New research from Newzoo — a leading global provider of games and esports analytics — reveals that there are more than one billion female gaming enthusiasts in the world. Maybe that shouldn’t be a surprise, considering the velocity with which esports has taken off in recent years.
Using fresh data from Newzoo’s Consumer Insights and Gamer Segmentation™research platforms, the company has identified key similarities and differences between the ways in which men and women engage with gaming.
Here are highlights from Newzoo’s report:
While there are almost as many female as male game enthusiasts, there are differences between the top personas for each gender. Across all 30 markets researched, the top persona among female game enthusiasts is the Time Filler. These are people who play games, typically on mobile, to pass the time. Over a third of all female game enthusiasts fall within this group.
Interestingly, the biggest gender differences can also be found here, with 36 percent of women fitting this persona vs. just 19 percent of men. In fact, almost two-thirds of all Time Fillers are women.
The second-most prominent persona among female game enthusiasts is the Cloud Gamer, with 17 percent. Over a fifth of male gamers are in this group, making it their top persona. These gamers enjoy high-quality game experiences, preferably free-to-play or discounted titles, but only spend on hardware when necessary. The imminent cloud gaming platforms from Microsoft (xCloud) and Google (Stadia), which do not require the consumer to buy expensive hardware, are a potential game changer for this group.
Meanwhile, 14 percent of female game enthusiasts are Popcorn Gamers, meaning they play a little but enjoy watching gaming content far more. This persona, therefore, might be easier reached through mediums like Twitch and YouTube than with in-game advertising.
The #2 persona for men is Time Filler, followed by the Ultimate Gamer (15 percent). Ultimate Gamers love all things gaming — playing, owning and viewing, and dedicate much of their free time and disposable income to the pastime. Male game enthusiasts are far likelier to be Ultimate Gamers than women: 15 percent vs. 9 percent, respectively.
Not all personas, however, exhibit clear gender differences. For example, around 6 percent of both men and women are Backseat Viewers, those who watch plenty of gaming video content/esports on Twitch and YouTube but hardly ever play games.
What does all this mean? Newzoo, which is based in The Netherlands, claims that its research allows marketers “to highlight, analyze and profile the fastest-growing personas that brands should be paying attention to.”
For more about Newzoo’s research and nifty graphics that provide an overview of all eight gamer personas (and to find out which persona you are), click here.
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