By Nathan Bliss, Gaming Editor at Reach
Gaming audiences are often the first to adopt new media habits.
They move easily between platforms, discover content in different formats, and build communities around the things they care about. What starts in gaming rarely stays there for long. The behaviours that emerge within these audiences often signal wider shifts across publishing and advertising.
That is what makes gaming such an interesting category right now.
There is no shortage of content competing for attention. Short-form clips, creator reactions, livestreams, podcasts, and news updates are available almost everywhere. Reaching gaming audiences at scale is still possible. But, holding their attention for any meaningful length of time has become a much bigger challenge.
As audience journeys become less predictable, publishers are having to think differently about what engagement actually looks like and how it is earned.
Discovery is everywhere. Attention is harder to earn.
The way people find gaming content has changed significantly over the last few years.
Research from Ampere Analysis found that 63% of the global online population now watches short-form video content every day. For gaming audiences, these formats have become an important part of discovery. A new release, a gameplay clip, or a creator reaction can reach thousands of people within minutes.
But discovery is only part of the picture.
The content that keeps people engaged often serves a different purpose. Interviews with developers. Studio discussions. Hands-on previews. Behind-the-scenes conversations with creators and industry figures. These formats offer context, perspective and insight that shorter content cannot always provide.
This reflects a broader shift taking place across media. Publishers are increasingly focused on understanding the quality of attention they attract rather than simply measuring how many people pass through a piece of content. Recent analysis from McKinsey suggests that the gaming industry is entering a new phase in which attention itself is becoming one of its most valuable assets. Publishers are placing greater value on audiences who choose to stay, return, and engage repeatedly over time, which is good news for advertisers.
Scale remains important, but engagement is often what determines whether a message is remembered.
Community has become a competitive advantage
Gaming has always been shaped by communities.
People discuss games long before they are released. They debate updates, share opinions, follow personalities, and spend time with others who share the same interests. The content surrounding gaming has become part of that experience.
That changes the role publishers play.
Success increasingly depends on creating environments that audiences actively want to return to. Familiar formats and recognisable voices help. Exclusive access to developers, creators, and industry experts can help, too. Platforms centred around these areas are seeing stronger engagement as a result.
What connects these elements is credibility.
Gaming audiences have endless alternatives competing for their attention. They can leave as quickly as they arrive. Loyalty is not guaranteed. When people return repeatedly to a publisher, a creator, or a content format, it is usually because they believe there is genuine value in spending time there.
That is one reason community-led, original content continues to resonate. It feels participatory rather than transactional. As a result, audiences are becoming part of the wider conversation surrounding it.
Why original formats are becoming more valuable
As gaming media becomes more crowded, original formats are becoming increasingly important.
The most successful examples tend to offer something audiences cannot easily find elsewhere. That might be a recurring discussion show, access to gaming talent, conversations with developers, or deeper analysis around the industry’s biggest stories.
These formats create familiarity. Audiences know what they are coming back for, and over time, that consistency helps build stronger relationships.
There is a creator element to this, too.
Across media, audiences increasingly form connections with personalities rather than platforms alone. The distinction between journalist, presenter, and creator has become less defined. People follow trusted voices across different channels and engage with content because they value a particular perspective.
Gaming audiences have been doing this for years.
Publishers that understand how to combine editorial expertise with creator-style formats are often better positioned to build sustained engagement and trust, particularly among younger audiences who move naturally between short-form discovery and longer-form viewing experiences.
What gaming can teach the wider industry
Social platforms remain a crucial part of the gaming ecosystem. Many audience journeys begin there, and discovery would look very different without them.
The opportunity for publishers and their advertisers lies in what happens next.
Short-form content can spark interest. Longer-form content can deepen it. Community-led formats can keep people engaged over time. The strongest strategies increasingly connect these experiences rather than treating them as separate channels.
Gaming audiences offer a useful glimpse into where media is heading more broadly. They move seamlessly between formats. They expect content to feel authentic. They decide very quickly whether something is worth their time.
For publishers and advertisers alike, that presents a challenge. Attention has become harder to secure and easier to lose. Building lasting engagement requires more than visibility alone; it requires curation and a long-term strategy.
The publishers that thrive in this environment are likely to be those that create experiences audiences actively choose to spend time with. As gaming audiences continue to reshape the media landscape around them, that lesson feels increasingly relevant far beyond gaming itself.
