Iykyk: every industry has its target audience, and gaming is no exception. Let’s define it and check whether these characteristics are identical for GameFi! We’ve prepared fire research with detailed figures and catchy terms.
Gamers In General
The term “gamer” is always related to anyone who plays games. Currently, over 3.24 billion people can be classified this way. Let’s name key figures that can describe them!
Age
81% of Gen Z and 77% of Millenials play games.
Most people start playing as teenagers, but the average age of a player is 35 years old. 20% of gamers are younger than 18 years old, 38% are between 18 and 35, and 42% are older than 35.
Geography
Asia is the biggest gaming market, with 1.6 billion video game players. In China alone, there are over 742 million players. Meanwhile, over 50% of Europeans also play video games. As for the US, there are over 214 million gaming enthusiasts.
Gender
Worldwide, the number of male and female players is almost equal. Just about one percent of gaming stans identify themselves as non-binary.
Motivation
66% of gamers play to relax, 52% to fill time, and 52% to escape reality and get entertained. Meanwhile, 48% game to spend time alone, and 37% to boost their brains.
Occupation
There is no exact data about players’ occupations. Probably, people from all spheres make the most of it. Some of them even claim that gaming boosts their skills. For instance, surgeons from Beth Israel Medical Center in New York made 37% fewer errors and performed 27% faster than 15 surgeons who had never played games.
Gamers Groups
All gamers can be divided into seven groups: ultimate gamers, all-round enthusiasts, community gamers, solo gamers, mainstream gamers, time fillers, and popcorn gamers.
Ultimate gamers make up 4% of all gamers. They devote their life to their hobby, become professional esports, and dive into titles being teenagers, but their average age is 28. Regarding gender, 71% of this group’s representatives are males. All-round enthusiasts are the ones who do their best to spend their free time gaming. They are 5% of the gaming population. They tend to be slightly under 28 years. Women make up 31% of all players.
Community gamers represent 6% of the gaming population and join gaming for its social aspect. Their age varies from 21 to 25. 36% of them are women, and 1.7% of such players identify themselves as non-binary. Solo gamers comprise 5% of the gaming population and can be considered less-involved ultimate gamers. Their average age is slightly over 30. Women are 37% of this group. Mainstream gamers shape 23% of the player audience, go for popular titles, and use primarily mobile devices. The average age is over 29. Women make up about 40%.
Time fillers are 25% of all gamers who play from time to time while they have nothing to do or wait. On average, they are 37, and 58% of the audience is female. Popcorn gamers makeup 29% of all gamers and can be classified as people who spend little time playing but consume much-related content. The average age of time fillers is 29. Women are 46%.
Web 3 Gamers
Over 800,000 people play Web 3 games daily, regardless of market conditions. Let’s name their main characteristics.
Age
According to this research, the average age of Web 3 gamers is 25. Meanwhile, metaverse users are younger. For instance, 67% of Roblox’s user base is under 16.
Geography
80% of all Web 3 gamers are located in Asia, though, in China, gamers under 18 can legally play just an hour a day. Meanwhile, Web 3 is new for 80% of American adults.
Gender
Web 3 titles do their best to attract female players representing the industry as all-inclusive, women-oriented, and lacking discrimination. However, current research shows that it still lacks female players. Considering the anonymous aspect of blockchain, figures can’t be exact, but some studies show that men make up 95% of the audience. Others prove they are 72%.
Motivation
For a couple of years, financial profits were regarded as the core motivation for Web 3 players, including side earning and stable jobs. However, the market changed: F2P went viral, and players claimed they were looking for fun. Also, many GameFi enthusiasts joined the industry to try something new.
Occupation
With the help of P2E, many Web 3 enthusiasts joined the industry primarily to earn. Thus, they worked as professional players, making their living via gaming. However, with the development of the fun side, strong visuals, impressive plots, and F2P options, GameFi projects attracted people from multiple spheres.
What Experts Say
To survive the competition, all titles research to distinguish their user base and needs. Such data is open source. For instance, according to this whitepaper, Heroes Chained is played by users aged 12+ years and located worldwide, with 50% of them being male and 50% female. Thus, each project’s audience may differ from the common, for it depends on gameplay, plot, visuals, marketing, collaborations, and other vital factors.
Gamers Groups
GameFi introduced new types of gamers. Some join the industry as investors, others as earners, and some as players in the more conventional sense. Let’s highlight all the categories.
Web 3 Investors
There are three types of blockchain investors: crypto whales, early adopters, and entrepreneurs. Crypto whales are people with impressive deployable funds looking for early opportunities. They invest during the initial stages. Early adopters explore upcoming projects to invest in assets with solid in-game utility. Entrepreneurs are the ones who analyze in-game economies and boost their revenues by scaling operations.
Web 3 Earners
Web 3 earners also can be divided into three types. The first is the silent investor. A person that fits the title will likely have various multiple-game assets and invest in collectibles with impressive utility. The second is the market speculator. This is a trader who knows how to benefit from market volatility and goes for projects regarded as risky. The third category is called workers. They join P2E for the sake of income.
Web 3 Players
As for GameFi players, they are toe dippers, gamblers, and fun seekers. Toe dippers are the ones new to Web 3 and prefer accessible options. While playing and diving into the industry, they turn into other Web 3 audience types. Gamblers stan betting and gambling on-chain and go for projects with fair systems. Fun seekers, regarded as the key audience of GameFi, choose fun first, require DOPE gameplays, fit UX, and catchy visuals.
Conclusion
Thanks to different motivations, the audience of GameFi is more diverse than the user base of Web 2 titles. Probably, anyone interested in blockchain gaming, from F2P modes playing to pricey assets holding, can be identified as a Web 3 player. And, considering that the industry is growing, boosting its fun side, and doing its best to motivate female players to join, the user base is growing and glowing. Check its progress with Prom!
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