“Don’t stay up all night playing video games” – a phrase that, at least since the release of the Nintendo 64 in 1996, lives long in the memory of many former teenagers as well as the not-so-distant memory of Gen Z and Alpha gamers. 2.7 billion of them to be exact.

Gaming has long played an important role in shaping the way audiences interact with and think about consumer technologies. But gaming has also helped shape modern media as we know it. For instance, live streaming and messaging platforms like Twitch, Kick and Discord, all of which were designed for gamers to consume content and discuss games, have quickly grown to serve a far broader set of interests (like news and politics) and functions – in extreme cases, electing new prime ministers in Nepal.

Today’s ‘influencer economy’ can also date part of its current success back to the late 2000s and early 2010s with YouTube gaming channels like PewDiePie and Markiplier. With almost 150 million subscribers between them, these YouTube channels were among the first to show how modern creators could build a personal brand, monetise their content and leverage massive fan communities to potentially have more pull than a cable TV channel.

In an increasingly saturated attention economy, both in terms of the sheer scale of information available to people and the number of mediums and platforms that can capture it, it’s well documented that traditional media formats such as print, news websites and broadcast are starting to take a backseat to social media, social video and influencer-generated content. This shift away from traditional media embodies the lessening influence that institutional journalism plays in the everyday lives of most people. In its place, we have seen the growth of a fragmented alternative media environment, one that has been driven by anti-establishment sentiment and the belief that greater authenticity (even when biased) is shown by podcasters, YouTubers and Twitch streamers versus news anchors and print journalists.

As part of this shift, we are now seeing entire Discord servers dedicated to news sharing and facilitating political debate among members. Similarly, while Reddit wasn’t built for gaming, it has become a go-to destination for massive topic-based communities. Pages, or ‘subfeeds’ in the words of Reddit, such as r/news draw nearly six million weekly visitors from the website’s staggering 400 million monthly usership (for comparison, the Financial Times has a self-proclaimed 21 million monthly readership). Twitch is also playing host to a growing roster of influencers that provide live commentary on current political events. For instance, left-leaning political commentator HasanAbi generated 30.9 million hours watched of content between January and September 2024, which ranks him among the top Twitch streamers overall – not too bad for a once gamer-oriented platform.

Although traditional media is trying its best to change with the times – many organisations have launched podcasts, established active profiles on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, while the likes of Sky News and The Washington Post have made largely unsuccessful forays into Twitch streaming – “growing numbers of people [are] selectively (and in some cases consistently) avoiding the news,” according to Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Using AI to help personalise content and make it feel more engaging (akin to user-generated content) may help stop the bleeding, but there’s a good chance that it’s too late.

The declining relevance of traditional media coincides with an era of news and media consumption that is defined by perceived interactivity, personality and decentralisation. The same online platforms built to support gaming culture are now hosting political debates, livestreaming breaking news and enabling influencers to shape public opinion at scale (for better or for worse). Understanding this evolution and how to potentially engage with stakeholders on these platforms may be key for those who do not want to be left behind.

If you want support with how your organisation communicates in this new media environment, then contact digital@cardewgroup.com.