Analysts at GameDiscoverCo attempted to understand how gamers learn about new games and whether this changes with age. To do this, they surveyed more than 16,000 Steam users.
Below are some findings.
Note: Respondents could select multiple answers, so the total percentage exceeds 100.
- The primary source of game information for most surveyed gamers continues to be long-form videos. For example, on YouTube. These are the source of game knowledge for 57.1% of respondents.
- Also making the top three are Steam itself (55.9%) and word of mouth (44.9%). Slightly less effective are short videos (37.6%) and streams (35.3%).
- Predictably, short videos best convey information to a very young audience. For gamers under 18, they are the second most important way to learn about games (53.5%), right after long videos (59.2%). However, for gamers aged 45-54, TikTok videos and other short-form content are a second-to-last source of information (20.2%).
- Meanwhile, traditional gaming media becomes more popular with age. Gamers aged 45 to 54 are the most active consumers of this information (42.5%). For gamers aged 34-44, the figure is 35.6%, for those aged 25-34 it's 27.2%, for gamers aged 18-24 it's 23.3%, and for those under 18, only 21.2%.
- Streams are most effective among middle-aged gamers. Most often, Steam users aged 25-34 (38.7%) and 35-44 (35.9%) learn about games from streams. For those older or younger, streams are less appealing.
- Overall, new game information spreads quite well through "text-based" social networks like X and BlueSky. The peak is among gamers aged 18-24, with 31.8% discovering game releases in these places.
- The situation with word of mouth and Steam itself as sources of information remains more or less the same across all age groups. There is a noticeable drop in word of mouth among gamers aged 45-50, with only 35.7% receiving new game information from acquaintances.
“In many ways, it's obvious: it's a microcosm of how people consume content. But when this is clearly demonstrated through the example of over 16,000 Steam players, it reminds us that ways of finding content are changing. And significantly. So, this data truly left a strong impression on us,” concluded Simon Carless, founder of GameDiscoverCo.