- Newzoo checks out what stimulates gamers' taste receptors while playing and watching games
- The company digs into individual regions' food and beverage consumption while and around gaming
- Understandably, viewers tend to consume more food and beverages than gamers
You are what you eat as the old adage goes. The question is what are you when you play? Thankfully, an article by Newzoo and contributor Jorik Weustink set out to find out a little more on the matter. With the help of the Newzoo Consumer Insights data, the analytics company has been able to dig into what gamers' eating and drinking habits are, which may explain why we keep seeing Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Burger King, and KFC ads floated before us during commercial breaks.
For those more ambitious and clean-living gamers out there, though, vitamin waters and energy drinks, as well as healthy snacks, have also made their way to the neon-lit broadcasts of the entre-act between live esports events, of which we simply have not had too many in recent months. In any event, Newzoo's breakdown of gaming habits is very comprehensive and as always, a great insight. You may read it in its entirety right here as we set out to sum up its main points.
Did Newzoo Interview “the Right” Gamers?
We believe so. The survey was conducted with 21,000 gamers and viewers who were aged from 10 to 65 and hailed from North America, Latin America, and Western Europe (thanks for that Newzoo?)
Newzoo immediately established that to play games means to munch or sip on your favorite (un)healthy food-and-drink combination. Some 80% of all respondents confirmed that they would be having a bite or swill while playing games, and another 92% agreed that foodstuffs go hand-in-hand with watching Twitch or YouTube game-related content.
Big Mac vs Whopper, Coca-Cola vs Pepsi
True to a good research methodology, Newzoo didn't dig into individual brands but rather the type of foods that were consumed and where. Understandably, soft drinks guzzlers were most prevalent in Latin America and so were beer drinkers and salty snacks munchers.
In fact, Latin America is pretty much responsible for the highest rate of consumption of all screened foods and drinks bar energy drinks. North America leads the way when it comes to energy drinks it seems.
Whatever Gets the Motor Running, Engine Humming
Newzoo presented an interesting further breakdown of the food habits. You see, the company was able to better understand why one type of player would take a soft drink over a beer and vice versa.
It turned out that people over the age of 21 who took on energy drinks were just more excited by competing in games, rather than beer-drinkers who seemed like a more relaxed bunch – probably jollier, too!
The company correctly pointed out that the number of companies looking to secure a share in gaming food markets is increasing. Gamers' consumption habits are actually quite important to all companies that advertise.
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are aware that their sugary drinks may not hold sway with the vast majority of environmentally-conscious esports gamers no matter how cool their Christmas ads are.
As such, companies need to come up with new, healthier, more eco-friendly, and overall compelling products to get those glands started and saliva building up.
What Do Viewers Eat?
Understandably, food and beverage go even better with watching games, you know – the time when you don't have too much periphery hardware to worry about. As it turns out, consumption doesn't relent. If anything it goes up. If 81% of gamers regularly eat or drink while playing games, another 92% of gamers eat or drink while viewing games.
The comparison here doesn't focus on individual markets, so much as it focuses on how consumption habits change when playing and watching games. Surprisingly, energy drinks consumption also goes up with 27% more people guzzling on the caffeinated beverages when watching compared to just 18% when playing.
If there is one big takeaway from the survey, it's that food and beverages brands are increasingly aware of the importance of their products for gamers. Rather, though, it's what gamers eat (for the time being) and how these brands should keep a close eye on what stimulates the audience's taste buds, because what we snack on while gaming/watching games played is a matter of taste, and taste changes all the time.
