Deep-Dive: The Eating and Drinking Habits of Consumers While Playing and Viewing Games

In this article, we’ll use Newzoo Consumer Insights data to explore gamers’ eating and drinking habits while playing and viewing game titles.

This analysis is based on a survey with more than 21,000 gamers or viewers (aged 10–65) across North America, Latin America, and Western Europe. Learn more about the methodology here.

Around 80% of gamers across these regions regularly eat or drink while playing games. The share is even higher for viewers of game content on platforms like YouTube or Twitch, with 92% stating they regularly eat or drink while watching game-related content. This makes sense as viewing is inherently more passive than playing, allowing fans to multitask more easily.

In the article, we explore the types of food and drinks that are most popular and the nuances between gamers and viewers when it comes to consumption habits.

What Do Gamers Eat and Drink While Playing?

As part of our Gamer Consumer Insights research, we asked respondents what they eat and drink while playing. You can see the results below.

• The top three is consistent across all regions. Salty snacks are most consumed by gamers while playing, followed by soft drinks and sweet snacks.
• Gamers in Latin America are more likely to consume salty and sweet snacks and soft drinks compared to those in North America and Western Europe.
• Energy drinks are most popular in North America, the home market of many of the world’s biggest energy-drink brands.
• Beer is regularly drunk by 24% of gamers aged 21 and over and is most popular in Latin America

In the Consumer Insights survey, we also dive into motivations to play games. We cross analyzed this with consumption habits to reveal clear differences between gamers who drink energy drinks and those who drink beer. Looking at gamers over the age of 21, those who drink energy drinks while playing are more likely to be motivated by competition and excitement than those who drink beer. This group is likelier to play for relaxation and to fill time.

Want to see this data in action for yourself? Let us know and book a demo!

More and more food and beverage companies are aiming to reach their audience via activations in games and esports. Understanding gamers’ consumption habits via Newzoo’s Consumer Insights is already helping many of them to find success.

What Do Game Viewers Eat and Drink While Watching Content?

Viewing is also an important part of gaming for many gamer personas, and both esports and general gaming video content offer a bevy of sponsorship opportunities for beverage and food companies.

Luckily, across all three regions, game viewers were even more likely to consume almost every food-and-beverage category covered in our Consumer Insights (while viewing).

Again, viewing is a more passive way to engage with gaming, so the higher prevalence across the board is no surprise. Game viewers have more opportunities to eat and drink while watching. In contrast, players are typically more involved (and have a controller or other input in their hands!).

What we’ve covered in this article is just the tip of the iceberg of Newzoo’s Consumer Insights. Food and beverage brands are increasingly seeing the value of targeting gamers — especially when it comes to resonating with hard-to-reach consumers less engaged with traditional media. And we’re proudly helping them achieve their goals.

Looking for even deeper data into gamers’ eating and drinking habits while playing or viewing? Let us know at questions@newzoo.com, and we’ll help you supercharge your strategy.

After all, our Consumer Insights is the biggest gamer research in the world, boasting even more actionable insights across 33 key gaming markets globally.