Gen Z and Alpha are redefining how brands see gaming

Global desire for change

Since mid-June, Kenyans have been engaged in mass protests against proposed tax increases and the administration of President William Ruto. While the Kenyan protests are currently grabbing headlines, they speak to a global desire for change among Gen Z's around the globe.

Alongside Gen Zs taking part in climate and other protests, a study by Society Watch and the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) shows that members of this cohort are more willing to express their moral convictions through civil disobedience than older adults. More specifically, they’re half as likely (16%) to believe that the law should always be followed than older generations (32%).

Brands and social justice

That strong sense of social justice has significant implications for brands and other organisations looking to talk to and connect with this generation. Far from being able to use the same old tactics, brands have to meet Gen Zs where they are, with messaging that resonates with their values. Brands and global organisations are increasingly becoming aware of this.

Today’s consumers expect brands to make an effort towards improving the world, and the forward-thinking ones are taking notice. Customers demand it. So, instead of just pushing price and product and chasing profit margins, more and more brands are devoting efforts towards aligning their brand purpose with a greater societal one.

Gaming, in particular, has a powerful role to play here. It has become an integral part of the media landscape, with estimates that the number of gamers in the world will reach 3.6 billion by 2025. It’s already bigger than the TV and music industries together, and brands certainly pay a lot of attention to those sectors. Gaming is not a niche. The audience of every brand is gaming in some form or another already, and brands are keen to tap into this massive, engaged audience.

According to figures from Statista, 81% of the Roblox community - comprising 70+ million daily players and 196 million monthly active users - are under the age of 25. Nearly two-thirds of Minecraft players (162 million monthly players), meanwhile, are under the age of 21. One reason why young people flock to these platforms is because it’s where their friends and peers are. In effect, they have become a virtual third place, where young people feel safe outside the bounds of school and home to play, socialise and develop their unique virtual identities.

Beyond a third place, brands must also understand what young players want from these platforms and games in general. Research from GWI, for example, reveals that Gen Alpha primarily want games that have a sense of adventure and allow them to build things.

To use gaming platforms as yet another way to inundate people with meaningless ads and commercial content would be a missed opportunity. The real value in this space lies in creating gaming experiences that get young audiences to engage with your brand in a fun and meaningful way that feels authentic to your brand and suitable to the platform. Through this approach, gaming platforms can help brands effectively build a community, enhance customer loyalty and explore new revenue opportunities.

Engaging through games

Brands must ensure they’re focused on using games the right way. That means moving away from the historic approaches of sticking ads into pre-existing campaigns or advergames that are simple “spin and win” mechanisms. Fortunately, there is another approach that puts users at the heart of the marketing experience, and that gets people to lean in and actively engage rather than sit back. Brands and big businesses, like every one of us, are not exempt from our global crisis, which the UN’s 17 SDGs aim to address, In fact, they have a huge role to play in shifting the dial towards creating a better future for current and future generations, which is why they are increasingly being held to a higher standard.

‍
Probably half of the many games we’ve made at Sea Monster have been with financial institutions. No one wakes up in the morning wanting to learn how to budget. But people often wish that someone could help them learn to manage their finances better. Playing RPGs has taught many people much more about saving money than the informative commercials and learning pamphlets produced by banks (and certainly more than some textbooks).The same should also be true for other sectors. We want to see more fashion brands using games that explore the impact of fast fashion and showing us how they’re working towards a more sustainable and ethical model. We want supermarkets making games where we learn about food security, where our food comes from and about nutrition. And where are the news networks sponsoring games in the fight against disinformation and the need for media literacy skills? What we’re seeing now is a real shift towards brands incorporating gaming into their core marketing and communication strategies as part of the modern marketing mix. So many brands are creating apps and more recently web-based gaming experiences that plug into their larger digital ecosystems. Or they are making games in persistent virtual worlds on platforms like Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite – all with the aim of better constructing experiences that are meaningful.

‍
Games aren’t just another form of entertainment or bad screen time for these young people. They’re part of a lifestyle and act as an avenue for learning, creating, socialising, and even taking part in events like virtual concerts. It should hardly be surprising that having been raised in a tech-centric environment, these two generations are also the most inclined to participate in gaming through alternative avenues. Some 72% of Gen Zs and Gen Alphas regularly watch gaming channels and indulge in game streamer content online, for instance.

How these younger generations approach games and gaming, tells us a great deal about the sector’s future. But it also provides some insight into why brands and other organisations are looking to the gaming industry for a way to connect with a new audience.

Brands are tapping into the evolution of gaming as a lifestyle to foster a long-term affiliation with younger people who are natives to the world of games and gaming platforms. In doing so, we’ve seen brands launch marketing campaigns in existing game titles and even develop bespoke gaming experiences within platforms like Roblox, Minecraft and Fortnite in order to engage with young people where they are already congregating and spending time.

The mutual benefits of gaming

Ultimately, games allow brands and organisations to enter into a dialogue with their customers which can tap into Gen Z’s desire for change in a way that’s mutually beneficial. Brands should not view games as, 'just another disposable ‘marketing’ expense, but rather as a way to connect with their audiences in a meaningful way, build trust, and mobilise their communities around the change that needs to happen in the world.

With children spending an average of 38 minutes per day gaming, the case for using games as a means to reach young people should be clear. With nearly 400 branded activations on Roblox as of the beginning of this year, and hundreds more across other platforms, it is evident that brands across the world are recognising and capitalising on the immense potential of the gaming industry to capture the attention and loyalty of their next generation of consumers.

These days, it’s a given that every major brand has a presence across all major social platforms and, in the near future, it could be a similar no-brainer for brands to establish and maintain a persistent presence in immersive virtual spaces and gaming worlds as part of the modern marketing mix.

adapted from IT-ONLINE