Which kind of gamers are diving into the Metaverse world?

The metaverse was undoubtedly one of 2021’s top tech buzzwords. With many of the world’s biggest companies getting involved — and even outright shifting their long-term strategies — 2022 is looking to be another year filled with developments for the metaverse. In its latest article, Newzoo used its “Consumer Insights – Game Franchises” to zoom in on current metaverse players.

●  METAVERSE GAMERS SKEW YOUNG AND MALE

While smaller niche metaverse games are starting to emerge, three of the biggest metaverse titles are undeniably “Fortnite,” “Roblox,” and “Minecraft”. With an average age of around 27, the metaverse players Newzoo surveyed were visibly younger than the average player who does not play any of these three metaverse games (average age 38). This makes sense, as “Fortnite,” “Roblox,” and “Minecraft” are more child-friendly than many other popular games and are marketed to children. Metaverse players are also more likely to skew male compared to your average gamer.

It is quite clear that younger Gen Z and Gen Alpha are already growing up in proto-metaverses. For example, 54.86% of “Roblox” daily active users were under 13 years old in 2020 (according to a “Roblox” Investor Day presentation). "These positive early experiences mean they will grow into the residents and architects of future metaverses,"  the report noted.

●  METAVERSE PLAYERS SPEND MORE TIME SOCIALIZING IN GAMES

Well over half of the metaverse players Newzoo asked said that they used games to socialize in the past three months, including 62% who played “Roblox,” 58% who played “Fortnite,” and 57% who played “Minecraft”. At the same time, players who said they socialized while playing spent more time in-game — in all three of these titles. As is often the case, this increased engagement translates into spending. Socializing players spent more money on “Fortnite,” “Roblox,” and “Minecraft” than average gamers (in the past six months).

Simply put, metaverse players spend an average of two hours longer a month playing games. Each player spent an average of US$1.28 more in the past six months. “While this might not seem much on the surface, it is highly significant for publishers and developers — especially those with player counts in the tens of millions,”  the report says.

●  METAVERSE PLAYERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO USE NEWER SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

Looking at how else metaverse players engage with the digital world, Newzoo found out that, when compared with all players not playing the three metaverse franchises, metaverse players are more likely to use the “newer” social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat — while the opposite is true for Facebook.

“Combined, the insights discussed in this article paint a clear picture for the West: younger generations are already engaging with proto-metaverses en masse. One thing is certain: whether you like it or not, the metaverse has a significant part to play in the future of the games industry. Younger players are already in on the trend, and the biggest tech companies and brands are scrambling to get in on the ground floor,”  the report concluded.