Gamer Persona: Denialists

To better understand the gaming audience, Activision Blizzard Media conducted a quantitative study among adults over the age of 18 who played, watched, or engaged with video games at least once in the past month. The result was six distinct gamer personas based on demographics, platforms used, motivations, attitudes, and psychographics. Read about the Denialist persona below.

Denialists

The title ‘gamer’ means different things to different people, but for this segment, the external influence of negative stereotypes may impact their personal attachment to the gaming community. Denialists, who represent one in every ten gamers, enjoy playing games but don’t associate themselves with the negative connotations they believe surround gamers.

Denialists actively use multiple gaming platforms, sign up for gaming subscription services, and play a variety of games. They love the competitive nature of games, enjoy playing with others, and engage with franchises from which global esports leagues have been built. They’ve been playing games consistently for decades, but as they have grown older and work has taken more of their time, the role of gaming in their lives shifted.

Although they dedicate a significant amount of their week to gaming, Denialists are still more likely than other segments to question gaming as part of their identity. This could be because their identity is built around other things—Denialists spend large parts of their week exercising, playing or watching sports, and keeping up with the latest news and current affairs online.

Denialists are still big fans of video games. They appreciate the innovative world of gaming and the mental stimulation that action, shooter and sports game genres provide. In short, they love games, they just don’t like labels.