Thais are heavily hooked on gaming: We Are Social
Thais rank 3rd globally for gaming obsession, says We Are Social. Gaming and virtual worlds are the future of marketing and the key to capturing Gen Z. To win, brands must tap into Gen Z subcultures and digital communities.
Leading creative agency We Are Social has identified gaming and virtual worlds as the future of marketing platforms, especially for effectively reaching Gen Z audiences.
To truly connect with Gen Z, brands must understand their subcultures—the niche communities and digital behaviours that define their online lives.
According to We Are Social’s Digital 2025 April Statshot report, 93.2% of Thai internet users aged 16 and up play video games, making Thailand the third-highest gaming nation globally, significantly above the global average of 83.5%.
The figure includes all device types and underscores how gaming has become a dominant virtual space where Gen Z spends a substantial amount of time and attention.
This aligns with insights shared at the global SXSW Conference, where it was revealed that branded content within games like Roblox sees average engagement times of 11 minutes. In stark contrast, Gen Z's average attention span on traditional social media platforms is now just 1.3 seconds.
Pathawee Apiwatchcharoensin, Deputy Strategy Director of We Are Social Thailand, emphasized that Gen Z’s attention is shifting toward games and virtual environments, while engagement on traditional social media continues to decline.
“Brands need to stop chasing fleeting attention on conventional platforms and instead focus on building sustainable engagement within newer, more immersive ecosystems,” Patthavee said.
Another key trend: social media is no longer 'social' in the traditional sense. It has evolved from a space for interaction to a content-first environment, where users mainly create and consume rather than connect. Pathawee likened this shift to the evolution from MSN Messenger and early Facebook to today’s algorithm-driven feeds, arguing that social media now functions more like a "traditional media" channel.
These insights support We Are Social’s 3P strategy: People, Passion, Platform—a model for connecting with modern consumers by understanding their digital subcultures, values, and preferred spaces of interaction.
