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

Who is the typical

Australian

gamer?

Time to forget the outdated gamer stereotypes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

11

Thank you!

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