This year, TikTok has grown within the gaming world at record speed. Whereas other platforms, like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, use a similar method of hashtags to reach those interested in certain topics, these platforms fall short in how long content can be, making it harder to set viral trends. This is where TikTok comes into play.

For a long time, YouTube was the top gaming platform for sharing skills, news, features, updates, and more to game subscribers. TikTok has slowly, but surely, emerged as a major contender for the former, dominant video streaming platform. This is for a number of reasons:

• It’s faster

Gamers often want quick information on game advancement, tips, and insider information that improves their gaming. With TikTok’s short videos, it’s easy for viewers to follow channel creators and watch their content without losing interest. 

• It’s easier to deliver content

For creators especially, there’s less pressure in getting everything right with long tutorials thanks to TikTok’s video limit. This enables creators to make more gaming content without the pressure of lengthy videos.

• It’s relatable

One of the main reasons why TikTok has become a major platform is in how relatable the content is. With less time to create content, viewers are inspired to replicate the videos by participating in challenges using hashtags. This creates a strong and engaged community that is perfect for gamers hoping to reach their TikTok audience.

Zhi Ko at NekozTek recognizes the potential for using TikTok in the gaming world. As a growing social media influencer, FinTech commentator, and avid E-sports specialist, Zhi wants to share some insight on how TikTok’s growth is impacting the gaming world, and how it can positively impact your sales.

TikTok Continues to Grow in the Gaming World

One of the biggest reasons TikTok is catching onto the gaming community is due to its unique merging of 3 key elements: a younger target audience, short videos, and clever interface. Let’s take a look at how each of these elements works:

Gaming Demographics 

More than 60% of those using TikTok are in Generation Z. This generation was born between 1996-2010, while the average age for gamers is the 18-34 age demographic. As you can see, there’s an overlap in both age groups, allowing for young gamers to tune into the older, more experienced gamers who use the platform for gaming business strategies. 

Use of Videos

Then, there are the videos themselves. TikTok videos can’t go over 60 seconds, making them perfect for introducing concise, fast-paced information, which is likely to appeal to younger gamers who aren’t looking to pay attention to long tutorials. 

The videos themselves are often set up in the form of challenges, where one TikTok user invents a challenge that others rise up to in the hopes of doing their own version of the challenge. This is the perfect incentive for engaging the gamer community, as game challenges will naturally attract the audience of those who play that particular game.

Interface Features

Here is where TikTok really comes together to cater to the gaming world. By using promotional hashtags and algorithms to feature specific content to TikTok users, TikTok strategically markets gaming intel to its platform users. 

A great example of how gaming hashtags can go viral is when a Grand Auto Theft 5 gaming war went viral thanks to TikTok. What started out on a reddit community quickly spread to TikTok, all because of a trendy hashtag and challenge. #greenvspurple TikTok videos spiked in just a few days, growing to over 1.6 billion views on videos with the hashtag. This is one of the fastest hashtags to have ever grown in popularity on the TikTok app, signifying a shift into the gaming world. 

From gamers and content creators directly participating in the gaming warfare, to commentators, like Zhi, who capture the showdown fun for all to see, #greenvspurple won’t be the only gaming hashtag to reach the top on TikTok. It’s only the beginning. 

TikTok Makers Expand into the Gaming Industry

After seeing the positive effects of TikTok on the gaming community, TikTok owners, ByteDance Ltd., started working on launching a gaming business that will compete with gaming giant Tencent. At the start of the year, ByteDance appointed a gaming team to get busy with delving into the gaming industry. 

As of October 2020, ByteDance made the idea a reality by launching both a new game store app for gamers called Danjuan Games and an independent, indie games publishing branch called Pixmain. ByteDance has continued to establish itself within the gaming world over the year by developing its own games, building studios, acquiring the correct licensing for third-party information, and distributing game-related content via TikTok and various other platforms. 

What this means for TikTok users is yet to be fully known, but it certainly suggests that TikTok will continue to be a key player in the gaming world, and may even be at the forefront of an entirely new gaming platform led by TikTok makers. 

Growing Your Gaming Business Using TikTok

It’s no surprise, then, that gaming companies and individuals who are already using TikTok would be at a strategic advantage as TikTok continues to grow in the gaming community. That’s where Zhi comes into the picture. 

Zhi understands social media beyond digital marketing strategies by personally getting to know social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok. His TikTok account, for example, speaks for itself with nearly half a million followers and an astonishing 9.5 million likes on his videos, which cover a broad range of gaming intel. 

With over 7 years of experience as a marketing consultant, Zhi formed NekozTek to help you establish branding, online media presence, and advertisements to expand your reach and boost sales. NekozTek is comprised of a team of gaming specialists, here to help you successfully navigate your way to success in your gaming business. 

Whether you’re looking to establish yourself online using TikTok as a platform, increase sales, strategically plan your finances, or improve your brand image, Zhi will work with you to help you secure your spot in the TikTok gaming community. 

Send Zhi a message today to get started.