Insight: Why gamers stream
By Research & Data team. Top image: Fortnite, Leonardo AI, Twitch.
We used qualitative insight to uncover the important emotional drivers that lead gamers to create streaming content. Understanding these needs unlocks new campaign strategies when targeting this market
What we found
Content creators are motivated by four primary drivers:
Being part of a community of like-minded people
Self-expression
Passion for gaming and creating shared experiences
Enjoyment of immersive story-telling
Three secondary drivers are present but play a lesser role:
Personal well-being
Financial opportunity
Making a broader social impact
Why it matters
Understanding emotional motivators is key to identifying the types of messaging that will be most appealing and relevant to streamers.
Between the lines
Streamers’ product choices map functional benefits onto their personal values and emotional needs.
For example:
The functional benefit, “Professional quality sound”…
…Serves a creator’s desire to:
“Provide their community with the best possible experience.”
A useful analogy is to think of consumers persuaded to buy a premium beverage because it demonstrates hospitality and respect for their guests.
Zooming in
Each primary driver splits into finer strands of understanding. Grasping the detail enables you to create campaigns that connect with streamers as people, not just consumers:
Community engagement
Representative quote:
“I really try to interact with my audience as much as I can so they can feel like they're family.”
Underlying motives:
Feeling of reward when followers enjoy their content.
Virtual community acts as a friendship group offering mutual support and guidance.
Quality of community engagement is more important than viewership metrics e.g. advice given and received, exchange of tips, expressions of encouragement and goodwill when attempting to achieve goals or sharing personal challenges.
Community fosters positive feelings of connection, unity, inclusivity, and the ability to make a difference to people’s lives.
Self-expression
Representative quote:
“It’s okay not to be perfect, no matter your goal, no matter your walk of life - you can still meet people, you can still have fun, you can still have friends.”
Underlying motives:
The need to have your voice heard and be accepted.
A safe space to be yourself, to express your true personality and not be rejected.
A place to share with like minds.
Passion for gaming and creating shared experiences
Representative quote:
“My main motivation is to have fun creating content. I love playing videogames and I'm a very communicative person who always talks a lot. So it was an obvious choice for me to combine both.”
Underlying motives:
Gaming fanatics want to share the enjoyment of all aspects of gaming with others who share their passion.
The joy of connecting with others through a shared bond.
Nostalgia for fond childhood memories of watching and playing games.
Enjoyment of immersive storytelling
Representative quote: “I enjoy streaming because it gives me a chance to escape from everyday life to a place of serenity and comfort.”
Underlying motives:
Escapism has always been a key attraction of gaming.
Rich stories and lore allow gamers to lose themselves in a fantastical world.
Engaging with their community helps to bring the experience to life.
The sense of participation is heightened for creators who take on the role of narrator while simultaneously going on a journey themselves.
The bottom line
Successful contemporary campaigns strike a balance between product features and emotive messaging. It’s not either/or.
Quality and features are important hygiene factors.
But emotive hooks magnetize product appeal. They transform the product from simply being a functional solution into a powerful enabler of emotional benefits.
What next?
Building campaign activity around deep gaming and tech insights can re-energise your results and provide market advantage. Call us to find out more.
If you would like to discover more about our integrated approach and work together on a project, get in touch.
