UK, 27 October 2025 – Video game marketing agency Big Games Machine’s latest report examines how gamers’ spending habits intersect with other aspects of what’s known as ‘geek culture’. While spending on video games—with an estimated $189 billion this year, according to Newzoo—is well understood, the broader pattern of spending by gamers on hobbies and brands that overlap and complement gaming doesn’t get the same attention.
The report, ‘Gamers and Geek Culture: What Gamers Spend On and Why’, asks gamers about their spending and consumption of games-adjacent interests such as anime, collectables, tabletop gaming and more. The findings are based on a survey of over 1,000 gamers based in the US, which was conducted in June of this year.
The report confirms what gamers instinctively know: that to treat gaming as a stand-alone hobby is to misunderstand the many different hobbies and interests that are interchangeable with gaming. The report shows that gamers embrace all kinds of overlaps between different aspects of geek culture, following brands and characters wherever they enjoy them. This is important because it shows there are opportunities for brands and IP holders to take a far more nuanced approach to how they market towards gamers.
It also shows just how widespread these hobbies have become, even as mainstream media still treats them as niche or ‘just for geeks’. In fact, anyone who spends time within the games industry will know that gamers wear the ‘geek’ label as a badge of pride.
Key Findings:
- Gaming Time Directly Correlates with Geekiness: The more time gamers spend on video games, the more they engage with and spend on other geek culture hobbies. Interest in Sci-Fi/Fantasy literature, for example, jumps from 22% for casual gamers to 50% for those playing 20+ hours a week. This heightened engagement clearly signals gamers’ spending power across the entire cross-media landscape.
- Toys and Collectables are a Top Spending Category: Toys and collectables emerged as the most frequently purchased item, with 29% of gamers having spent money in this category in the past year, outpacing Board Games (27%) and Card/Party Games (24%). This highlights how gamers’ enthusiasm for intellectual property (IP) seamlessly transitions from the digital world to physical merchandise.
- Platform-Based Spending Habits: The data reveals that the choice of gaming platform is a powerful indicator of a consumer’s broader interests and spending habits, from Nintendo Switch owners spending significantly more on collectables, to Xbox users having a strong focus on tabletop games, and Steam Deck users being super-fans of Kickstarter campaigns.
- Gender Differences in Passions: While some interests are shared, the data reveals distinct gender skews. Women are the clear drivers in the social gaming space, being more than twice as likely to list Card/Party games as their highest spending category (12% vs. 6%). Men, on the other hand, show a significantly stronger affinity for print media, such as comics (39% vs. 27% for women).
- Future Spending Looks Positive: Nearly 40% of gamers anticipate spending on geek culture increasing over the next 12 months, indicating a strong market growth potential. This future spending will likely continue fuelling the cross-media ecosystem as gamers look to engage with their favourite IPs in new ways.
- Gaming is the Hub of a Cross-Media Strategy: This survey confirms that gamers’ interests extend far beyond the screen, making them the ideal audience for cross-media IPs. As major franchises like Magic: The Gathering and Fortnite continue to blur the lines between games, films, and physical collectables, understanding gamers’ common interests is more critical than ever.
James Kaye, Co-Founder at Big Games Machine, said: “The modern gamer is at the very heart of the wider geek ecosystem. They’re not just playing games; they’re consuming comics, watching sci-fi movies, and buying board games based on IPs they love. The success of TV series like The Last of Us and Fallout, as well as character crossovers in Fortnite with Marvel and Star Wars, and collaborations like Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond, proves that gamers are a uniquely receptive audience for cross-media storytelling. This report provides a compelling case for why video games are often the central hub of a cross-media strategy. Gamers are an incredibly valuable audience, and understanding how their passions transcend from digital to physical is key for any company looking to engage with them.”
The full report is available for free download at https://www.biggamesmachine.com/gamers-and-geek-culture
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Notes to editors:
Press Kit: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nknd91ugbeK-vUwH0FxMw070JE7Afes0?usp=sharing
About Big Games Machine
Big Games Machine is a full-service PR and marketing agency specialising in strategic communications and consultancy for the global video games industry, covering both B2B and B2C audiences. Founded by games industry veterans with decades of experience in PR and marketing, we support our clients with everything from media relations and outreach for new video games and product launches to global events management and content creation.
Find out more at www.biggamesmachine.com or follow us at BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/biggamesmachine.bsky.social
Survey Methodology
The data was collected across the US in June 2025 via a quantitative survey of 1,016 US-based gamers. Respondents were screened to ensure they actively play video games, and data on their demographics, platforms, and weekly gaming time were collected. The survey captured a broad audience, with the largest age groups being 25-34 (30%) and 35-44 (28%). While console and PC gaming are prevalent, 82% of all respondents use a smartphone for gaming.
