You Don't Buy Attention Here. You Earn It.

The "gamer" stereotype is truly (and clinically) out of date. The ESA just released its 2026 Essential Facts About the U.S. Video Game Industry report, produced with YouGov, and the numbers reframe how anyone marketing in this space should be thinking. A few that stuck with us: Two-thirds of Americans (67%) now play video games every week. That is 212.3 million people, up 3% year over year, with the average player now 37 years old. It is nearly an even split by gender, 53% of men and 46% of women. Among Boomers, women (52%) actually out-play men (47%). 75% of parents play weekly, and 81% of them play with their kids. Gaming isn't competing with family time anymore, because it is family time. And 63% of players say games deliver the best entertainment value for their money, ahead of streaming, music, TV, film, and reading. Gaming is the mainstream cultural layer where a large majority of America already spends its time, across every generation, gender, and household. If your brand wants to meet that audience where it already lives, Moonrock can help. Get in touch today.

Still spots available in Moonrock's Gaming Lounge at Anime Expo 2026. Bring your brand to one of the biggest anime conventions in North America. July 2-5 in Los Angeles, the Gaming Lounge we're hosting with SPJA puts publishers, platforms, and brands in front of anime-native gaming fans who show up with both wallets and word of mouth. Hands-on play, tournaments, creator moments, activations built to convert. The window is closing as we get closer to show. If you've been weighing it, now's the time to claim your place.

Moonrock President John Gaudiosi is speaking on two gaming panels at the inaugural iicon Conference at the Fontainebleau Resort in Las Vegas on April 28-29. The invitation-only conference from the Entertainment Software Association brings together some of the biggest names in video game publishing (Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, Capcom, Take-Two, Roblox, Epic Games, Nintendo, Xbox, PlayStation) alongside the convergence of games across Hollywood (Lionsgate, Skybound, Netflix, Warner Bros) and sports (MLB, WWE, adidas). On April 29, John moderates "8-Bit to 24 Frames: Building Franchises for the Screen" on the Main Stage at 2pm with Story Kitchen co-founders Dmitri M. Johnson and Michael Lawrence Goldberg, executive producer Dallas Dickinson, and Tomb Raider showrunner Tasha Huo. The panel digs into how game IP gets packaged, adapted, and sustained across television, film, and beyond without losing what made it resonate in the first place. At 4:05pm, John joins "Participation, Not Placement: The Future of Brand Integration is Activating Players" with Jessica Murrey of Wicked Saints Studios and Lisa Willett of Roblox. The conversation focuses on how brands move past sponsorship logos into co-created experiences and community-driven activations that players actually embrace.

We're partnering with SPJA to host the official Gaming Lounge at Anime Expo 2026, July 2-5 in Los Angeles. Gaming Lounge @ Anime Expo is where gaming meets North America's largest celebration of Japanese pop culture. Hands-on play, tournaments, creator moments, and brand activations built for fans who show up with both wallets and word of mouth. Sponsor inventory is open now. If you're a publisher, platform, or brand looking to connect with anime-native gaming audiences, there's room at the table.