An interesting change has occurred over the last two years regarding how young children between the ages of three and twelve in the USA discover new mobile games. According to a GameByte report from Interpret, a mere two years ago it was friends who made recommendations for what games to try next, but now, YouTube has taken over by a large margin.
According to the report, YouTube has consistently ranked among the top-3 main spaces where the demographic learns about games for mobile, console, and PC platforms. Yet since 2015, YouTube has seen a 30% increase in recommendations for mobile games, whereas other platforms like Twitch provide only a total of 12% of information for the 3-12 demographic looking for mobile game information.
Over time, the methodology used for this study has remained the same, which has been to survey 1,000 children in the USA between 3 and 12 years of age with the assistance of a parent or guardian. For a child to qualify, all participants must first answer they they play games for a minimum of an hour per week on any major gaming platform.
The reasons for the shift towards YouTube for recommendations are likely varied, and no one can deny the stellar growth of the platform over the past decade. For this demographic, according to Jesse Divnich, the VP of Research and Strategy at Interpret, “Many parents rely on YouTube to entertain their kids. Minecraft and Roblox videos are especially big draws for this demographic who regularly upload their own videos at a young age. YouTube’s recommendation algorithm also means that kids are introduced to other games and videos constantly based on their search and browsing habits.”
One caveat of this report is that the data for this year was collected in February, when the pandemic had not become as serious as it is right now. Based on what is currently happening in the USA, Divinch stays that YouTube may have received yet another boost in its viewership. For now, the data is clear and mobile developers should take this shift into consideration when planning on how to market their game for maximum market penetration and long-term user retention.
At the same time, it would be as or more important see if the same type of shift is occurring at all other age demographics, particularly as mobile gaming continues to grow in market share. In 2019, the global amount of spending on mobile gaming was a massive $68.5 billion, whereas all console gaming combined, meaning for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, was only $47.9 billion. There is money to be made in mobile gaming, now the question is how best to reach those consumers.
Source: interpret.la
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