Canada

FANDOM’S INSIDE GAMING REPORT UNCOVERS THE MINDSET & MOTIVATIONS OF GAMERS ACROSS GENERATIONS

Published

2 years ago

April 13, 2023

Video game franchises have taken mainstream media by storm and gaming as a pastime is showing no signs of slowing down – its a hobby that has captured the cultural zeitgeist and crossed generational lines, and there’s no such thing as a ‘typical gamer’ any more. Now more than ever the industry needs to adopt a more nuanced and generational approach to game development & marketing in order to make a true impact with gaming fans.

Fandom’s Inside Gaming report couples Fandom’s robust, proprietary user data with a custom global study that examines how gamer motivations and behaviors vary by generation and provides a playbook for the gaming industry at large on how to truly understand the mindset of a gaming fan. The findings from the 2023 Inside Gaming report will help brands stand out in this increasingly crowded marketplace while giving them the tools to identify, interact and more precisely connect with today’s gaming audience. This deep dive into the generational differences in gaming uncovered findings in three key areas:

Brand & Advertising Impact – examines generational motivations on gaming influence and intent to purchase, as well as which advertiser categories and specific brands are primed to make a huge splash with gamers
Gamer Motivations by Generation – explores the differences between major generational groups and their motivations & influence within the gaming space

Co-Gaming – highlights positive findings around gaming between parents & kids while also providing unique insights to fuel advertising strategies when aligning with families in the gaming space

KEY FINDINGS:

Over the past five years, engagement with gaming has increased across every demographic, platform, and genre – 45% of gamers are spending more time gaming than ever before
80% of gamers of all ages are interested in playing games regardless of whether they are already fans of a franchise – which creates significant opportunities for content creators as they look to mine alternate IP for new gaming franchises
Despite teens and Gen Z spending more time gaming than they did last year, older generations of players are spending more hours per week gaming
Building off that, Millennials are a key (and untapped) audience in gaming – 52% of Millennials rank gaming as their #1 interest

75% of Fandom gamers eat and drink while gaming, making Food & Beverage a key non-endemic category for gamers
More parents and guardians are seeing benefits of gaming with their kids than ever before: co-gaming parents are +83% more likely to agree that gaming fosters leadership skills, +77% more likely to agree it teaches important life skills and +38% more likely to agree it establishes teamwork & collaboration
Top 5 games parents play with their kids are Mario (50%), Minecraft (48%), Roblox (37%), Super Smash Bros (33%) and Kirby (32%)

“More than 150 million gaming fans come to Fandom and our 100K+ gaming communities each month, allowing us to unlock precise and unmatched insights about gamers across generations and platforms,” said Stephanie Fried, Fandom’s CMO. “These new insights into the behaviors, attitudes and perceptions of today’s gamers will enable marketers and studio leadership to drive better fan experiences and incremental revenue.”

The study uncovered huge opportunities for brands to more strategically tap into gaming audiences – namely in the CPG and QSR industries – and identified the generations that represent the biggest untapped opportunity for marketers. Findings include:

Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025 (25-26 March)

86% of Fandom gamers are influenced to purchase a brand or product that invests significantly in the gaming space, and nearly half are heavily influenced to do so.
Millennials are the largest untapped target in the gaming space:
40% of Fandom’s Millennial audience spend over 22 hours per week gaming, compared to only 29% of tweens.
Influence to purchase brands that have investments in the gaming space gets stronger with age: Millennials are more than +24% more likely to be heavily influenced to purchase compared to the average user on Fandom.

75% of Fandom gamers eat and drink while gaming, making the Food & Beverage industry one of the most influential outside categories for gamers.
Gamers are +71% more likely to be most inclined to purchase Caffeinated Energy Drinks that heavily invest in the gaming space, ranking highest among F&B categories.
Snacks, soft drinks, and “Heat & Serve” meals trailed with 58%, 42% and 39%, respectively.
Gaming-adjacent items are extremely important to the game-play experience: Fandom gamers rank high speed internet (88%) peripherals (i.e. mouse, keyboard etc.) (74%) and gaming accessories (i.e. gaming chair) (41%) as most critical to their gaming experience

There isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” approach to understanding and marketing to gaming audiences. Motivation and influence vary by generation, so it’s critical to understand the mindset of a gaming fan in order to make a true impact in the marketplace. Findings include:

Overall, 45% of gamers are spending more time gaming; and while Millennials are spending more time gaming per week, the biggest growth in overall time spent gaming vs last year was seen among tweens and teens, with 63% and 48%, respectively.
The top-ranking factors for trying new games are: (1) game quality, followed by (2) storyline & plot, then (3) design and visuals, suggesting that gamers across the board are looking for more immersive and engaging experiences.
Still, younger generations are more likely to be influenced by “cultural hype” while older audiences are more influenced by the immersive and deep characters and storylines.
This points to the importance of building strategies to cater to different audiences – building viral programs that lead to cultural buzz is key to aligning with younger audiences while building programs that allow players to immerse themselves in the universe & connect to the characters and storyline is key for older audiences.

The top-ranking overall motivations for Fandom gamers are:
Stress relief (48%)
Relaxation (47%)
Escapism (45%)
Younger generations of gamers are more interested in competitive gaming and making social connections, while older gamers gravitate more toward games with potential for intellectual stimulation.
Among gaming genres, adventure, sandbox, survival and fighting games are most popular with Fandom gamers of all ages.
Tweens, however, are most likely to play battle royal (49%), racing (46%) and survival games (39%); while millennials gravitate more toward MMO (41%), strategy (27%) and RPG (26%) genres, with games like Elden Ring or World of Warcraft.
The biggest drivers for Gen Z and Millennials are character and storyline, with rich and complex backgrounds; while younger gamers gravitate more toward competitive games, with an emphasis on coordinated teamwork.

With the gaming industry booming, time spent gaming increasing, and gaming IP’s seeing huge success crossing over into TV and movies, gaming as a pastime is here to stay. Interestingly, the findings uncover benefits for parents co-gaming with their kids, as well as co-gaming motivations by age group:

Within the co-gaming ecosystem, gaming isn’t the only motivator for parents and their children. They also enjoy discussing strategy (47%) and research (37%).

Parents who choose to game with their kids do so for these main reasons:
As a fun activity to do together (56%)
Kids ask them to play (44%)
Parents are avid gamers themselves and want to continue the trend (41%)
Age does affect behavioral motivations in co-gaming, particularly among parents with children aged 3-8 as they are +89% more likely to co-game in order to better understand the content of the games their kids are playing.

Parents of teens are +46% more likely to play games with their kids.

The top-ranking benefits of gaming for parents include:
Establishes teamwork and collaboration (33%)
Teaches important life lessons (26%)
Fosters leadership skills (25%)
The leading games for parents to co-game with kids 7-12 years old are Super Smash Brothers, Fortnite and Roblox.
Parents who co-game with their teenage children aged 13-17 play Rocket League, Cuphead and Splatoon.

Methodology:

The 2023 Inside Gaming report identifies macro-level entertainment patterns and trends based on a survey of 15,000 Global Fandom users. These insights were validated and deepened through Fandom’s robust user data – more than 350 million monthly unique visitors, 45 million pages of content across 250,000 wikis – and qualitative and quantitative insights from Fandom’s proprietary fan panel. This methodology provides a 360-degree view of what’s happening in the gaming landscape through the eyes of Fandom.

Ben Clemes

High Roller Submits Gaming License Application in Ontario

Published

3 weeks ago

May 30, 2025

GamingAmericas.com

high-roller-submits-gaming-license-application-in-ontario

High Roller Technologies, operator of the premium online casino brands High Roller and Fruta, announced the submission of its Internet Gaming Operator license application in Ontario, Canada, targeting the launch of its flagship brand HighRoller.com in the second half of 2025.

“The submission of our licensing application to access Ontario’s regulated online gambling market is an important milestone in our Company’s journey. Once our application is approved, we anticipate that we will have the opportunity to launch our online casino product into the market later this year,” said Ben Clemes, Chief Executive Officer at High Roller.

Ontario is one of the largest regulated online gambling markets in the world as measured by gross gaming revenue. In 2024, regulated online gambling operators within the province generated approximately $2.3B in gross gaming revenue, and growth continues to be recorded in the first half of 2025. Recently, the province of Alberta passed enabling legislation to establish a regulatory framework for online gambling. Once available, the Company also intends to pursue licensure in Alberta to expand its regulated market footprint in Canada.

“Ontario is missing an elegant brand like High Roller. We’re excited to roll out the red carpet for our new customers, and we’re looking forward to showcasing our tremendous product,” said Clemes.

The post High Roller Submits Gaming License Application in Ontario appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

Canada

IAGR announces program for IAGR2025 conference in Toronto

Published

3 weeks ago

May 29, 2025

GamingAmericas.com

iagr-announces-program-for-iagr2025-conference-in-toronto

The International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) has released the program for its upcoming annual conference, to be held in Toronto from 20-23 October.

With the theme ‘Resilient regulation: Exploring what works, why and what’s next’, the event brings together global regulators and thought leaders to examine how regulatory frameworks can evolve to meet today’s challenges.

The four-day program explores timely issues, including the rise of AI and behavioural analytics, the impact of converging technologies, cross-border collaboration and the continued push to strengthen responsible gambling policies.

IAGR President Ben Haden said the program offers a strong preview of the content and conversations delegates can expect in Toronto.

‘This year’s program showcases the breadth and complexity of the challenges facing gambling regulators worldwide, from protecting player wellbeing to tackling illegal markets and understanding new technologies,’ Haden said.

‘I encourage regulators, researchers and policy professionals from around the world to join us in Toronto. The conference is a space to learn, share experience, challenge assumptions and shape the future of effective, collaborative regulation.’

Confirmed speakers and panellists include:

Andrew Rhodes, CEO, Gambling Commission, Great Britain
Anders Dorph, Director, Danish Gambling Authority, Denmark
Dr Karin Schnarr, CEO and Registrar, Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, Canada
Mark Vander Linden, Director of Research and Responsible Gaming and Carrie Torrisi, Chief of Sports Wagering Division, Massachusetts Gaming Commission, United States
Bashir Are, CEO, Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority, Nigeria
Teo Chun Ching, Chief Executive, Gambling Regulatory Authority, Singapore
Ladipo Abiose Akolade, Founder, GamblePause Initiative Africa, Nigeria
Rasmus Kjaergaard, CEO, Mindway AI, Denmark
Tracy Parker, Senior Vice President, Accreditation, Advisory and Insights, Responsible Gambling Council, Canada
Pedro Romero, Chief of Safer Gambling Partnerships, BetBlocker, Gibraltar
Sonia Wasowska, Head of Supervision, General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, United Arab Emirates
Steven Blackburn, Partner, Ashurst Risk Advisory, Australia

The event will be held at The Westin Harbour Castle on Toronto’s waterfront.

The post IAGR announces program for IAGR2025 conference in Toronto appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

Alberta Gaming

Edmonton Elks, Play Alberta Connect on New Partnership

Published

4 weeks ago

May 21, 2025

GamingAmericas.com

edmonton-elks,-play-alberta-connect-on-new-partnership

Home field advantage has a new name, as the Edmonton Elks announced that Play Alberta Field at Commonwealth Stadium is now the home of the Elks.

The field naming rights are part of a broader multi-year agreement between Play Alberta and the EE, making Play Alberta the official sports betting partner of the Club.

“We couldn’t be more excited to expand our partnership with Play Alberta. This partnership is about more than just putting a name on the field – it’s about building something meaningful for our fans and our community. Play Alberta is an Alberta-based organization that shares our values and our commitment to giving back. Together, we’re creating new ways for fans to connect with our team and experience the game day atmosphere in a whole new way,” said Elks President and CEO Chris Morris.

The expanded relationship between the Elks and Play Alberta will allow the game day experience to continue to grow. Fans can look forward to unique activations and promotions around the stadium, including the chance to win game tickets and memorabilia.

“Since Play Alberta’s launch five years ago, our team has made it a priority to connect with the communities where our players live and work. We are very excited to join the Edmonton Elks on the field on game days during upcoming CFL seasons. Play Alberta Field at Commonwealth Stadium allows us to partner with the Elks and showcase two brands built for Albertans in a historic Edmonton location,” said Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Chief Executive Officer Kandice Machado.

The Elks open their 76th season on Saturday, June 7 in Vancouver when they take on the B.C. Lions. Edmonton’s home opener at Play Alberta Field at Commonwealth Stadium is slated for Thursday, June 19 against the Montreal Alouettes.

The post Edmonton Elks, Play Alberta Connect on New Partnership appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

esportes-gaming-brasil,-the-group-behind-esportes-da-sorte-and-onabet,-announces-hugo-baungartner-as-executive-director-for-institutional-relations-and-partnerships

Esportes da Sorte4 weeks ago

Esportes Gaming Brasil, the group behind Esportes da Sorte and Onabet, announces Hugo Baungartner as Executive Director for Institutional Relations and Partnerships