The real lives of the mainland's 625 million gamers

OMD China has launched a new edition of its Rhythm research series, this one dedicated to the mainland's 625 million gamers.

The report (download PDF in English or Chinese), is based on original research done across all four tiers of Chinese cities with Kantar Millward Brown as well as external data sources. It profiles gamers demographically, delves into how they spend their time and money, addresses their motivations for playing and making in-game purchases, and examines the effectiveness of in-game advertising.

As often happens when gamers are the subject matter, a fair amount of the study is dedicated to debunking silly but nonetheless persistent stereotypes. Here's some of the key findings.

Age, gender and type of games played. 
 

Yes, gamers have other interests.
 

Time spent on games is close to time spent on video.
 

Chinese gamers are prudent about their spending on games.
 

Male gamers spend more on games.
 

Gamers are open to brand involvement.
 

TV remains an effective way to reach gamers.

 

Elena Hu, associate director of marketing sciences with OMD China:

Demand on cooperating with popular online games is only increasing because brands are looking to target younger audiences. However, there are still many misconceptions on both games and gamers. It is important for marketers to have clarity on their consumers’ behaviours and preferences before we recommend this channel. This study provides our clients the opportunity to apply valuable insights into their media strategies.

Bhasker Jaiswal, managing partner, OMD: 

With China being the largest gaming market in the world, it is essential that we know as much as we can about this growing audience. Rhythm: Gamer helps OMD better serve our clients by understanding gamers and evaluating the effectiveness of various in-game advertising formats, which in turn provides a solid framework as to how brands should be involving gamification into their media plans.