Gaming marketing is no longer a niche curiosity — it has become one of the most effective ways to reach truly engaged audiences. Unlike social media or traditional video, gaming provides a context where attention is not fragmented.
Players don’t scroll or multitask — they are in a state of active focus. In practice, this means that brands can build more than just momentary interest — as long as they show up in the right way.
Gaming as an Ecosystem – Not Just a Channel
Treating gaming as a single media channel can lead to misguided media decisions. In reality, it’s a complex ecosystem made up of games, livestreams, esports, Discord communities, gaming-related social platforms, modding, and the entire culture that emerges between these touchpoints.
Audiences participate not only by playing but also by watching streamers, engaging in community discussions, or researching games and hardware. That’s why effective brand presence requires integration with culture — not just with the medium itself.
Why Does Gaming Guarantee Attention?
The marketing industry today largely believes that ads can’t hold attention for more than a few seconds. But data from McKinsey and Dentsu reports show that gaming works differently.
The average gaming session lasts from 30 minutes to several hours, and 73% of that time is spent in a state of high concentration. The player doesn’t multitask and is in a “lean-forward” mode — their attention is not accidental but intentional. In practice, this allows brands to create far deeper connections than on social media, where individual content pieces compete for 1–3 seconds of attention.
Lower or distracted attention translates into lower user value, while media that demand strong focus — like gaming or livestreaming — generate significantly higher lifetime value. The chart shows that focus and job-to-be-done are key predictors of marketing effectiveness, confirming the rising importance of high-quality attention in building brand results.
Why Does Gaming Marketing Work? Attention as Currency
Marketers increasingly talk about an attention crisis. Users scroll, use ad blockers, and avoid intrusive messages. In the attention economy, the goal is not just to reach — but to hold attention. And that’s easiest to achieve where audiences are already naturally engaged.
The Attention Crisis in Traditional Media
Social media requires a “hook” in the first few seconds, as users expect instant gratification. TV doesn’t guarantee focus either — 86% of viewers use a second screen, and many ads are not viewed visually. In both cases, brands compete with massive information noise, and users have relatively little motivation to pay attention to a message.
Gaming as a Space for Quality Attention
In gaming, brand interactions don’t have to be forced. Users engage with messages when they’re placed in moments where focus is already high.
Dentsu data shows that brand recall in livestream environments reaches 57%, while the digital/social benchmark is just 38%. Brand choice uplift hits +17%, more than twice as high as in standard campaigns.
The Role of Context: Why Timing Is Everything
According to research by IAS and Neuro-Insight, contextually relevant ads are 40% more memorable. In gaming, context includes both the moment within gameplay and the stream narrative. That’s why reactive technologies — like NG+ mechanisms analyzing sound or visuals — boost communication effectiveness. The brand doesn’t interrupt the experience — it appears when the viewer is already fully focused.
Key Areas of Gaming Marketing
Marketing in gaming works best when it considers multiple touchpoints. Each serves a different role and supports a different stage of the user’s journey with the brand.
Influencer Marketing and Livestreaming
Streamers differ from traditional influencers in that they engage their audience in real time. Viewers are attached to their personalities and style, and brand messages are received in the context of natural conversation.
NG+ Campaign Examples:
- Danio x Small Hunger – a character responding to the in-game energy level of the player’s avatar, triggered by visual analysis. Viewers perceived it as a natural part of the game, boosting engagement and attention.
- T-Mobile: The Fastest Network – hundreds of streamers spontaneously triggered branded animations by saying the campaign slogan. Voice recognition matched the message to the conversation, and viewers actively engaged with the campaign.
In-Game Marketing
Brand presence in games doesn’t have to be limited to simple placements. Brands can create custom environments, mini-games, quests, or interactive elements visible to players.
NG+ Example:
- The Donation Map – Ukraine – a replica of Kyiv’s Independence Square in Fortnite, where players’ time spent in-game generated donations toward rebuilding a health center. Campaign elements were supported by a global activation with streamers from 15 countries.
Communities and Gaming Platforms (Discord, Reddit, Fan Spaces)
Many purchase decisions happen outside of gameplay — for example on Discord, where users chat with creators and fellow players. Brands can create roles, themed channels, or micro-activations that reinforce long-term relationships.
Contextual Media and Activation Technologies
One of the fastest-growing areas of gaming marketing. At NG+, we use reactive moment-matching technologies — such as audio or visual analysis — that display messages at perfectly selected points.
NG+ Example:
- Algoflex Pain Ambassadors – when the streamer mentioned pain or fatigue, a character-ambassador appeared on screen. This created a natural, contextual brand moment and won awards in industry competitions.
Gamification and Interactive Formats
Mechanics of progression, rewards, and participation resonate more strongly than static formats.
NG+ Example:
- Cheetos Chepard Game – viewers collectively took care of a virtual pet by controlling it via Twitch chat. The campaign generated over 50,000 interactions and significantly boosted brand awareness metrics.
How Should Brands Approach Gaming in 2025?
Entering the gaming space is not about choosing a media tool — it’s primarily about adopting a communication strategy aligned with the context and behaviors of the audience.
Start with Culture, Not Format
Gaming isn’t just a collection of media platforms. It’s a culture with its own language, norms, and dynamics. For a campaign to be credible, it must fit the style in which gamers talk, feel emotions, and experience their world.
Shift Focus from Reach to Quality of Engagement
In the attention economy, the key metric is not how many people “see” an ad, but how many actually pay attention to it. Gaming provides a high-quality environment where users are focused and active. That’s why brand lift and memorability matter more than CTR.
Brand Presence Should Enhance the User Experience
The most effective campaigns are those that add something to the situation. Stream viewers enjoy interactive and humorous moments, while gamers value immersion and consistency. When a brand appears at the right moment, it becomes a natural part of the narrative.
Treat Gaming Holistically – as an Ecosystem of Touchpoints
Streams, games, communities, contextual media, long-term initiatives — only by combining these elements can you build distinctive communication. Gaming works best when approached as an environment, not a single ad format.
Summary: Gaming as a Strategic Attention Space
Gaming is one of the few spaces where audiences are truly engaged. It provides a context that improves memorability, strengthens brand relationships, and boosts communication effectiveness. But to be effective, brand activity must be integrated with culture, matched to context, and powered by tools that appear at the right moment.
A well-designed presence in gaming is not an add-on to a strategy — it becomes its most effective component.
Sources:
- McKinsey – The Attention Equation: Winning the Right Battles for Consumer Attention 2025 – an analysis of consumer attention quality, including the “attention quotient” and “commercial quotient”.
- Integral Ad Science (IAS) – The Context Effect – a study showing the impact of contextual ad alignment on memorability and user response.
- Dentsu – Attention Economy 2024 – a report on measuring attention in advertising: “Viewable does not equal viewed”, with research from the MENA region.
