In MIDiA Research’s upcoming report, they’ve concluded that gamers spend more time watching videos on platforms like Twitch and YouTube rather than playing games. In the report, it says that there is an ‘untapped potential’ for game publishers to have video content from inside their ecosystems to third-party platforms such as Twitch and YouTube. The report says that gamers are now spending more time watching videos, averaging 8.5 hours per week on video versus 7.4 hours gaming. Although there are plenty of games to be played, it isn’t too surprising that a lot of people watch games instead. Whether this be from watching streamers play their favorite games or watching streamers take on horror games so they don’t have to, video content is overall just a tiny bit more popular.
24% of console and PC players watch game-related videos at least monthly, with 48% of in-game buyers watching game-related content at least monthly. The report shows that a common factor is that those who view content tend to be high-spending gamers, especially when it comes to microtransactions. As a result, the report suggests that there is an open market for in-game video platforms to offer publishers a direct line to the highest-value fans.
For a lot of popular games, it may be a little bit difficult to pull something like that off, but eSports would be a great way to attempt to bring video content inside games, especially considering how often events happen within eSports and Fighting games, for example. By doing this, it would allow publishers to unlock new revenue streams in the process, something that publishers are struggling with when third-party video platforms exist.
This is something that has the potential to be revolutionary, especially at a time when the game market is facing growth stagnation and competition across all genres is at an all-time high. Especially for those living in areas with significant economic crises, it means that people have to choose what game to purchase rather than purchasing multiple.
“It’s time for game publishers to think about in-game video as something beyond marketing alone. By reclaiming video engagement, publishers have the potential to unlock new revenue streams like advertising, and drive growth,” says Rhys Elliott, Games Analyst at MIDiA Research, the author of this particular report.
