Digital Consumer Trends 2022
Reframing gaming: Diversity will shape next decade of the games industry
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Deloitte Digital Consumer Trends is a global survey on technology, media and telecommunications. Fieldwork takes place annually to ask people how they use, experience, and buy all manner of digital products. In the UK, questions were asked to a nationally representative sample of 4,160 people between April and May 2022.
In this special report, Deloitte will cover the gaming industry. It poses questions about which demographics are playing games, their device preferences, what genres they play, and crucially, how they like to pay for games. In doing so, it covers the impact of gaming subscriptions and in-game transactions.
“In 2022, we may find ourselves with less time to play games, but the industry is not going anywhere. Gaming is no longer confined to consoles and PCs: spend on mobile games is far higher than on consoles and PCs. Crucially, the modern gaming market is incredibly diverse, and in-game transactions and subscriptions are not for everyone. Given the size of the market, the variety of gamers and the range of their tastes, it is clear that industry leaders will need to sustain different platforms, devices and business models in decades to come. It is game on.”
Ben Stanton
Gaming generates more revenue than video subscriptions, digital music, and smart home services combined. It is not just for young men; the modern gamer is diverse, with women and over-35s making up large portions of the overall player base. Overall, two-thirds of us play games on our smartphones, PCs and consoles. Gamers hold a spectrum of tastes on genre, devices, and crucially, how we pay for our games. Gaming platforms have the unenviable task of catering to everyone. In some cases, this means new business models: microtransactions, subscriptions, and as-a-service. In some cases, it means navigating scrutiny and regulation on loot boxes, auto-renewals, and blockchain. And increasingly, platforms have jostled for exclusive content, prompting a boom in gaming-related M&A. The console is 50-years old, but the game is just getting started.
To learn more about our Digital Consumer Trends 2022 reports, download our report and contact our TMT Insights team.
Question asked: Have you used money, or in-game currency acquired with money, to purchase any of the following digital content for games in the last 12 months?
Key findings
This year's research revealed that:
Finding 1
There is no such thing as a ‘typical gamer’. The cohort of players is diverse, with 62% of women and 58% of over-35s claiming to play on devices.
Finding 2
Genres that are quick and easy to play dominate mobile. Overall, Casual/Puzzle games (played by 24%), Board/Word (played by 19%) and Card games (played by 18%) are the most popular.
Finding 3
Two in five gamers use a subscription. These people tend to be younger, male, more likely to enjoy Action/Adventure and Sports games, and more likely to play on consoles.
Finding 4
In the past 12 months, 33% of gamers bought in-game content. But the propensity to do this falls after 35-years; only 17% of this group bought in-game content.
