These are kids’ top favorite video games, according to their Millennial parents…
Millennial parents are raising the next generation of gamers. YPulse’s recent Gaming report didn’t just look at the video game preferences and behaviors of Gen Z and Millennials, it also asked Millennial parents about their own kids’ gaming habits. That research found that 67% of Millennial parents say their kids play mobile games weekly, 61% say their kids play console games weekly, and 53% say their kids play games on a computer weekly. In other words, the majority of kids are gaming on a weekly basis in some way—and their gaming frequency is actually eclipsing Gen Z and Millennials’ on some devices.
As we’ve said before (when we covered the social media platforms that Millennial parents report their kids are using) YPulse’s research on Millennial parents shows that 33% have kids under nine-years-old, and 19% have children in the range of 10-13-years-old. So, they are reporting on the behavior of mostly young children and pre-teens. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the majority of Millennial parents are making video games a part of their kids’ lives from a young age—after all, they grew up playing video games themselves. Of course, their kids are growing up in an entirely new era of gaming. So, we asked Millennial parents not only how much their kids are gaming, but to tell us what their kids’ favorite games are right now. Here are their top answers:
Kids’ Favorite Video Games
According to Millennial parents
- Fortnite
- Super Mario Bros
- Minecraft
- Roblox
- Call of Duty
- Candy Crush
- FIFA
- Grand Theft Auto
- Puzzle game
- PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)
Fortnite is the top game that Millennial parents named as their kids’ favorite, followed by Super Mario Bros., Minecraft, and Roblox. It’s clear that Battle Royale and sandbox games that allow kids to play with friends, and use their creativity to build worlds, are especially alluring.
It’s notable that three of the top five games on this ranking have begun to focus on becoming not just games, but spaces for virtual events. During COVID, Fortnite has transformed into even more of a social platform as well as an entertainment venue for virtual concerts, including the Travis Scott event that drew 12 million viewers, and media events, including movie trailer premieres. Ad Age reports that Fortnite is not alone, calling Roblox the emerging destination for “branded virtual experiences” in 2020. Lil Nas X generated 33 million views for his concert on the platform in November, while pop star Ava Max hosted an album launch party in October. Over the summer, DC and Warner Bros. also teamed up with the platform to create “an entire universe” full of Wonder Woman-inspired virtual gear and clothes to promote Wonder Woman 1984—which brought in more than 18 million visits. According to Roblox Corporation, over half of kids and teens in the U.S. under 16-years-old were playing the game in 2020. To cater to younger players socializing in digital spaces, they launched “Party Place,” a private space where players can host virtual birthday parties and social gatherings. Meanwhile, Minecraft is already the site of virtual playdates among the next gaming generation, and it also has potential to be an event space, with the Block By Blockwest music festival last summer drawing tens of thousands of players.
As Kidscreen recently reported, young kids are moving “natural behaviors of hanging out and playing together” into these gaming spaces, and consuming content is beginning to live in them as well. For the next generation, hanging out with friends in a video game is already the norm. Now, seeing a concert in a virtual gaming world will become common as they experience these events at young ages. We’ve already said that the future of marketing is inside video games—and for anyone who wants to prepare for the next generation this is even more true. They’ll continue to spend their time in gaming spaces not just to play the game itself, but to consume media, meet friends, and more.
