MásGamers Festival: Peru’s Gaming World Reinvents Itself

Video games contribute to an increasingly powerful industry worldwide. Scenes like Gamescom in Germany or E3 in the United States show that there is a public eager to receive quality games on different platforms. To give an idea of these events’ reach, 500 thousands viewers tuned into watch Gamescom’s inaugural ceremony on social networks. By the end of the festival, attendance reached a record of 373 thousand individuals, with 100 million views of related videos.  

It shows the change of negative perception about video games on a worldwide level, with the acceptance of “gamer” as a profession. It’s enough to look at the latest tournaments, like Fortnite World Cup, which gave out more than $30 million in prizes. Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf, a 16 year old teen, was crowned champion and took home $3 million. Novak Djokovic got this same number for winning Wimbledon this year.

According to Statista, the gaming market generated $130 million in worldwide earnings in 2012.. This number grew exponentially and is estimated to reach $1,790 million by 2022, multiplying its value by 10 in just one decade. For this reason, it’s not surprising to see more and more championships and festivals, where people of all ages gather to enjoy video games. 

Profile of the Peruvian gamer:

Peru isn’t far from the gaming movement. The Newzoo analyst placed the country in 49th place of those that move the most money in the industry. During the first trimester of 2018, Peru registered having moved $169 million. 

According to an interview by GFK, 78% of regular peruvian gamers are men, ranging between 18 and 35 years old. They play an average of 5 hours per week, at least once a week. Women represent 22% of all gamers, and also range in average age from 18 to 35 years old. The biggest difference is that they prefer to play in groups, in a competitive environment. 82% of all peruvian gamers study and/or work, and 45% assured that gaming helps with stress. 

MásGamers Festival: an example of the peruvian gaming scene

Among Peru’s most important events in this industry is the MásGamers Festival. The name comes from a store in the Centro Comercial Arenas, known in Lima for being the peruvian “freaky” mecca.  Here, there are various stores that sell anime, gaming, and asian cultural products. MásGamers has turned into a news portal specialized in video games and technology.  

11 years ago, MásGamers’s founder decided to hold a festival that gathered brands, enthusiasts, and curious individuals. The first edition linked 1,900 visitors over 3 days, on the patio of a high school, and there were few sponsoring brands.  

A few years later, in the 2019 edition, the numbers showed a big boom in the gamer world. The Claro MasGamers Festival occurred from August  23rd – 25th, at the Jockey Club’s Centro de Exposiciones. Over 40 thousand people attended the fair, in order to stroll through its 8,000 m2 of stands and expos.

With respect to its spread on social networks, MásGamers’s web publications reached 5.2 million people. And with the help of the press and influencers, this statistic grew to 18 million. A total of 38 brands were present at the event, and media presence reached half a million dollars. 

The interesting thing about this festival is that there are events for both die-hard gamers and those who are just getting to know the subject. Jimmy Guevara, MásGamers CEO, stated that the festival is an “event of integration and family interaction.” In addition, many different areas from the gaming industry participate: from engineers and artists to designers and musicians. 

“Our objective is to push the peruvian video game industry forward, creating a space for the development, exhibition, and diffusion of all the professionals that form it. Likewise, we aim to promote the organizations and educational institutions with video game affinity,” stated Guevara. 

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