Comscore releases 2024 State of Gaming Report with insights for advertisers

Comscore, a leader in cross-platform media measurement, yesterday unveiled its 2024 State of Gaming Report. This report provides valuable data and insights for advertisers, marketers, and content creators in the gaming industry.

Gaming Popularity: The report highlights the massive popularity of gaming, with 62% of adults aged 18 and over actively playing video games. This audience is diverse, with Millennials representing the largest demographic segment.

Multi-Platform Play: A significant trend is the preference for multi-platform gaming. 77% of gamers report playing on more than one platform, including PCs, consoles, and mobile devices. This highlights the need for advertisers to develop cross-platform strategies to reach this widespread audience.

Advertising Opportunities: The report explores various advertising opportunities within the gaming sector. These include in-game product placements, rewarded ads (where players receive in-game rewards for watching ads), and livestream sponsorships. Interestingly, 45% of gamers revealed an openness to rewarded ads, suggesting potential for strategic implementation.

Positive Perception of Ads: The report sheds light on gamer attitudes towards advertising. Two-thirds of gamers who have encountered traditional or pop-up ads within games indicated a neutral or positive perception of the impact on their gaming experience.

In-Game Purchases: In-game transactions remain a significant revenue stream for the industry. The report finds that 82% of gamers have made in-game purchases within freemium titles (games that are free to play but offer optional in-game purchases).

Social Media and Gaming: Social media plays a role in the gaming ecosystem. Nearly 70% of gamers who expressed interest in learning more about a brand after seeing it in a game indicated they would use social media platforms for further information.

Esports and Livestreaming: Esports and livestreaming are experiencing significant growth, particularly among younger demographics. The report highlights that a large portion of Gen Z and Millennials (approximately 80% and 86%, respectively) who are aware of esports have watched esports content. Livestreaming shows similar trends,with engagement reported by over half of Gen Z and Millennials familiar with the format. Esports is also a social activity, with the vast majority (79%) of viewers watching esports content with others.

Emerging Trends: Cloud gaming and Netflix gaming represent emerging trends with significant growth potential.Cloud gaming allows users to play high-end games on less powerful devices without downloads. The report finds that over two-thirds of gamers subscribe to Netflix, presenting an opportunity to leverage Netflix Games for further user engagement.

Movies and Gaming: The report emphasizes the box office success of video game-inspired movies like "Mario Bros" and "Sonic 2," demonstrating the cultural and economic power of the gaming industry.

The report's findings suggest a thriving gaming industry with a vast and engaged audience. Advertisers can leverage these insights to develop effective cross-platform strategies and explore various advertising formats within the gaming ecosystem.