Gaming: Holiday Season releases for kids and teens

Gaming might not be traditionally synonymous with the likes of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Diwali or Christmas. But for Gen Alpha, gaming is part of the fabric of this time of year – and for good reason. Come with us as we dissect this category’s seasonal success and see if your brand can borrow inspiration to ramp up its Autumn/Winter presence with kids and teens.

1. It’s the perfect time of year for gaming

At this point in the school term, social stakes are high. Kids have adjusted to their new routines, classroom, teacher – and perhaps even a new school – but things still feel pretty fresh. Strong social connections are an important source of comfort and reassurance, yet the customary backdrop of cold, wet weather and early nightfall make it more difficult to socialise IRL.

Enter gaming. Gaming empowers kids to hang out with friends after school when the weather’s too miserable to play outside, and to ‘be’ with friends at weekends when the family schedule is packed too full for face-to-face hangouts. Not only that: being in the loop with the hottest games and updates means being in the loop with the playground chat.

The games industry shows up for kids and teens when they need it most with new releases abound. This year, the most anticipated launch is EA FC (formerly FIFA) which has been dominating kids’ chatter in the summer with other October launches including Spider-Man 2 and Super Mario Bros Wonder. November sees the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III

2. Gaming shows up across kids’ entertainment universe

Gaming has pushed itself way beyond the console. Now, it unwaveringly taps kids’ entire entertainment universe with well-timed releases and collabs that make it a ubiquitous and focal part of the Autumn/Winter months.

EA FC’s release date (like FIFA before it) is never long after the start of Europe’s soccer season, providing an ultra-exciting touchpoint for football fans that’s just as exciting and eagerly awaited as the IRL game.

In collaboration with Puma, Rocket League (a hybrid of soccer and rocket-powered cars) released limited-edition car decals and wheels inspired by the strips of Puma-sponsored soccer clubs such as Manchester City and AC Milan.

And Gran Turismo has taken a leap into the movie theatre to huge hype and rave reviews, as well as cross-pollinating the gaming space via cars from the movie launching onto the Rocket League pitch.

3. Gaming gives kids an exciting outlet for leaning into the festivities

Gone are the days when games were stuck in time. Thanks to their online nature, developers can now release unlimited game updates, new skins, limited-edition weapons, mini-games and beyond. Kids love the hype surrounding these, the freshness they incorporate into their gameplay – and when these updates reflect celebration season events, it means next-level immersion into the festivities.

Festive updates come into their own during the Halloween build-up. Roblox creators have introduced various creepy mini-games including the unnervingly-named ‘Doors’, ‘The Mimic’ and ‘Escape Room’ – as well as the more literal ‘Short & Creepy Stories.’ Earlier this month, Fortnite released its Fortnitemares update, where players can become vampire hunters and try their hand with weapons ranging from the light-hearted Pumpkin Launcher to the rather more frightening Wood Stake shotgun, complete with gnarled fingers wrapped around the barrel.

If you would like to know more on how to borrow some of the gaming category’s seasonal success for your brand, get in touch. We’re here to help.