SINGAPORE – The global Gaming and eSports industry has come a long way over the past years. From unstructured gatherings in LAN shops to sold-out events at prestigious venues such as Madison Square Garden, New York, and Wembley Arena, London.
Once a niche online culture, it has evolved into a global phenomenon that represents a staggering US $71.4 billion annual revenue1 in Asia Pacific alone. In fact, a third of multinational companies in Asia Pacific invested in eSports in the last 12 months, with 78% of them expecting to invest in the near future.
eSports’ meteoric rise has seen partnerships expand beyond traditional consumer tech and gaming companies to involve brands such as AirAsia, Capgemini, Louis Vuitton, KFC, Nike, Red Bull, and Uniqlo.
Furthermore, with global social distancing and stay home mandates brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Online Gaming Industry has been one of the few to witness a surge. In fact global viewership on Twitch increased by 10%, YouTube Gaming by 15%, and on the weekend of 22 March 2020, Steam recorded an all-time high of 22.6 million users.
What opportunities can brands spawn from the growing eSports scene in APAC? And how can brands understand this highly engaged audience of gamers better, to win loyalty and market share?
A new report from Digimind, the most trusted AI-powered social listening and market intelligence software, analyzed key trends in 185,300 online mentions around eSports, gaming hardware, and gaming platforms. The report highlights trends, consumer preferences and behaviors of eSports fans and gamers, and identifies social listening strategies that can be employed for game development, technological innovation, and sales.
Brands studied include: Acer, Alienware, ASUS Republic of Gamers, Corsair, Lenovo, Nintendo, PlayStation, Razer, Xbox, League of Legends, PubG, DOTA 2, Mobile Legends, Overwatch and more.
Asia Pacific’s Favourite PC/Laptop Gaming Hardware: ASUS, Razer & Corsair
Mentions about ASUS, Razer and Corsair made up almost 50% of all user generated content about gaming hardware in Asia Pacific.
ASUS held the largest share of voice in the market, with 21.6% of all mentions, which was boosted by mentions of new product announcements at CES and a Blackpink Casemod shared by a Setup Sharer.
The majority of mentions about Razer were about their mice, while mentions about Corsair were mainly about Vengeance, their memory kit product range.
When discussing PC and laptops, consumers fervently discussed new and improved features that enhance gaming performance.
- 29.3% of discussions mentioned Performance and speed
- 18.6% mentioned Thinness and lightness of keyboards, mice, and mouse mats, which are known for boosting a player’s dexterity.
Australian Gamers Most Vocal on Social Media
Australian internauts consistently accounted for the largest volume of discussions amongst their Asia Pacific counterparts during the period studied.
Spikes in public online mentions in Malaysia coincided with online gaming events and game releases. In addition, a tweet detailing the average timespan of a match went viral, earning over 19,000 retweets as gamers chimed in with their personal gaming records.
5 eSports & Gaming Personas You’ll Meet on Social Media
An analysis of socio-demographic data and psychographic analysis of people with the most engaging posts on Facebook and Twitter, unveiled five key personas in the gaming and eSports arena on social media.
- Avid Artist – A rich source of user generated content. Artistically inclined, shares love of video games through fanart and cosplay by imagining gaming avatars/ characters in new skins.
- Meme Manic – Posts about games and other life moments predominantly through gaming memes and pop culture memes.
- Pro Player – Akin to ‘Celebrity’ influencers, pro players (active or retired) who have the ability to rally fans and fellow players.
- Setup Seeker / Sharer – Technical experts on PC gaming setups. Don’t post as often as other personas. Financially invested in curating the ideal gaming experience, with high-performing products being a key purchase driver.
- Social Streamer – Predominantly Gen Z players devoted to one game, which they play/stream almost every day. Vocal about opinions on game updates and regularly post game-related content on their social channels. Have a highly active, engaged and targeted community of followers.
“The online gaming industry has been growing rapidly internationally; and is only destined to become more interconnected and complex with size,” said Mr Stephen Dale, General Manager APAC, Digimind. “For game developers and gaming tech brands, having access to real-time social intelligence can help them stay on top of market and consumer trends, which is essential for making strategic decisions to retain their competitive edge and market share.”
“On the other hand, brands looking to forge relationships with gamers will benefit from social listening’s ability to deliver consumer insights about the unique characteristics of this community and its key players. Armed with this information, brands will be better equipped to overcome barriers to entry in the gaming industry and ensure they are communicating in ways that are relevant and meaningful to gamers.”
