Video games are popular across demographics, but certain age groups are more likely than others to seek out more content related to their hobby.
MTM compiled a report on how Canadians of all ages consume both e-sport content (competitive matches played between teams) and general gaming content (such as playthroughs, live streams, game tips and discussion). It used data from both its adult survey, as well as its MTM Jr. survey of Canadian child and youth.
Watching e-sports content is significantly more popular among gamers aged 18 to 34 compared to any other age group. That same group is also among the most likely to be watching more gaming content in general, but so are children between the ages of 7 and 11. The more platforms an individual uses to play video games – consoles, computer and mobile – the more likely they are to watch gaming content or e-sports.
As to why someone watches someone else play, the reasons include to learn about new games, to find strategies and secrets, to learn the story or lore of a game or its development and interest in specific content creators.
Those who watch gaming content have distinct media diets. Among the adult population, those who watch gaming content report spending more than three times as many hours playing video games in a typical week than the average Canadian (15.7 hours, compared 4.3 hours). Kids who watch gaming content also spend more time playing them, but remain closer to average than adults (11.9 hours, compared to 7.7 hours).
In terms of consuming video content, adults who watch gaming content spend almost three times as much time watching YouTube than the average online Canadian (12.3 hours vs 4.6). Similarly, kids who watch gaming content are also watching more content online, but the differences against the average aren’t as drastic as what is observed in the adult population.
YouTube is a key platform for watching gaming content across age groups, used by upwards of 82% across demographics. Twitch is most popular with those aged 18 to 34 (32%), but falls off to just 6% of those 35 to 49 and 2% of those 50 to 64.
Among adults, more than a quarter of PC gamers have watched e-sports content, which falls to one-sixth of console gamers and roughly one-tenth of mobile gamers.
