Dekuple: Behind Video Game Players, Seven Communities with Very Different Interests
Dekuple Insight, an entity of the Dekuple group, published on October 23, 2026, on the occasion of Paris Games Week, a study dedicated to video game audiences in France. According to its findings, the generic term "gamer" covers heterogeneous passions and consumption patterns, leading the study to recommend that brands reconsider how they target this audience.
13.5 Million Digital Profiles Analyzed by Dekuple Insight
The study is based on the analysis of 13.5 million digital profiles from Meta, TikTok and X, processed using behavioral scoring and semantic analysis. It indicates that 7 out of 10 French people have played a video game in the past 12 months. The document puts the French video game market at 5.85 billion euros in 2025. According to Dekuple Insight, one of the main findings is that video games are no longer an end in themselves, but often an extension of another passion: football, manga, technology or music. The study illustrates this diversity by bringing together profiles that share few common ground, such as an esports enthusiast following competitions on Twitch, a sports simulation fan, a parent attached to Pokémon or an enthusiast of Japanese culture and anime.
Seven Communities Identified, "Competitive Strategists" in the Lead
Dekuple Insight segmented this audience into seven communities: "competitive strategists" (31.9%), "mainstream enjoyers" (19.1%), "nostalgic players" (12.5%), "hybrid athletes" (12.0%), "cultural geeks" (8.7%), "hardware gamers" (8.5%) and "new gen gamers" (7.2%). For brands, the study draws concrete consequences. According to Dekuple Insight, a sports brand will generate better return on investment by leveraging the football passion of "hybrid athletes", while a lifestyle brand will create more affinity with "mainstream enjoyers" by focusing on music, humor or entertainment. The study thus recommends addressing consumers through their interests related to video games rather than to players as such. "For a long time, gamers were considered a single audience. Our work shows instead that gaming is now a meeting point between several cultural universes. Understanding these communities has become essential for brands wishing to create relevance and engagement," said Thomas Zavrosa, CEO of Dekuple Insight.
