Did you know that 70% of the American population are gamers playing some type of video game every day? That figure doesn’t even include the people who are playing mobile games, VR gaming, and more. It is truly no longer the 80’s. Biff Tannen isn’t about to make fun of us for staying inside to play games when he’s probably joining us with his headset.
That is a huge market to infiltrate, which the industry well knows. It’s why video games are releasing mobile equivalents, and even TV streaming service Netflix is getting into the game with their own releases of mobile games. Movie tie-in games might have dimmed in popularity, though never fully left, that’s only because games are more considered thoughtful, artistic, and fun, rather than simply a reason to play out a narrative that gamers have already seen.
So, in an industry so saturated, how do you get into the middle of it? How do you market to these, typically young, typically, tech-savvy, gamers? Well, with social media of course. Read on to find out how you can market to gamers in 2022.
Communities
The first thing you’ll hear when talking about gamers is the term “gaming community”. Whenever there is a discussion, either about controversy or hype, the “gaming community” comes together to chat.
Communities are rife on social media, where there is a community centered around your race, sexuality, cause, nationality, town, aesthetic, or in this case, hobby. They can be found in two ways: the Facebook way, where you go hunting for your community and join a group consciously, and the TikTok way, where you are presented with content around a certain community, and before you know it, you’re embroiled in it.
Communities are useful to gaming because there are no two gamers the same, and within the gaming community is splits into genres, tastes, demographics, etc. There are cult games and mainstream games. Games to switch off and games to analyze. Endear yourself to these communities by presenting your game as something they would enjoy. Give them a mystery to solve, a character to analyse, or some epic moments to make fan art of.
Influencers
The other side of these communities are the cream of the crop that rise to the top of their respective communities: influencers. Micro-influencers are the most engaged in smaller genres, but the biggest ones are the mainstream names like PewDiePie, Pokimane, and JackSepticEye.
Gaming influencers offer a unique form of entertainment, where the best are part playing the game and part sparkling personality, but even the smaller ones trying out new games get a crowd. This creates a dedicated audience that is willing to listen to their sponsorships.
And then there are eSports players. These guys are almost considered celebrities in their own right, and are presented as such, making for a lot of more affordable but just as effective celebrity endorsements.
Gamer sponsorships
Sponsorships come in all shapes and sizes when it comes to gaming creators. Unlike a lot of other influencers, it lends itself to a lot of creativity. Gaming blogs can write about games and embed an affiliate link, gaming streamers can use sponsored items as product placement or play sponsored games for a review. In fact, the industry has taken a big swing since the early days of PewDiePie, deciding that if you can’t beat them with copyright takedowns, you can join them, and ask for reviews of games. Although, brands should gain a thick skin because influencers aren’t going to hold back if they see something wrong with the game. It can even be useful, if you are still developing the game, to get some feedback from what are, technically, professional gamers.
Live streaming
The bread and butter of the gaming community is live streaming. It’s the most popular source of online long-format entertainment to simply stick on a gameplay stream and enjoy. It’s where all the biggest gaming influencers get their fans, and it’s where you can get your game seen.
You can sponsor an influencer to play your game, either for the sake of it or for the sake of reviewing it, or even have someone on the development team play through it in the name of your brand to show off a level or sliver of the game to entice excitement.
If you’re interested in more affiliate marketing insights, take a look at our blog, or for a more personalized approach, book a free call with a member of our team.
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