Study: Gamers watch gameplay videos more than they play themselves

According to a report by MIDiA Research, gamers spend more time watching videos and gaming streams than they do playing games. The average gamer spends 7.4 hours a week playing games, but 8.5 hours watching gaming content on platforms like Twitch and YouTube.

This shows significant untapped potential for game developers and publishers to integrate video content creation into their ecosystems. For example, only 24% of PC and console gamers and 48% of in-game buyers watch such content at least once a month. This creates space for attracting a larger audience and monetizing.

MIDiA analyst Rhys Elliott notes that publishers need to change their approach to video content, viewing it not only as a marketing tool, but also as a way to generate revenue. Currently, most video content revenue goes to third-party platforms, depriving publishers of additional revenue opportunities. Integrating video content into gaming ecosystems can not only increase revenue, but also strengthen audience engagement.

Previously

Steam has launched the public access for the Game Recording feature, which is now available to all users of the platform. This feature allows you to record gameplay in the background, and also provides simple tools for editing and sharing videos.

Key features:

• Background Recording: Gameplay is automatically recorded for up to 120 minutes. Manual recording is also supported using a hotkey (default Ctrl+F11).
• Video Editor: A simple built-in editor allows you to add markers and indicators to your videos to mark important moments, such as boss battles.
• Video Export: Videos can be exported in MP4 format. There are several recording quality profiles, although there are no deep settings.
• Compatibility: The feature works with GeForce and Radeon video cards that support hardware video encoding, as well as with Steam Deck. On systems without modern GPUs, encoding will be performed by the central processor.
• Content Manager: For A special manager will be available to manage screenshots and videos.

This feature will help Steam users easily record and share vivid gaming moments with friends or on social networks.