Jonathan Jansen was on a farm in the middle of nowhere in Oregon when he realised just how powerful gaming is as a medium.
Let’s rewind to 2013. Jansen, who is now CEO of the New Zealand Esports Federation, was one of the country’s first major streamers. Via his channel Arkadian, he was creating content on a “really niche game” from League of Legends on YouTube and an early version of Twitch. Like the game, his audience was also fairly niche – or so he thought.
Then he was on holiday in the US and a group of teenagers recognised him at a horror maze in Eugene, Oregon, a city about half the size of Christchurch.
“I was there with some friends and there was a group of people behind us. My friend heard one of them going, ‘Oh my God is that Arkadian? I can hear his voice,’” says Jansen.
In that moment he realised the “wild reach and scale” of both gaming and the internet.
Gaming’s rise as a media channel
Why is this important for marketers? Simply, gaming is where the audiences are, especially those hard-to-reach younger demographics, says Scroll Media General Manager Scott Hughes.
“If you’re not there, there’s a huge risk of not being seen. The results we’re seeing are incredible. All the measurements for brand uplift, attribution, attention – gaming is absolutely blitzing everything. It’s become so popular around the world.”
According to the NZ Plays Report 2023, 79% of all New Zealanders play video games –
