Game tech and marketing company Livewire’s 2024 Next Gen Attention report reveals gaming to be the favourite form of entertainment for three generations, as the top pick over films, TV, music and even social media for Millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
The survey of players in the UK, US and Australia found Gen Alpha to be gaming the most frequently, with 70% reporting playing video games at least four or five times per week. Only 55% of Gen Z gamers get in gaming sessions four, five, or more times weekly, while Millennials are close behind at 54%. However, this doesn’t mean their total playtimes are anywhere close…
Adult responsibility gets in the way
Each week, Gen Alpha inevitably plays for the longest. 62% of the gamers in this generation play for over five hours a week with 22% of them fitting in more than 11 hours. In fact, there are more Gen Alpha gamers playing for over 11 hours than there are playing for fewer than two (only 20%).
Three to four hours is the sweet spot for Gen Z, representing the average for a third of all players from the age range; only 17% play for anything more than five hours per week.
The share of Millennials fitting in anything over that five-hour mark is negligible, with a third of gamers not even managing one hour of gaming in an average seven-day span. 31% do play for one to two hours while 25% get in three to four.
"Millennials who are getting older and taking on more adult and family responsibilities want to game more but no longer have the free time," the report surmises.
Gaming everywhere
Gen Z is also closer to Gen Alpha when it comes to watching game-related content, as they view 20% more than their Millennial forebears on TikTok and streaming services.
Immersive experiences are also an "increasing expectation", the report claims, with playable and rewarded ads, interactive billboards, and other in-game forms of advertisement on the rise. Gen Z and Alpha even "enjoy" brand appearances in games about 20% more than Millennials, with Alpha gamers being the most likely to make a purchase after seeing a branded ad in-game.
Unsurprisingly, mobile comes out on top among gaming platforms with 66% across the three generations playing on their phones. Consoles rank second at 45%, then laptops, PCs and tablets round out the top five at 31%, 26% and 25% respectively. Naturally, this means there is high cross-over in which platforms players engage with.
"The next generation are different from any we’ve seen before. Tech-natives raised in gaming, this is a generation that does not primarily consume media via downward-scrolling flat social-media screens. They exist in immersive, interactive, playable digital spaces. And this means how brands talk and engage with them has to be completely different too - it’s now about items, immersive ads, playability and experiences in expansive digital worlds," said Livewire CEO Tom Simpson.
A Newzoo report last October revealed 81% of Gen Z plays mobile games.
