Five benefits of gaming (Not an exhaustive list!)

1) Gaming reduces stress. For many, gaming provides a sense of escapism and a break from our day-to-day routines that demand us to be “switched on” at all times, and where dropping the ball can come with real-life consequences. Sure, in an ideal world we would win all the games we play, but winning a game comes with much less pressure than getting important elements in our personal and professional lives right. For others, gaming can help to release pent up emotions, besides, what’s more, satisfying than exterminating a mob of zombies!?

2) Gaming boosts mood. Similarly to reducing stress, gaming boosts mood, and with lasting effect! Or so says research conducted by the University of Oxford. One observation from the study found that “Players who objectively played more in the past two weeks reported to experience higher well-being”. In the shorter-term at least, this boost in mood can be attributed to a release of dopamine in the brain that is typically experienced when playing a game.

3) Gaming is social. Traditionally, avid gamers, especially those preferring video games, have stereotypically been known to shy away from social situations, but with an increase in MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) gaming, this is no longer the case. In fact, after a busy day at school or work talking to friends and colleagues, respectively, many gamers continue their conversations with each other on their favourite gaming platforms. Not to mention boardgames – an activity that is typically played almost solely for its social aspect.

4) Gaming provides a community and a sense of belonging. Similarly, gaming can provide an opportunity for people to make new friends through the coming together of like-minded individuals. This might happen online through gaming platforms and forums, or in the physical realm through community locations such as boardgame cafes.

5) Gaming improves cognitive abilities. Almost every type of game will draw upon some type of cognitive ability, whether it is the ability to focus, strategize, recall information, and so on. Whichever it may be, playing games will inadvertently sharpen the cognitive skill upon which it relies.

Guerrilla Marketing. Your brand’s marketing activity is another area in which you can incorporate gaming. Introducing gaming into your marketing strategy will take it into the realm of guerrilla marketing which is popular for its ability to generate high brand awareness and engagement.

Guerrilla Marketing noun

Guerrilla Marketing is a type of marketing that uses the element of surprise or non-traditional and unconventional interactions to engage with consumers.

Reebok’s ‘Are you fast enough?’ marketing campaign challenged passers-by of the Launch Zone to run at a minimum speed of 17 km/hour – using a tracker to accurately measure the speed of passing pedestrians. Upon completing the challenge, the glass showcase opened up, inviting winners to pick their free pair of Reebok ZPump 2.0 shoes. Reebok created an experience desired by modern-day shoppers and was rewarded with enhanced brand engagement, receiving over 275 thousand views on YouTube, over 30 thousand Shares across the social media platforms and news coverage from several outlets.

A more recent guerrilla marketing street campaign from this summer was hard seltzer brand, White Claw’s playful Shoreditch billboard. Unlike other advertising billboards, White Claw transformed their billboard into an invite for passers by to cool themselves down in the London heat. Using cooling strips, heat-proof paint, and touch activated gel-centred cooling pads, alongside the outline of a person and the text “This wall will cool you”, White Claw achieved interaction from locals and tourists alike that other brands couldn’t from their non-interactive advertising. And the funky ‘icy cool waves’ mural art looked pretty cool too.