Is the Word ‘Gamer’ Causing Marketers to Lose Out on Core Consumer Audiences?

I play mobile games, but don’t call me a gamer.

As a mobile advertising veteran, I’ve seen just how misinterpreted the word “gamer” can be. On hearing “gamer,” many marketers immediately think of a young man in his parents’ basement, one hand in a bag of Cheetos and the other on a PlayStation controller. Today many marketers hold onto this perception and miss out on reaching their audience in a highly engaged, brand-safe environment.

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The truth is, everyone is a gamer — and no one is. Today, more than 90% of people who play games do so via mobile. A 2022 MobileVoice study also revealed that consumers who play mobile games span nearly every age group: 35% are Gen Z, 27% are Millennials, and 21% are Gen X. Parents and female-identified consumers each make up nearly 50% of mobile game users, respectively.

There are over 4.7M apps in the App Store and 2.6M in the Google Play Store. Many of these titles fall into the “hyper-casual” game category, meaning it takes just a few taps to play a quick round. Unsurprisingly, 2.8 billion consumers make mobile games part of their daily mobile activity around the world. The sheer volume of titles and the proliferation of the hyper-casual genre have made mobile gaming the most popular form of entertainment across an increasingly diverse consumer group.

Despite the number of people playing mobile games, there’s a semantic disconnect. 65% of mobile gaming consumers say they don’t identify as gamers. The older the user, the less likely they are to associate with the label. In fact, 85% of people playing mobile games 55 and older don’t consider themselves gamers.

I’ve watched hundreds of advertisers miss out on mobile games — one of the most lucrative channels in existence — simply because they don’t understand who’s playing. Here’s how to put ad dollars to real use by rethinking the “gamer” paradigm.

Meet the most profitable audience you’re ignoring

Marketers need to take into account that consumers spend an average of 4.8 hours a day on mobile. Across all age demographics, consumers spend an average of 21 minutes of that time playing mobile games. Accordingly, mobile games draw the highest engagement of any app category after social media.

Let’s break down mobile gaming demographics in more detail. Games aren’t niche; they’ve become a bigger industry than movies and North American sports combined in the wake of the pandemic. There are 227 million players spread across all age groups in the US alone, with the average age of people playing being 31 years old according to the ESA. MobileVoice® research has also revealed that over half of all mobile gaming consumers identify as female. Moreover, 76% of advertisers claim to have used mobile gaming specifically to reach ethnically and racially diverse audiences.

If there’s any doubt that games are a path to ROI, consider the market growth. Mobile gaming is growing at a CAGR of 11.5% over 2020–2027. The market is on track to reach $153.5B by 2027, signaling the immense purchasing power of this consumer group.

So, why does all of this data matter? Because it highlights how marketers are failing to capture their own corner of the gaming world. Stigmatized labels like “gamer” could lead you to neglect high-value audience segments.

How marketers can course correct

So, what’s the lesson? Stop ignoring the audience you think is playing games, and start advertising to the demographic that is playing games. Here’s where to start.

Diversify. It’s not enough to funnel ad budgets into search and social and hope for the best. Over time these bidding algorithms have become less predictable and competition is stiff, so return on ad spend (ROAS) is far from guaranteed. Identify under-utilized channels to add to your marketing mix and start testing. Mobile games should be at the top of that list.

• Determine your KPIs. Mobile game advertising is versatile. Leverage it to scale video views, drive clicks, or clock completed engagements. One key advantage of in-app ads is that inventory is brand-safe and human-viewable — every impression is landing in front of real consumers in the right context. Don’t be surprised if you see higher completion rates and stronger engagement than other channels.
• Curate contextually. With millions of mobile games out there, contextual audience curating is an essential strategic consideration. Certain audiences over index within specific game genres, making contextual audience curating invaluable in the post-ATT era. For example, women between ages 25 and 54 over index on match-3 and word games. Meanwhile first-person shooter games attract a younger male-dominated audience. There’s a game for every consumer and, by the same token, a game for every marketer.
• Gamify your brand. Gamified ads offer consumers an enjoyable and often welcome distraction. Playables also organically flow with the app experience, causing less disruption than traditional banners or even video. Gamification isn’t just for game marketers, either. For example, an insurance brand can create a safe driving mini-game, or a snack food brand could make mouths water with a cookie-based match-3. Gamification fosters engagement while educating users about products and brand values.

Want to know if you’re on the right track? A good strategic litmus test is to identify marketing biases. Over-investing in Instagram because it’s the only place to reach female fashionistas or funneling budget into linear TV to reach older consumers can be a costly mistake. Good tactics prove their value, poor tactics make marketers justify them. Make sure to not let assumptions steer you away from potentially profitable opportunities.

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The takeaway

Everyday consumers are driving the mobile games industry’s growth. Cast aside the notion that “gamer” is indicative of any subset of pop culture — it isn’t. The numbers paint a clear picture. By broadening your approach to include mobile game advertising, you unlock exciting new growth opportunities for your brand.