an overview of gaming in autralia
TRANSCRIPT
An overview of
video gaming in
Australia
Andreea Chirila
Associate Director at Kantar Media & Digital
May 2021
Research Methodology
TGI Global Quick View = an audience profiling tool that enables
brands, agencies and media owners alike to complement the
targeting of consumers across multiple markets with in-depth
localised targeting and planning
TGI Global Quick View comprises consumer data that covers
three key areas:
Online personality traits, e.g. including e-commerce user types,
social media user types
Online media preferences, e.g. video and audio streaming
habits, social platform habits
Online brand and purchase preferences, including multiple key
global brands, purchase categories and preference reasons
Period: March-May 2021
Location: across 25 countries (incl Asia Pacific, Asia, Europe,
America)
Sample: internet using adults; Total sample Au National:
n=2,251
2
While more than half of our Australian sample stated they play games, there is
headroom to grow the gaming industry further in Australia when compared to
other markets
87%81% 79% 78%
52% 51% 50%47% 46%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Indonesia Taiwan India China Australia Sweden Japan Netherlands Belgium
% in
tern
et u
sers
% adults who play video games – Global Top and Bottom Markets
TOP MARKETS BOTTOM MARKETS
Source: TGI Global Quick View consumer data collected between March and May 2021; Sample: internet using adults across 25 markets:
Total Sample Au: n= 2,2513
Time to forget the outdated gamer stereotypes
For some, still today the stereotypical go-to image of the
hardcore gamer is a moody teenager in a darkened room
playing on their game console all hours of the day. In actual
fact, when it comes to most used gaming devices today it is
the smartphones that lead the way by some distance, 60%
of gamers in Australia used their smartphone for gaming, this
is followed by games console (45%), desktop/laptop computer
(41%), tablet computer (20%) and handheld consoles (10%)
69%
48%
39%
23%
12%
60%
41%45%
20%
10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Smartphone Desktop/Laptop Games console Tablet Handheldconsole
% g
am
ers
Device preference
Global average Australia
Whilst there is a bias towards men, it is not huge, with
41% of all gamers women. Similarly, TGI Global Quick
View data reveals relatively little variation in gaming by
age. Those aged 16-24 represent about a quarter of all
gamers, with those aged 25-44 representing the highest
share of gamers
26% 29%
22%16%
8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
16 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54 55 - 65
% g
am
ers
Gaming by age
Source: TGI Global Quick View consumer data collected between March and May 2021; Sample: internet using adults across 25 markets;
Australian Gamers sample: n=1,0645
Australian gamers also generally heavily engage in a variety of other online
activities; in particular, they are 34% more likely than the average Australian to
rent or buy movies/shows and to use the voice-activated personal assistant as
a search function
129 129 125 121127 126 124126 128
134 133123
117 116
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
Gambling (betting, poker,casino games)
Online dating Watch TV shows/moviesrent or bought one-time(iTunes, Amazon, Apple
TV)
Search using voiceactivated personal
assistant
Professional networking(LinkedIn)
Listening to musicstreaming services
(Spotify)
Watch TV shows from anonline subscription
(Netflix, Amazon Prime)
Ga
me
rs A
ffin
ity in
de
x
Gamers’ affinity towards different online activities
Index Global Avg Index AU
ACTIVE PASSIVE
Source: TGI Global Quick View consumer data collected between March and May 2021; Sample: internet using adults across 25 markets;
Australian Gamers sample: n=1,0646
Australia is in line with the rest of the world in terms of heavy gamers
10%
13%
17%
24%
15%
20%
% share of gamers
More than 5 hours/day 3-5 hours/day
2-3 hours/day 1-2 hours/day
between 30 mins-1h/day Less than 30 mins/day
10% 10%
18%
15%14%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Australia Average Global Taiwan USA Indonesia
% h
ea
vy g
am
ers
%Heavy gamers
Source: TGI Global Quick View consumer data collected between March and May 2021; Sample: internet using adults across 25 markets
Australian Gamers sample: n=1,0647
The coronavirus pandemic has changed gaming behaviour in Australia in a
short space of time, despite limited restrictions compared to the rest of the
world
35%
49%
21%
39%
8% 9%
4%
10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Australia Spain Sweden Global average
% g
am
ers
Gaming behavioural changes
Already changed Expect that this new behaviour will change in the future
Source: TGI Global Quick View consumer data collected between March and May 2021; Sample: internet using adults across 25 markets
Australian Gamers sample: n=1,064
Question: Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, have you
already changed, or do you think you will change any
of the following habits?
8
PlayStation remains the Australian favourite
network; some catch-up can be done in terms
of better using mobile gaming network
25%
18%17%
27%
12%
1%
24%
19%17%
15%14%
11%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
PlayStationNetwork
Steam XBOX Live MobileGaming
Network (e.g.Google Play
Service)
NintendoNetwork
Other OnlineGamingNetwork
%g
am
ers
wh
o lo
g in
to n
etw
ork
Networks logged into when playing games
Global Average Australia
Source: TGI Global Quick View consumer data collected between March and May 2021; Sample: internet using adults across 25 markets
Australian Gamers sample: n=1,0649
Top 5 games played in AU?
21%19%
17% 17%16%
11%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Call Of Duty Candy Crush FIFA Mario Kart Minecraft Others
Top games in Australia
The results are broadly in line with what is seen globally although they can vary
significantly by country in some cases; In the US, Grand Theft Auto is in the top three
most played games, with FIFA pushed a fair way down the list (reflecting lower interest
in soccer in the US).
Whilst in Taiwan – one of the most gaming obsessed nations – League of Legends and
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds join Candy Crush in the top three most played games.
Source: TGI Global Quick View consumer data collected between March and May 2021; Sample: internet using adults across 25 markets
Australian Gamers sample: n=1,06410
Video Gaming in Australia Key Take-Outs
While the gaming industry in Australia is a popular choice of activity, there is some headroom to
grow further in the industry
We need to forget about the classic stereotypical gamer; our Target Audience today
encompasses both men and women of all ages
The best environments where you can target your gamers are other platforms dedicated to
online activities (renting/buying movies/shows online, online dating and gambling amongst the
activities that our typical gamer is more likely to engage with)
The coronavirus pandemic has changed gaming behaviour in Australia in a short space of time,
despite limited restrictions compared to the rest of the world and that behaviour change is
unlikely to change in the future, a strong indicator of an uptake in the gaming industry in the
near future
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