Written by Sam Duncanson, Gaming Director
Gaming isn’t just another entertainment channel. It’s one of the most powerful environments for attention, identity and community today.
And unlike film, sport or social media, gaming is something people inhabit.
Players don’t just consume games. They build within them, socialise through them, and increasingly see them as part of who they are. For gaming brands, especially hardware and platform providers, that changes the rules of engagement.
Gaming is identity – and identity raises expectations
New research from dentsu’s UK Consumer Navigator confirms this, revealing that 52% of gamers say the games they love are a meaningful part of who they are. Among younger players, that figure climbs sharply: 69% of Gen Z and 70% of Millennials describe gaming as genuinely tied to their sense of self.
What does that mean? Rather than being passive consumers, these gamers are advocates, community builders, and long-term loyalists. And like any group with strong identity investment, they hold the brands they love to a higher standard – so consumer trust is particularly important here.
The same dynamic that drives 40% of gamers to spend money on a game out of loyalty (buying new versions or in-game items they don’t strictly need) is the dynamic that makes brand values matter. When players feel deeply connected to a platform, a publisher, or a hardware brand, they are paying attention to what that company stands for.
Sustainability is now part of how players choose brands
Dentsu’s latest research is testament to this: 53% of gamers say they view gaming hardware brands more positively when those brands demonstrate strong sustainability commitments, from energy-efficient consoles that reduce the environmental cost of everyday play, to hardware designed to be repaired rather than replaced, recycling programmes that give old devices a new lease of life, and packaging that won’t outlast the product it originally protected. Again, the numbers are more pronounced among younger audiences: 67% of Gen Z and 66% of Millennials share this view.
This is a meaningful shift. Sustainability is no longer simply a matter of regulatory compliance or corporate reporting. Instead, it is now a feature of the way in which today’s players evaluate and relate to the brands in their lives. For an industry built on loyalty and emotional connection, that’s a signal worth taking seriously.
Products that feature sustainability attributes can boost revenue by 6% to 25%, in comparison to products without such emphasis, according to PwC’s 2025 State of Decarbonization Report1. Consequently, an energy-efficient console does more than make a statement about where a company’s priorities lie, just as a hardware repair programme does more than communicate respect for players’ financial investment and a rejection of unnecessary obsolescence – these sustainability-oriented choices are good business, in every sense of the term.
From brand promise to player trust
Player trust is hard won and easily lost. In a category where identity runs this deep, trust is built through consistency between what a brand says and what it does. Sustainability commitments must be genuine, visible and sustained over time. For a generation of players who have grown up scrutinising brand behaviour, that consistency is increasingly a baseline expectation rather than a differentiator.
Brand loyalty in gaming is often particularly strong, but it’s not unconditional. The players most likely to advocate for a brand, to stay within its ecosystem, and to bring others with them, are also the players most likely to notice if a brand’s values feel out of step with their own. Sustainability leadership gives those players something to rally around, giving them both a reason to feel that their loyalty is well placed and a desire to express it.
Long-term ecosystem value is where sustainability’s impact is most enduring. Ecosystems thrive when players feel genuinely invested, not just in the games themselves, but in the broader world a platform or publisher has built. A brand that demonstrates a credible, long-term commitment to sustainability is building something that extends beyond any single title or hardware cycle: a relationship with its community that is resilient, values-aligned, and built to last.
Building long-term ecosystem value
The in-game economy has plenty of sustainability potential. As live-service games and in-game purchases become central to the industry’s commercial model, there is a growing question about how those economies can reflect the values players increasingly expect.
A brand that speaks publicly about sustainability while operating extractive in-game systems may find that dissonance harder to sustain among an audience that is both deeply engaged and increasingly focused on values. The opportunity, then, lies in building sustainable in-game economies (and, ideally, community structures) that feel coherent with a broader commitment to environmental responsibility, creating spaces where players feel their loyalty is respected, rather than simply monetised.
The next level for gaming brands
The gaming industry is at an interesting inflection point. The cultural weight it carries has never been greater and the expectations that come with that weight are evolving. No longer a peripheral concern, sustainability is one of the clearest examples of a shift that is already underway among the players who matter most to the industry’s long-term future.
The brands that recognise this early and decide to act on it in substantive ways will be better placed to deepen the loyalty they have already earned. In an industry in which identity and emotional connection are the ultimate competitive advantage, that’s a valuable distinction.
If you’re interested in finding out more about how we can help you navigate these challenges, explore dentsu’s Gaming Solutions to understand how brands can engage gaming audiences effectively and download the UK Consumer Navigator report “Ready Player Brand” to explore the full research on gaming, identity, and player expectations.
