Gaming and esports: Trends and insights round-up for 2021 – YouGov US
In this piece, we’re rounding up the highlights of a year of gaming insights and trends.
This era of gaming has been defined by an incredible increase in popularity coupled with a shortage of available consoles. For so many consumers, next-generation consoles remain elusive, thanks to the confluence of chip shortages and supply-chain disruptions.
If shoppers can’t get the next-gen console they want, what will they do? In the United States, roughly half of consumers who indicated it has been harder for them to purchase their first choice of gaming console say they will seek out an alternative product (52%). In Great Britain, that number is higher at 63%.
But while gaming is generally on the up and may have reached a high during the pandemic, video gaming in America has declined in the last year and YouGov has insight into what are players doing instead as restrictions have eased and leisure choices have returned. Looking at a few key metrics tracked by YouGov Profiles, we see Americans who play video games have once again sought out familiar pastimes – like travel and cinema – in greater numbers. By knowing these activities, marketers may be able to strike partnerships and campaigns to keep their brand top of mind among gamers.
That isn’t to say video gaming has lost any relevance. The Olympics hosted an esports event and YouGov data shows who tuned in. Our analysis shows 13% of consumers across 17 global markets tuned into at least a portion of the Olympic Virtual Series Competition, which featured Gran Turismo car racing, Zwift cycling, eBaseball Powerful Pro Baseball 2020, and Virtual Regatta.
Teenage consumers remain a powerful demographic in the gaming space and their behavior can help hypothesize where the industry is going. If there is any doubt about the power of esports, consider this: One in five American boys aged 13-17 support FaZe Clan, the biggest esports team in the world. No traditional sports team enjoys that level of support among this demographic. In fact, three out of the top five teams with the most support are esports teams.
