With the rise of video-enabled devices, and the subsequent increase in the ease of watching video content whenever and wherever, those interested in video games are spending an increasing amount of their time watching videos about them. Specifically, Google conducted a study that found that the time spent watching content related to video games on YouTube doubled in 2012 on the previous year. This kind of content is becoming more and more important to YouTube, as the growth rate for time spent viewing gaming content was higher than that for YouTube as a whole in the U.S.
In its report, Google has highlighted a few explanations for this rise in gaming content consumption. Since one in three views of such content in 2012 took place on a mobile device, i.e. a tablet or smartphone, which Google says is nearly twice as many as in 2011, we can assume that the popularity of watching gaming videos on the go is a factor. Subscription also factors into the equation, as 2012 saw nine times as many views from subscribers as the previous year. Google also points out that subscribers spend longer (apparently twice as long) actually watching the videos.
YouTube and other services are providing a new way for gaming content to reach more people, perhaps those with literacy issues, those who like to be able to consume gaming content while doing something else at the same time, or those who might otherwise not seek out written articles on Channels like Family Gamer TV (disclosure: I totally present videos on this channel) are working to expand the audience for gaming content, which can only be a good thing.
How long do you think you spend watching gaming-related videos? Longer than you spend reading about games? Do you subscribe to any gaming channels on YouTube?
