People now spend more time watching games than playing them, according to a new report

[midian182]

In brief: Video games have grown from what was once a hobby viewed by many as niche or only for children to the highest-grossing entertainment industry. That change has resulted in many people making a living from streaming or posting videos of games. According to new research, gamers now spend more time watching their favorite titles on various platforms than actually playing them.

Hundreds of billions of hours of gaming videos are viewed on YouTube and Twitch every year, and that figure is increasing all the time. According to a new report by Midia Research (via gamesindustry.biz), watching games is becoming more popular than playing them.

The report found that gamers typically spend 7.4 hours each week gaming, just over an hour less than the 8.5 hours they spend watching game-related videos. The data is based on a survey of people in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Sweden, South Korea, and Brazil.

Midia says that the findings highlight the untapped potential for game publishers to bring video content inside their own ecosystems. It adds that 24% of console/PC players and 48% of in-game buyers watch game-related content at least monthly, with the latter considered high-spending gamers.

The report's authors believe that this trend is a potential extra revenue source being missed by game developers, especially when it comes to advertising on third-party video platforms.

Midia writes that game publishers and distributors should develop their own game content platforms to compete with YouTube and Twitch. It suggests that placing video content inside of games or owned libraries of games will unlock new revenue streams at a time when the games market is, according to the company, stagnating.

The rising popularity of eSports is also having an impact on video game viewing habits. The League of Legends Worlds 2024 attracted over 6.4 million viewers, making it the most-viewed eSports event of all time.

Sources: IDC; Euromonitor; PwC; Video Game Insights; TD Cowen; Bain & Company analysis

The video game industry generated revenue of about $196 billion in 2023, more than streaming and box-office sales combined. It's predicted to grow another 6% in 2024, and reach $250 billion by 2028.

Masthead: Sean Do

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People now spend more time watching games than playing them, according to a new report

 

[Achaios]

I dunno if my opinion counts b/c I am considered a "boomer" by the new American generation even tho I was born in the 80's.

Anyway, I have spent exactly zero hours "watching games being played" on twitch or youtube. That's something the younger generation rather enjoys to do AFAIK.

I prefer playing "boomer" games such as WoW Classic. Gamers of my age AKA"boomer gamers" are hated with a passion by some or most young Americans.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I listen to lots of funny content creators who make gaming videos. I'll play, when I have time, but I listen for hours a day while doing monotonous tasks.

That and it's so hard to get even 1 friend to play a game for long. Meanwhile on youtube people having 16+ player game parties. Can't say I'm not a bit jealous.

 

[RudyBob]

I don't do a lot of either. I do enjoy watching the guys review and/or revisit games that I have played and see what their take is.

 

[Nobina]

I bet a lot of these watchers actually just have a stream playing in the background while they're doing other things, it's like TV now.

 

[Eldrach]

Only watch Youtube reviews and some game previews. Watching others play a game I already own would only be if I thought I could learn something from it.

 

[stewi0001]

I prefer playing games. I'll watch some videos if I'm on the fence about getting a game.

 

[seeprime]

Entertain yourself activity or passively. The data is interesting. But, it's your life to choose how you use your brain.

 

[Dimitriid]

It's a fairly simple equation: Free time is limited and I can't really play a game 'In the background' while I work for example, but I *can* have a stream of a game playing on the background and just pay close attention sporadically while I do something else.

It really is no different than watching organized sports' broadcasts.

 

[lonetac]

I bet a lot of these watchers actually just have a stream playing in the background while they're doing other things, it's like TV now.

Thats exactly what I do. Its background noise WHILE I play a game. And most streams I watch are actually not game related but other content, podcasts, news, etc. Twitch isnt just about games anymore.

The other use is learning about a new game. I hate spoilers but usually within 30 minutes of watching a game I know if I will like it or not.

I think the only gamer streamer I watch is Lirik.

 

[3volv3d]

I find it bizarre people wouldn't want to play rather than watch someone. I think I'd find it boring or frustrating especially if it was a walkthrough where someone was lost or spent as long working things out as I sometimes do.

While YouTube and the likes have plenty of educational content and chuckles there's just so much repeated cloned content out there which shouldn't be the case.
And I am surprised that Nintendo haven't copyright sanctioned everyone of them as its losing them potential sales as well as every other game maker. Advertising some people will say. You will get more potential buyers from pirates than you would YouTube viewers in my opinion. Because one of those groups actually want to play the game. And advertising is Satan because it doesn't do anything other than increase prices, which probably have people wanting to save money and just watch someone else pay n play.

 

[lonetac]

I find it bizarre people wouldn't want to play rather than watch someone. I think I'd find it boring or frustrating especially if it was a walkthrough where someone was lost or spent as long working things out as I sometimes do.

While YouTube and the likes have plenty of educational content and chuckles there's just so much repeated cloned content out there which shouldn't be the case.
And I am surprised that Nintendo haven't copyright sanctioned everyone of them as its losing them potential sales as well as every other game maker. Advertising some people will say. You will get more potential buyers from pirates than you would YouTube viewers in my opinion. Because one of those groups actually want to play the game. And advertising is Satan because it doesn't do anything other than increase prices, which probably have people wanting to save money and just watch someone else pay n play.

on the contrary, companies actually pay streamers to play their games.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I find it bizarre people wouldn't want to play rather than watch someone. I think I'd find it boring or frustrating especially if it was a walkthrough where someone was lost or spent as long working things out as I sometimes do.

While YouTube and the likes have plenty of educational content and chuckles there's just so much repeated cloned content out there which shouldn't be the case.

There's a lot of clones, but that has always been the case, whatever medium you use. youtube has billions of users, even with 1000 clones the demand will still outstrip the supply.

And I am surprised that Nintendo haven't copyright sanctioned everyone of them as its losing them potential sales as well as every other game maker.

Nintendo figured out that was a stupid thing to do, and that people playing the game on lets plays increases sales.

Advertising some people will say. You will get more potential buyers from pirates than you would YouTube viewers in my opinion. Because one of those groups actually want to play the game. And advertising is Satan because it doesn't do anything other than increase prices, which probably have people wanting to save money and just watch someone else pay n play.

You are entitled to your opinion, and your opinion is totally wrong. Pirates are not customers, it's why DRM has never increased sales. CDPR proved that years ago.

As for advertising and Satan....just ROFL.

 

[mistyrain]

Oh come ob, those are all hours of us, gamers, being stuck somewhere and searching for a walkthrough

 

[kiwigraeme]

Entertain yourself activity or passively. The data is interesting. But, it's your life to choose how you use your brain.

I never watch, but think it's not completely passive and thing some game with input from watchers, polling etc

Or the followers chat amongst themselves , live sport style

 

[kiwigraeme]

Not much different from watching Top Gear, had many followers for people who didn't even care about cars

Or asking your favourite YT to test a bunch of impact drills, even though you have 2 already and hardly use them
Remember there was some fascinating fact , that the average USA power tool only got used for less than a day or something

 

[Mr Majestyk]

Sounds like me. I've got little time to play as much as a I like, photo/video editing takes up too much time. I do have periods of intense gaming for a few weeks, then get bored and abandon gaming for months, so watch others playing late at night.

 

[ZedRM]

Not me. I easily play more than watch. I don't even use Twitch anymore and I'm not sub'd to any game streamers on YT, except for maybe GrayStillPlays. He's just funny as hell!

 

[Starfals]

I love playing games but sometimes I like seeing what others think of these games. Also, I can't buy all the new games. They cost a fortune. Especially with their current 70 euro price tags.

 

[Axeia]

Most games cost money
Watching games is free

Yeah, that could skew the numbers .

I probably contribute to this as well. I don't game that much but I do like watching Harstem on YouTube and the "Beating GrandMasters with stupid stuff" series.
My girlfriend ends up "watching" Lost Ark for the twitch drops. Because having a muted tab on the second display in the background totally counts as watching.
What a stupid model by Amazon, they must be really desperate to inflate their "active" users count if they're willing to waste that much bandwidth on it. When I still played it myself I knew dozens of people all doing the same thing, wasting bandwidth to get the twitch drops and not using twitch for anything else ever.

 

[ZedRM]

Most games cost money
Watching games is free

That is a fairly compelling point.

 

[Tavil84]

I dunno if my opinion counts b/c I am considered a "boomer" by the new American generation even tho I was born in the 80's.

Anyway, I have spent exactly zero hours "watching games being played" on twitch or youtube. That's something the younger generation rather enjoys to do AFAIK.

I prefer playing "boomer" games such as WoW Classic. Gamers of my age AKA"boomer gamers" are hated with a passion by some or most young Americans.

I was born in 84 and have not had a single person call me a boomer or even heard this until now. Unlike actual boomers, millennials don't get upset about younger people's interests or terms or new technology. We tend to be just as into it as they are. Everyone knows boomers are those old crusty people who hate everything and are afraid of everything.

 

[user478318]

This is expected, new games are not worth buying and they are way too expensive. Better to just check them out on twitch then to buy em, and keep yourself to good old games.