“We have been discovering more creators focused on video games for several years, and that is why the idea of creating a study arose where the trends that are dominating the platform could be seen, at first this research is focused on gaming, but there are other verticals that also stand out”, Karla Agis, manager of Culture and Trends for YouTube Latin America, told Expansión.
A report by Newzoo, a consulting firm specialized in gaming, highlighted that from 2019 to 2022, the audience of gamers grew from 63.7 million gamers to 75.5 million, only in Latin America. In numbers, Mexico had until 2021 61 million people who consider themselves video gamers, of which 59% are men and 41% women.
How is the Mexican gamer?
A study by YouTube and Float indicates that the majority of gamers in Mexico are between 18 and 24 years old, as they represent 27% of this audience, however, 29% of gamers are between 25 and 34 years old, 24% are between 35 and 44 years old and 20% between 45 and 50 years old.
They also have diverse interests, because out of every 10 gamers, eight have a special interest in science, technology and nature, while seven out of 10 like to cook, in addition to worrying about their health, beauty and well-being; four in 10 love to travel, while 40% have an interest in business, economics and finance, as well as environmental issues.
Regarding whether gamers are lonely, the Google company survey denies that this trend exists, in fact, since 2017 the preference of gamers to play in company has grown. In that year, 29% of those surveyed played with friends, in 2018 this habit grew to 37%, in 2019 there was growth to 44% and in 2021 98% of players played with their friends.
In addition to playing with friends, 62% of users have watched live gaming or streamed their own video game play, according to a Kantar report compiled in 2021.
What are Mexican gamers looking for in video games?
According to YouTube, 57% of Mexicans surveyed agree that the aesthetics of video games are more impressive than the aesthetics of movies, while 64% of Mexicans, the experiences and worlds offered by video games are more interesting than reality itself. This provides opportunities for other types of currencies, since gamers in Mexico and the region are fans of acquiring digital goods.
“With 4.8 million players, World of Warcraft has more subscribers than the population of Uruguay. It is estimated that by the end of 2026, global microtransactions in gaming will reach 106,000 million dollars, ”says the YouTube and Float report.
In addition, 55% of Mexicans who play consider that brands such as PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox should create their own digital currencies.
As for game time, 52% of adults surveyed in China for Statista’s Global Consumer Survey say they spend more than six hours a week playing video games. Of these, half (26%) play at least ten hours a week. The United States is not far behind, since 44% of the people interviewed say they play six hours or more a week.
Despite being the third and fourth largest video game markets in the world, Japan and South Korea are outperformed by other countries in terms of screen time. Among them are the two largest video game markets in Latin America -Brazil and Mexico-, where nearly a third of those surveyed spend six hours or more per week on this recreational activity.