The trend: Brands are looking to gaming as another way to draw new consumers, especially younger ones. There is big money in mobile gaming, particularly, and the industry is bringing changes to marketing and brand engagement.

Game on: This year, we estimate that more than half of the US population will be digital gamers. Mobile gaming is the largest segment, with 48.3% of the population (162.9 million people) playing games on their smartphones.

• The gaming audience skews younger, as 74.2% of those ages 18 to 24 play games, per our estimates.

In the money: Our estimates call for US mobile gaming ad revenues to reach $6.26 billion this year, up from $1.43 billion five years ago.

State of play: Marketers looking to monetize within gaming are focused on three major areas of interest: interstitial ads served to users during natural pauses in gameplay; in-game ads that are blended into the virtual environment; and brand marketing via advergames, in-game events, and branded goods.

Metaverse gateway: Video game advertising can be a path to the metaverse for brands, offering a way to reach engaged audiences that spend time and money across gaming platforms. Companies that want to try hosting social experiences, selling digital goods, or running live digital events in the metaverse can test the waters with video games like Roblox and Minecraft instead of turning to platforms specifically built for the metaverse, such as Decentraland.

Go further: For more information on game platforms and how marketers can tap into gaming opportunities, read our report, Video Game Marketing and Monetization 2022.