While fans of gaming influencers are heavily invested in gaming, they also have a wide variety of other entertainment interests. In India, the top ‘other influencer’ categories followed by gaming influencer fans include health (59 per cent), fitness (54 per cent), sports (53 per cent) and food (52 per cent). This presents an opportunity for brands, advertisers, and sponsors who are keen to engage this audience through outside of the gaming landscape.
YouGov global sector head of esports and gaming Nicole Pike said, “The continued growth of video gaming over the past two years has sky-rocketed gaming influencers to elite pop culture status, especially among Gen Z and millennial males. Gaming has evolved from a hobby to a primary form of entertainment and social engagement – and with this, personalities who stream gaming content have become the fan favorites of younger generations around the globe. Consumers are hungry for more ways to interact with gaming in their day-to-day lives, and gaming influencers have answered the call, connecting with fans across multiple platforms, while at the same time offering brand marketers a prime opportunity to engage with digital-first audiences who are becoming more difficult to reach via traditional media outlets.”
