The last year and a half in Esports has continued to help me appreciate the complexities of the gaming customer in a way I wasn’t able to in the past.
There’s something very important marketers intrigued by this market needs to keep in mind when deciding how to communicate with this passionate group.
The competitive gamer, similar to his more conventional relative – traditionally recognized sport- nearly always falls into two broad categories.
The 1-versus-1 AND The Team Player
These two gamer-types are so distinct in their personality and behaviour, you could think of them as completely different customer types.
Here are some of my personal observations that you marketing folk might enjoy:
The 1 Versus 1:
– Thrives on being solely responsible for success/failure –-> Extremely particular about products/services they consume/diligent researcher
– Often more introverted –> Will not likely seek validation for purchases through social circle
– More challenging feat to be consistently successful –> Extremely Brand Loyal
– Prefers Real Time Strategy (Starcraft), 1v1 Shooters (Quake), Select Sport/Fighting Titles (FIFA, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Smash) Puzzle/Quest Games (Portal, Minecraft) –> Not initially accepting of in game micro-purchases, one off purchase preference, anti pay-to-win
The Team Player:
– Enjoys being recognized by team mates for success/failure –> Product reviews, popularity of products/services heavy factor in purchasing
– More extroverted- –> Seeks validation for purchases by others/Inclined to purchase premium products (Desire to be pack leader)
– More likely to succeed as able to rely on other successful team mates –> Accepting of change/Brand must make an effort to remain relevant to ensure repeat purchases
– Prefers Mass Online Battle Arenas (League of Legends, DOTA2), Team Shooters (Counter-strike, Call of Duty, Team Fortress) –> High propensity toward micro-purchases, eager to differentiate gaming experience through higher spending, Shows huge community involvement
Of course this is just a rudimentary look into these two types of key gamers but understanding which you are dealing with might help you gauge the efficacy of your recent activities.
I’m looking forward to getting more solid research done into this for the brands we work with at our in-house agency SANNPA.COM. Will drop a sneak peek into this when there’s more to share!