Profile of a shooter game player
Shooter games – such as the likes of Call of Duty, Halo, and Gears of War – constitute one of the most popular video gaming genres. Data from YouGov Profiles shows that more than a third (36%) of those who play any genre of games on a console or computer play shooter games, making it the third-most popular category.
In this piece, we explore key characteristics of shooter game players pertaining to media consumption and gaming habits.
Shooter gamers tend to take their gaming more seriously than general gamers
Two in five gamers (38%) who play shooting games say they are keen gamers. The figure drops to 30% among those who play games from any genre. Additionally, a fifth of shooter gamers (21%) identify as hardcore gamers compared to 15% of the broader gamers’ group.
They also spend more time gaming than the average gamer. Over a third (34%) are categorised as heavy gamers compared to just 23% of all gamers, based on the amount of time they spend playing video games.
Sources for information about new games
Shooter game players (45%) tend to find out about new games from online shops more frequently than gamers in general (35%). Generally speaking, they tend to use each source of information to find out about new games in greater numbers than gamers from all genres. For instance, four in ten (40%) learn about new releases from gaming websites compared to only 29% of general gamers who picked that option.
Advertising channels that grab attention
So, what are some of the most effective ways for advertisers to reach this category of gamers? Online channels ranging from apps to social media pages might be the best bet. Half of them indicate that they are likely to pay attention to online ads. TV adverts stand a close second with 46% of shooter gamers suggesting they can be reached on that medium.
About a fifth of them say they pay attention to radio adverts (22%) and in-store promotions (19%) respectively.
Social Media usage
Facebook is the most-used platform among shooter gamers (65%), but YouTube comes a close second (61%). About half of them say they have used Instagram (49%) and Twitter (48%) in the last month.
While these are popular mediums across the board and are effective channels, advertisers might find it helpful to know the channels that enjoy higher usage among members of the target group. Reddit stands out in this regard as shooter gamers are almost 10-percentage points than the larger gamers’ group to have used it in the last month.
Methodology
YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data is nationally representative and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.