Filling emotional needsīeyond being time-fillers, video games are becoming a main support for many users' emotional needs.

Even half of Gen Zers claim they use games to hang out without playing the main game.

They like visiting online gaming communities, following gaming channels, listening to gaming podcasts, socializing with other gamers, and attending gaming conventions. Today’s young gamers look to social gaming for belonging, with 44% of Gen Z and 48% of Gen Alpha declaring that they engage with games in other ways beyond gameplay. Motives go beyond gameplayĪs discussed in our guide Play to win: Using gamification to give your app an unbeatable edge, more apps are tapping into gamification elements like competition and social recognition to engage users further. Gen Z also opts for multiplayer games, with their favorites being battle royale and sandbox games. Over 40% of Millennials chose massively multiplayer online (MMO) games as their favorite genre. When we zoom in on preferences for gaming genres, it becomes clear that many younger players prefer the gaming subverticals that allow them to interact with others. Favorite gaming subverticals are multiplayer As we dig deeper into the latest research, we uncover the emergence of social gaming as a massive driver of the affinity for gaming these generations have. But Millennials' love of mobile gaming outpaces both, with nine out of 10 preferring mobile gaming. Gen Z and Gen Alpha both prefer to engage with games on their mobile phones compared to other platforms, at 69% and 73%, respectively.

Mobile gaming is just gambling