What the Next Generation of Players Want—and How Platforms Should Respond

By David Natroshvili, CEO and Founder of SPRIBE

The gaming landscape has fundamentally shifted. As someone who has spent years building SPRIBE from a startup to a company serving over 50 million monthly active players globally, I've witnessed firsthand how the next generation of players is reshaping our industry – and demanding that we evolve alongside them.

The numbers tell a compelling story. According to the Entertainment Software Association's 2024 Essential Facts report , 61% of Americans now play video games regularly, with the average player age rising to 36 years old. But it's Generation Z and Alpha that are driving the most significant changes in how, why, and where people play.

The Social Gaming Revolution

What strikes me most about today's young players is their fundamental expectation that gaming should be social. Unlike previous generations who saw multiplayer as a nice-to-have feature, Gen Z views gaming as inherently collaborative. The ESA data shows that 88% of players now engage in some form of online gameplay – a dramatic increase from just 18% in 1999.

At SPRIBE, we've seen this trend manifest powerfully in our flagship game, Aviator. Players don't just want to play; they want to share the experience, celebrate wins together, and build communities around shared excitement. Our real-time chat features and social leaderboards aren't peripheral elements – they're core to the experience these players demand.

This social dimension extends beyond the game itself. According to eMarketer's 2025 research , 44% of Gen Z gamers who identify as serious players use Discord, compared to just 20% who don't identify as gamers. These platforms have become the modern equivalent of the arcade – spaces where players gather, strategize, and form lasting relationships.

Mobile-First, Platform-Agnostic Expectations

The data reveals another crucial shift: platform flexibility has become non-negotiable. Bain & Company's 2024 Gaming Report found that nearly 70% of gamers play on at least two devices, with cross-platform accessibility ranking among the top three features players want from future games.

This isn't just about convenience – it's about lifestyle integration. Today's players expect to start a game on their console at home, continue on mobile during their commute, and seamlessly pick up where they left off on any device. At SPRIBE, we've prioritized this mobile-first approach from day one, ensuring Aviator delivers the same engaging experience whether played on a smartphone in São Paulo or a desktop in Stockholm.

The numbers support this strategy: 78% of players now game on mobile devices, according to the ESA , representing a 136% increase over the past 12 years. For companies still designing games with a single platform in mind, this represents an existential challenge.

The Demand for Authentic, Transparent Experiences

Perhaps most importantly, the next generation demands authenticity and transparency in ways previous players never did. They've grown up in an era of information abundance and expect to understand exactly how their games work.

This is why we built Aviator on provably fair technology, allowing players to verify the fairness of each game round through cryptographic methods. It's not enough to tell players a game is fair—they want to see the proof themselves. This transparency has become a competitive advantage, particularly in markets like India and Brazil, where trust in gaming platforms directly correlates with user adoption.

The Comscore 2024 State of Gaming Report reinforces this trend, showing that 45% of gamers don't mind rewarded advertisements when they're presented transparently and add value to the gaming experience. The key word here is "transparently" – players are willing to engage with commercial elements if they understand the value exchange.

Regional Nuances Matter More Than Ever

According to Newzoo's Global Gamer Study , 85% of consumers now engage with games in some capacity, with 64% watching gaming content and 35% participating in gaming communities. This expanded definition of gaming engagement means platforms must think beyond traditional gameplay mechanics.

One of the most important lessons I've learned scaling SPRIBE globally is that the next generation of players isn't monolithic. While overarching trends exist, regional preferences and cultural contexts significantly impact player behavior.

Our 2024 performance data illustrates this beautifully. In the Asia-Pacific region, we saw a remarkable 629% year-over-year increase in monthly active users, with retention rates improving by 25.36%. Meanwhile, in Africa, which accounts for 35% of our player base, we observed different engagement patterns, with players gravitating toward our Mines game alongside Aviator.

These regional differences aren't just about game preferences – they reflect deeper cultural attitudes toward risk, social interaction, and entertainment consumption. Successful platforms must be globally consistent yet locally relevant.

The Creator Economy Integration

Today's players don't just want to consume content – they want to create it. Bain's research shows that 79% of gamers have played games with user-generated content, and 16% have created content for games themselves. This represents a fundamental shift from passive consumption to active participation.

Smart platforms are already integrating creator tools, revenue-sharing models, and community features that let players become stakeholders in the games they love. This isn't just about keeping players engaged longer – it's about recognizing that the line between player and creator has permanently blurred.

Implications for Platform Strategy

For gaming companies, these trends demand a fundamental rethinking of platform strategy. The old model of developing a game, launching it, and moving on to the next project is obsolete. Today's successful platforms are living ecosystems that evolve based on community feedback and changing player expectations.

This means investing in:

Community Infrastructure: Real-time communication tools, social features, and community management aren't optional extras—they're core platform requirements.

Cross-Platform Technology: The technical debt of platform-specific development is no longer sustainable. Players expect seamless experiences across all devices.

Transparency Tools: Whether through provably fair algorithms, clear monetization structures, or open development processes, transparency builds the trust that drives long-term success.

Localization Depth: Surface-level translation isn't enough. Successful global platforms adapt gameplay mechanics, social features, and monetization strategies to local preferences and regulations.

Creator Support Systems: Tools for user-generated content, revenue sharing mechanisms, and creator recognition programs will separate thriving platforms from declining ones.

Looking Forward

The next generation of players isn't just changing what games they play – they're redefining what gaming means. They expect experiences that are social, transparent, accessible across platforms, and respectful of their time and intelligence.

At SPRIBE, these insights shape every decision we make, from our partnerships with organizations like UFC and AC Milan to our expansion into emerging markets. We're not just building games; we're crafting experiences that honor the sophisticated expectations of players who see gaming as a fundamental part of their social and entertainment lives.

The companies that understand this shift and adapt accordingly will thrive in the next decade. Those that cling to outdated models of player engagement will find themselves increasingly irrelevant to a generation that has more entertainment options—and higher expectations—than any before them.

The future belongs to platforms that treat players as partners, not just customers. The data makes this clear, and the most successful companies in our industry are already making this transition. The question isn't whether this change is coming—it's whether your platform is ready for it.