Part
01
of one
Part
01
I'm looking for the social platforms/chatting options for viewers of eGamers - what is the market like
Hello! Thanks for your question about the social platforms/chatting options for viewers of eGamers, and the market for such platforms. The most useful sources I found to answer your question are Sports Business Daily (GMR Marketing), Make Use Of and DoteSports.
In short, some of the biggest social platforms/chatting options for viewers of eGamers are Twitch, NeoGAF, GameFAQs, IGN Boards, GameSpot Boards, Reddit's /r/Gaming, MMORPG, and Minecraft Forum. I have also provided the top 10 communities for eGamers on each of the 4 major social media, covering Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, of which the most active social community for eGamers is FaZe Clan. According to Sports Business Daily, there are 148 million eSports enthusiasts around the globe, and Venture Beat says that the eSports market grew by 43%, from $325 million to reach $463 million in 2016, and is projected to hit $1.1 billion in 2019. What follows is a deep dive of these answers.
ASSUMPTIONS
By the term "eGamer," I have researched on the assumption that you seek information on the eSports and eGaming spaces. Secondly, I have also assumed that you are NOT referring to the eGamer website. I have also assumed that you seek communities of eGamer viewers, or platforms where community is fostered for eGamer viewers, such as forums, boards and social media. Based on these assumptions I have researched to find you suitable platforms/chatting options; I have also addressed your request for the market overview of this space.
MARKET OVERVIEW
GMR Marketing reports that there are 148 million eSports enthusiasts around the globe, this includes those who both watch and actively participate in eSports. Albeit the report says that there is very little differentiation between these groups. 69% of these enthusiasts go on social media and 51% report chatting with players or viewers while they themselves watch and/or play. About 85% of the eSports enthusiasts that were surveyed by GMR Marketing were positive about brands reaching out to them.
Statistics on consumption habits:
3.) Only 13% male and 5% female enthusiasts report that they only play eSports competitions and don't watch competitions.
Statistics on frequency of consumption:
1.) 5% male and 4% female enthusiasts consume as much as over 25 hours of eSports per week
2.) 15% male and 7% female enthusiasts consumer about 15 to 24 hours of eSports per week.
3.) 32% male and 30% female enthusiasts consume 8 to 14 hours of eSports per week.
According to Venture Beat, the eSports market grew by 43%, from $325 million to reach $463 million in 2016, and is projected to hit $1.1 billion in 2019. In 2015 the industry experienced more growth than in 2016, at 67%. The reports says that Asia-Pacific dominates the eSports market at 44% global market share. The The EU controls 25% of the global market, followed by North America and Mexico at 19%, and the rest of the world at 12%. ESports market audience grew by 27.7% to reach 131 million enthusiasts in 2016, with another 125 million occasional viewers when major international events hold.
SOCIAL PLATFORMS/CHATTING OPTIONS FOR VIEWERS OF EGAMERS
Twitch is the world's number 1 social video platform with focus on gamers. The platform was founded in June 2011, and was acquired by Amazon on August 25, 2014 for nearly $1 billion ($970 million to be precise). On a daily bases Twitch plays host to nearly 10 million visitors who come to the platform to watch and immerse themselves in discussions about video games, from 2 million streamers.
Twitch reports having 9.7 million active users on a daily basis; on average, a person watches 106 minutes of video. Twitch also reports having more than 2 million peak concurrent viewers across their platform. The platform is served by over 2 million unique streamers monthly. They have over 17,000 members on their Twitch partner program. The platform boasts of having its community raise, and donate over $46 million to charitable courses.
NeoGAF was founded in 2004. It's one of the top 1000 most-visited websites in the US and is one of the biggest gaming forums. The platform has over 700,000 threads and 95 million posts. A rough estimate from Worth of Web puts the website's value at $76.5 million.
GameFAQs is owned by CBS Interactive and generates an estimated revenue of $4.4 million, it dedicates a separate message board to every single video game in its database. Users can also visit the main boards if they want to discuss topics that aren’t specific to a single game.
IGN’s forums span all kinds of topics beyond video games, including anime, comics, sports, hardware, and even current events. But gaming is its heart and soul, and there’s no shortage of discussions to take part in here.
GameSpot Boards has over 35 million posts. The platform is reputed for being one of the oldest gaming forums online, it was founded in 1996 and has estimated revenue of $23.8 million. The forums on GameSpot enjoys high traffic activity, gathering millions of viewers every month.
Reddit's /r/Gaming one of the largest communities on the Web. According to Make Use Of, /r/Gaming has over 9.5 million members. However, it's not as serious and intellectually stimulating as the less-known /r/TrueGaming subreddits, where discussions are of better quality.
MMORPG is specific to World of Warcraft, it's home to the largest MMORPG community on the Web. The platform came to popularity in 2004, its estimated revenue is at $1.4 million.
Minecraft Forum is dedicated to one single game - Minecraft - the platform has over 4.2 million members and 28 million posts. The forum, at any point in time, has hundreds of members browsing through it, along with unregistered guests who number in the thousands.
______
TOP 10 ESPORTS COMMUNITIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Here's a summary of an interview with a Twitter executive, Kirstine Stewart, on the role of social media on eSports. Stewart says that Twitter plays a huge role in eSports, just as it does with “traditional” sports. According to the Twitter executive, fans of eSports have grown up watching their favorite games online, mostly. Stewart says that eSports don't need mainstream television coverage, that fans love engaging with each other, as well as with their favorite players and teams. Conversations occur between fans, teams and players all the time.
What follows is a list of top 10 eSports communities on social media, especially Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Please read on:
FACEBOOK
These are the top 10 eSports communities on Facebook based on their number of followers.
TWITTER
These are the top 10 eSports communities on Twitter based on their number of followers.
INSTAGRAM
These are the top 10 eSports communities on Instagram based on their number of followers.
YOUTUBE
These are the top 10 eSports communities on YouTube based on their number of followers.
_______
CONCLUSION
In summary, some of the biggest social platforms/chatting options for viewers of eGamers are Twitch, NeoGAF, GameFAQs, IGN Boards, GameSpot Boards, Reddit's /r/Gaming, MMORPG, and Minecraft Forum. I have also provided the top 10 communities for eGamers on social media, covering Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, of which the most active social community for eGamers is FaZe Clan. According to Sports Business Daily, there are 148 million eSports enthusiasts around the globe, and Venture Beat says that the eSports market grew by 43%, from $325 million to reach $463 million in 2016, and is projected to hit $1.1 billion in 2019.
Thanks for using Wonder! Please let us know if you need more help with your research needs.