Half of Australians identify as gamers, Havas finds

Havas has published a study on gaming in Australia, finding that half of Australians identify as gamers.

The findings are part of a global survey of 11,000 adults across 25 markets, including 513 in Australia, examining gaming's role in social life, skills, wellbeing and consumer expectations.

The study suggests gaming is becoming more embedded in daily life, rather than serving only as entertainment or distraction. Among Australian prosumers, 59% said gaming had become an essential part of their lives, while 34% said non-gamers were missing out on an important part of life.

Social role

The report highlights gaming's place in relationships and community. Six in 10 Australian prosumers said gaming had made them more socially connected, and the same proportion said their gaming friendships were as important as those formed offline.

It also found that players increasingly use games to express identity and participate in wider culture. Havas said this reflects gaming's shift from a specialist hobby to a mainstream cultural activity with broad reach across age groups and markets.

Globally, the study estimates there are more than 3.2 billion players worldwide and values the industry at about USD $184 billion. At that scale, gaming's influence can rival traditional media.

Skills and wellbeing

The Australian findings also showed strong support for gaming as a tool for learning and personal development. Some 96% of Australian prosumers said games can teach crucial skills, with 65% citing strategic thinking and 62% problem-solving.

Strategy also ranked as the most important expectation from a game among respondents in that group. The data suggests players want more than passive entertainment and often associate gaming with challenge, improvement and achievement.

Mental health also featured heavily in responses. Nearly eight in 10 Australian prosumers said gaming can benefit mental health when practised responsibly, while 68% said games can offer refuge from an increasingly difficult world.

Regulation concerns

At the same time, respondents expressed concern about behaviour and monetisation in gaming spaces. The report found that 72% of Australian prosumers wanted tougher penalties for harassment, while 77% said random reward mechanics that encourage spending should be regulated as gambling.

These figures suggest that as gaming becomes a more central part of life, players also expect stronger rules and safeguards. The study indicates that scrutiny of how platforms and publishers manage conduct and spending is likely to grow.

Brand access

The research also examined attitudes to commercial activity in games and on gaming platforms. It found that 87% of Australian prosumers identified at least one way brands could add value, with rewards emerging as the clearest opportunity.

Among that group, 67% said they wanted brands to recognise achievements with money or free products, and 55% wanted rewards for engagement. Even so, the findings also showed caution about over-commercialisation, with 76% expecting gaming to become saturated with advertising within the next decade.

Nick Smith, Managing Partner of Havas PLAY, said: “Australia is a particularly interesting market because gaming is becoming increasingly cultural, social and mainstream. Players are no longer simply consuming games. They are using them to connect, express themselves, build skills and engage with the world around them. For brands, that means treating gaming less like a media channel and more like a cultural space, with a responsibility to contribute rather than simply interrupt.”

The findings point to a broader shift in how audiences should be understood. Rather than treating gaming as a niche interest, the data presents it as a shared space where entertainment, communication and identity overlap.

It also found that 65% of Australian prosumers believe technology will integrate gaming into all aspects of life in the future, pointing to expectations that the boundaries between games, media, commerce and social interaction will continue to blur.

Shane Russell, Chief Executive Officer of Havas Red Australia, said: “The significance of these findings is not simply that more Australians are gaming. It is that gaming is becoming embedded in how people connect, learn and participate in culture. That challenges marketers to look beyond traditional audience definitions and recognise gaming as an increasingly influential part of everyday Australian life.”