How Gen Z and Gen Alpha Are Changing the Way We Game

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Summary by Grok AI

The article discusses how Gen Z and Gen Alpha are transforming the gaming industry. Here are the key points:

- *Shift to mobile gaming*: Gen Z and Gen Alpha prefer mobile gaming over console or PC gaming, driving growth in mobile esports and cloud gaming.

- *Increased focus on social interaction*: These younger generations value social aspects of gaming, such as streaming, online communities, and collaborative play.

- *Rise of cloud gaming*: Cloud gaming platforms are becoming increasingly popular, allowing for more accessible and affordable gaming experiences.

- *Changing business models*: Gen Z and Gen Alpha expect free or low-cost games with optional in-game purchases, influencing the shift towards free-to-play and subscription-based models.

- *Diverse gaming interests*: These generations are interested in a wide range of games, including casual, educational, and creative titles.

- *Growing importance of community and creator-driven content*: Gen Z and Gen Alpha gamers value content created by influencers and streamers, driving the growth of gaming communities and creator-driven platforms.

Games like Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite have helped normalize building, modding, and sharing as core parts of play. The ability to build, mod, and personalize is no longer a bonus. It's expected. These generations want tools that let them create maps, characters, or entire game modes. It's not just about playing. It's about making something that feels personal and worth sharing.

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When studios open up their tools and let gamers be part of the process, it builds trust. You're not just a consumer anymore. You're part of the world the studio is building. That shift is what younger gamers want more of. As the chart below shows, UGC is no longer a side feature. For many Gen Z and Gen Alpha gamers, it's central to how they experience and shape their games.

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Cloud gaming fits naturally into the habits and values of Gen Z and Gen Alpha. These generations grew up with everything just a tap away. They expect instant access, not just in media, but in how they experience games too.

They don't want to wait for long downloads or juggle hardware requirements. Gen Z and Gen Alpha want to click, play, and move on if it's not for them. That expectation makes cloud gaming feel like a better match than traditional models. You can stream a game on a laptop, tablet, or TV and never worry about storage space. It's about flexibility, not commitment. These are some of the top reasons younger gamers are turning to cloud gaming, according to the report.

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Overall, Gen Z and Gen Alpha are driving changes in the gaming industry, prioritizing accessibility, social interaction, and community-driven experiences.


Vomit Puke GIF by The Late Late Show with James Corden
 
I dunno how much of this I believe. Cloud gaming getting more popular? Really? I'm *literally* in a position to know, and that sure as shit is not reality.

Also, what are these "educational" games they're referring to? That sounds made up.


Edit: Oh, wait, I know several of the people they interviewed for this. You can safely disregard the article.
 
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All of this is so bullshit.

This idea of modern audiences is fictional

Game companies built these things: social aspect, digital, cell phone games, free 2 play, cloud

And audiences responded. They didn't ask for it.

They literally present this as if these companies responded to what was being asked for and it's just not true.

If gaming was the same now as it was in the earlier 2000's, Gen Z and Gen Alpha would be just like the older of us are.

Ultimately they fabricated a "problem" in which audiences are changing, just so they could sell you a solution.

Cloud may be the future but it's not because audiences are demanding and expecting it. It's because companies are pushing it for their own financial gain
 
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They are young and poor with tons of free time and lots of friends. It's literally no different to any other generation.

They will grow up, have money and kids or jobs, when playing social games stops being prevalent or practical and then gravitate towards more mature forms of the medium.

It's like saying the new generation are really into blippi or teletubbies so games should be like that. It's dumb. 🤷‍♂️
 
All of this is so bullshit.

This idea of modern audiences is fictional

Game companies built these things: social aspect, digital, cell phone games, free 2 play, cloud

And audiences responded. They didn't ask for it.

They literally present this as if these companies responded to what was being asked for and it's just not true.

If gaming was the same now as it was in the earlier 2000's, Gen Z and Gen Alpha would be just like the older of us are.

Ultimately they fabricated a "problem" in which audiences are changing, just so they could sell you a solution.

Cloud may be the future but it's not because audiences are demanding and expecting it. It's because companies are pushing it for their own financial gain
Some of it might be upsetting to people here, but it's not all bullshit.

For example, digital was going to win over time regardless and the social aspect was always there, it just grew and branched out once we managed to connect more online. Your post has some merit to it, but the other half of it feels like 'old man yells at cloud'.

Yes, these companies have introduced tons of things over the years but ultimately it is the consumer base that influences which way the wind blows. One cannot exist without the other. Not to mention that the creators of some of our advancements were at one time, consumers.

I feel like you're forgetting the mountain of failed products, apps, and monetization methods that businesses have tried. Hell, we've seen entire phone companies fall and crumble away after Apple unveiled the iPhone.
 
How long have AI summaries been acceptable forms of starting discourse? It used to be the initiator had some interest and would add their point of view to drive discussion. This has none of that.

I've been seeing this at work at well. Disturbing trending. This is more NPC than anything.
 
How-Gen-Z-and-Gen-Alpha-Are-Changing-the-Way-We-Game-feature.jpg.webp


Summary by Grok AI

The article discusses how Gen Z and Gen Alpha are transforming the gaming industry. Here are the key points:

- *Shift to mobile gaming*: Gen Z and Gen Alpha prefer mobile gaming over console or PC gaming, driving growth in mobile esports and cloud gaming.

- *Increased focus on social interaction*: These younger generations value social aspects of gaming, such as streaming, online communities, and collaborative play.

- *Rise of cloud gaming*: Cloud gaming platforms are becoming increasingly popular, allowing for more accessible and affordable gaming experiences.

- *Changing business models*: Gen Z and Gen Alpha expect free or low-cost games with optional in-game purchases, influencing the shift towards free-to-play and subscription-based models.

- *Diverse gaming interests*: These generations are interested in a wide range of games, including casual, educational, and creative titles.

- *Growing importance of community and creator-driven content*: Gen Z and Gen Alpha gamers value content created by influencers and streamers, driving the growth of gaming communities and creator-driven platforms.



How-Gen-Z-and-Gen-Alpha-Are-Changing-the-Way-We-Game-Gen-Z-and-Gen-Alpha-Want-More-Than-Just-Game.jpg.webp




uLTbhLpTICbhmc6B.jpeg




How-Gen-Z-and-Gen-Alpha-Are-Changing-the-Way-We-Game-How-Cloud-Gaming-Reflects-Gen-Z-and-Gen-Alphas-Values.jpg.webp


Overall, Gen Z and Gen Alpha are driving changes in the gaming industry, prioritizing accessibility, social interaction, and community-driven experiences.


Vomit Puke GIF by The Late Late Show with James Corden
Good mods are good tier, old school console friends still haven't learned that but it's nice to see young people learn that lesson real quick.
 
All of this is so bullshit.

This idea of modern audiences is fictional

Game companies built these things: social aspect, digital, cell phone games, free 2 play, cloud

And audiences responded. They didn't ask for it.

They literally present this as if these companies responded to what was being asked for and it's just not true.

If gaming was the same now as it was in the earlier 2000's, Gen Z and Gen Alpha would be just like the older of us are.

Ultimately they fabricated a "problem" in which audiences are changing, just so they could sell you a solution.

Cloud may be the future but it's not because audiences are demanding and expecting it. It's because companies are pushing it for their own financial gain
....and where done here.
 
It's hard to see things changing and be pushed away from being the priority from companies but it's true, for better or for worse. And it's not just the gaming industry, it's impacting other industries as well. Businesses have to adapt or just wither away.

However, while this happens it's also much easier to develop and publish games than ever before. There will be indie development studios that will cover games made for us.

Still, I don't see why not just play whatever fits your taste and leave everything else to pass. I don't play most released games because I don't care for them enough and I don't have time. I really don't care if EA keeps pushing half assed games or Ubisoft continues releasing AC slop. That's a problem for their investors, not for me.
 
If this is true, then NeoGAF is finished.

We will need to do some crazy pivot/reinvention to make GAF exist in the next 10-20 years.

The crazy thing is, I have been cloud gaming now more than ever.
 
Good games are selling more than ever.

This is the same bullshit from the preachers of "the videogame industry crisis". They adapt the narrative with biased data to the narrative they want to spin.
 
In my experience, people who watch streamers on the regular rarely play the games themselves. Designing games for that audience is like designing sporting equipment for the guys in the bleachers.
 
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They are young and poor with tons of free time and lots of friends. It's literally no different to any other generation.

They will grow up, have money and kids or jobs, when playing social games stops being prevalent or practical and then gravitate towards more mature forms of the medium.

It's like saying the new generation are really into blippi or teletubbies so games should be like that. It's dumb. 🤷‍♂️
this right there.
At their age I was playing exclusively Halo 2 because of its social gaming aspect
 
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Deny it all you like, but kids these days don't give a single fuck about consoles or traditional gaming. Once the Gen X and millennials grow tired of consoles, who will buy them then?
 
Good games are selling more than ever.

This is the same bullshit from the preachers of "the videogame industry crisis". They adapt the narrative with biased data to the narrative they want to spin.

Word.

"All the kids" want gaas. "Everyone" wants subscriptions.

"Nobody" wants to own shit. Or even have a semblance of owning it with our digital lease agreements.

:/
 
All of this is so bullshit.

This idea of modern audiences is fictional

Game companies built these things: social aspect, digital, cell phone games, free 2 play, cloud

And audiences responded. They didn't ask for it.

They literally present this as if these companies responded to what was being asked for and it's just not true.

If gaming was the same now as it was in the earlier 2000's, Gen Z and Gen Alpha would be just like the older of us are.

Ultimately they fabricated a "problem" in which audiences are changing, just so they could sell you a solution.

Cloud may be the future but it's not because audiences are demanding and expecting it. It's because companies are pushing it for their own financial gain
Except, that's not how markets work. If there was a huge and growing market, this would not be the case.

The current generations do not want physical: Spotify, Netflix, HBO… nobody is buying CDs or DVDs anymore, if they were, Blockbuster would have not gone under.

This is coming. People prefer the convenience and once the infrastructure exists in a decade, dedicated game consoles will be as distant a memory as CDs. You'll be explaining to kids how you used to require a big bulky box to play games that came on physical discs and had to go out and buy them in person… Oh, and how you needed different boxes to play different games… and they will look at you like a dinosaur.
 
Normalizing shitty practices and delivery methods until the old generation is replaced by the new generation who don't know any better. I have a feeling we have seen this happen before (outside of gaming) and will see it happen again.

Gen Z/Alpha not owning anything is going to be baked in to their DNA, whether it be games, housing, etc. Nothing stops "progress" though.

I still don't think infrastructure is good enough to replace a lot of these things in frame of this topic, but I guess we'll see how low the bar is for acceptability.
 
The Zoomers and the Alphas only play Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft

Some play Call of Duty and Madden, a few are still out there playing Nintendo franchises like Pokemon and Mario Kart

Most traditional gaming is not played by the Z/A gens, this is why console sales have stagnated
 
I have two Gen Alpha kids. They do play a lot of Minecraft and Roblox, but I've been slowly trying to introduce them to console games like Mario and Pokemon.
 
I saw my cousins (age 11 and 9) play Roblox and I sat there like an idiot not knowing what is going on, I remember in 1998 I showed my grandfather PlayStation 1 and he didn't know what is going on either, so yeah I felt the same.
 
Except, that's not how markets work. If there was a huge and growing market, this would not be the case.

The current generations do not want physical: Spotify, Netflix, HBO… nobody is buying CDs or DVDs anymore, if they were, Blockbuster would have not gone under.

This is coming. People prefer the convenience and once the infrastructure exists in a decade, dedicated game consoles will be as distant a memory as CDs. You'll be explaining to kids how you used to require a big bulky box to play games that came on physical discs and had to go out and buy them in person… Oh, and how you needed different boxes to play different games… and they will look at you like a dinosaur.
I agree with most of what you're saying except for the fact that the infrastructure will be ready in a decade.

It won't. Maybe 2-3 decades it will be ready. And that's a big maybe seeing as many things in tech could regress at the hint of a law or two being made. Then full-on adoption could be 4-5 decades.
 
What I find interesting about Gen Z and Gen Alpha is that they aren't as loyal to Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo as Millinials are. They prefer PC and Mobile
Anecdotally this is what I observed with my 26 year old son ( technically step-son), he grew up with a PS2, Wii, GB color/advance and DS. So he should have gone right onto Switch, PS4/5 the last decade, right? Nope, the moment he got his first laptop in his mid teens ( wasn't really a gaming one per se but he could do some light gaming), it was over. Didn't and hasn't given a single fuck about consoles since.

You'll be explaining to kids how you used to require a big bulky box to play games that came on physical discs and had to go out and buy them in person… Oh, and how you needed different boxes to play different games… and they will look at you like a dinosaur.
Reminds me of 7-8 years ago when I showed my younger cousin ( he was 18 then so firmly Gen Z) a SNES console and cartridge. Damn near took him half a minute to figure out how to insert the game into the console. It was pretty much alien tech as far as he was concerned.
 
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You old farts in here don't get it. Thank god for Gen Z and Alpha, they'll be the saviors of gaming. I have been wasting money buying new hardware every couple years for almost 35 years and I'm so done with this shit.

Edit: So many posts in here like

the simpsons adult GIF
 
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Anecdotally this is what I observed with my 26 year old son ( technically step-son), he grew up with a PS2, Wii, GBA color/advance and DS. So he should have gone right onto Switch, PS4/5 the last decade, right? Nope, the moment he got his first laptop ( wasn't really a gaming one per se but he could do some light gaming), it was over. Didn't and hasn't given a single fuck about consoles since.

I think many console players are not understanding and refusing to acknowledge, is that PC is more than just for gaming. It serves many other non-gaming purposes. hobbies, schooling, works and other sorts of entertainment, so it is pretty much impossible for PCs to die out. Casual gamers who just want to do some light gaming can do so on their work/study/hobby laptops without spending an additional $700 for a dedicated consoles. Major corporations like banks will still use desktops or laptops for operations.
 
I dunno how much of this I believe. Cloud gaming getting more popular? Really? I'm *literally* in a position to know, and that sure as shit is not reality.

Also, what are these "educational" games they're referring to? That sounds made up.


Edit: Oh, wait, I know several of the people they interviewed for this. You can safely disregard the article.
I don't know your credentials but this is funny enough and said with such confident authority that I'm going to believe it
 
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