To make video video games for Gen Z, be genuine

We’ve heard discuss how Gen Z and Gen Alpha do not play video games or that their consideration is being pushed elsewhere. They spend method an excessive amount of time on their telephones or watching TikTookay, and never choosing up the most recent $70 AAA launch.

Some of that is true, based on former Hollywood govt and present Astrid Entertainment CEO Sharon Tal Yguado. Younger generations aren’t as enthusiastic about bigger, single-player experiences like they used to. However, the concept that they are not enjoying video games in any respect is not true. In a presentation at GDC Festival of Gaming 2026, Yguado mentioned they’re enjoying video games, simply not in the identical method as earlier generations.

“I said we’re losing Gen Z. We’re not. They’re here. They’re playing games. It’s just that their attention and needs are changing and we should probably adapt,” she mentioned.

That’s excellent news for studios since that makes for brand new advertising alternatives. The key right here, based on Yguado, is authenticity. Throw conventional advertising out the window, go to the platforms that matter to those youthful gamers, and ignore polish.

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“They have a BS meter and they’re so cynical and critical,” she mentioned. “They want to hear from their content creators, influencers and peers that they actually trust. Authenticity is a massive currency, and they will prefer to hear from the developers and the creators and the influencers than from a polished trailer that tells them this is what you should be playing.”

Who are Gen Z and what are they enjoying?

Gen Z, categorized as individuals born between 1995-2009, are literally large followers of video video games. In a 2024 survey, Pew Research Center found that 85 p.c of teenagers performed video video games. Newzoo’s Global Gamer Study 2023 reveals that Gen Z and Gen Alpha usually tend to be online game fanatics than older generations. They’re not restricted to enjoying video games; they’re additionally large followers of watching them performed.

So why, as Yguado’s discuss suggests, are video video games “losing” Gen Z? For one, youthful gamers aren’t partaking with them in conventional methods. For instance, they are not enjoying premium, $70 titles. They do not care about high-fidelity graphics, lengthy tutorials, or sturdy narratives, says Yguado. They’re large followers of Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, and Grand Theft Auto Online—what Yguado calls “forever” video games—together with the burgeoning “friendslop” style that features video games like Peak and Lethal Company.

To say that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are into live-service video games is simply half the story. These video games provide a social house for gamers to hang around and be inventive. For them, it isn’t about profitable in a aggressive on-line taking pictures match however about expressing themselves and exploring in a digital sandbox. They’d fairly spend a whole bunch of {dollars} on skins that’ll give them a way of id than $70 on a one-time expertise.

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“Games are no longer a hobby. Games are not an activity. Games are a hangout, a place for them to be with their friends,” Yguado mentioned. “They’re not just consumers. They’re content creators.”

A variety of this curiosity has to do with shorter consideration spans introduced on by rising up in a digital, algorithm-led world, based on Yguado, however this atmosphere has additionally led to them favoring authenticity from content material creators and participation over being passive viewers. These gamers have been introduced up within the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, so having enjoyable with their buddies has turn into a option to cope.

How to get Gen Z to play your recreation

Appealing to Gen Z’s tastes is foundational. For instance, Yguado and Astrid Entertainment are constructing a recreation particularly for Gen Z-aged gamers. She did not give many particulars and there hasn’t been a public announcement but, but it surely’s engaged on a co-op recreation that options inventive instruments and might be “a lot of fun to hang out with your friends.”

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Creating a “viral” recreation that’s meme-able is simpler mentioned than performed. Virality is unpredictable and there are lots of components apart from a recreation’s content material that may affect that sort of discoverability. Plus, what if you wish to make a recreation that is not friendslop? Studios can nonetheless forgo conventional advertising avenues in favor of extra “authentic” ones on social video platforms and with influencers. YouTube and TikTookay are thought of to be essentially the most dependable platforms by this demographic, and guaranteeing you come off as relatable and actual is essential.

Plus, simply because Gen Z and Gen Alpha not enjoying these $70 titles now doesn’t suggest they will not sooner or later. Yguado believes that these gamers will “graduate” from Roblox and different sandbox titles, though they most likely will not be leaving Roblox eternally. Games will not be going away simply because Roblox is round. You simply have to satisfy new gamers the place they’re and on their very own phrases.

“We live in a brave new world. They live in a brave new world. We’re accompanying them as parents, as content creators, as leaders. And there’s a lot we can do. I’m incredibly optimistic about games,” she mentioned.

Game Developer and GDC Festival of Gaming are sibling organizations underneath Informa Festivals.