UK gamers trust specialist media more than YouTubers

The specialist press is the most trusted source for video games opinion in Britain.

Data from Ipsos Connect’s GameTrack shows that 83 per cent of gamers have faith in specialist games media like Eurogamer and GameSpot, more than they trust any other form of gaming outlet.

This includes YouTubers and other video bloggers, which are trusted by 71 per cent of UK gamers.

Advertising is trusted by 60 per cent, while official trailers and developer websites are both trusted by 75 per cent of gamers. Mainstream media, such as newspapers, command a 70 per cent rating, while social media streams were trusted by 61 per cent of players.

The data will come as reassurance to the traditional press, which has seen its standing in the games media eroded by the popularity of YouTube videos and Twitch streams.

Across Europe (France, Spain, Germany and Britain), the figures are a little lower. 75 per cent of gamers in these four European countries say they trust specialist media, versus 61 per cent for YouTubers. Advertising is only trusted by 44 per cent of European gamers.

However, when it comes to influence, the figures are quite different. In the UK, 68 per cent say that specialist media impacts their decisions versus 67 per cent for YouTubers and video bloggers.

But it is official trailers (75 per cent) and advertising (72 per cent), which have the biggest influence on gamers’ opinions.

For the data, GameTrack spoke to 8,317 gamers, including 2,107 from the UK.

Ipsos, on behalf of MCV, asked gamers how much they trusted certain media on a four point scale: ‘Very trustworthy, somewhat trustworthy, somewhat untrustworthy, very untrustworthy’. And adopted a similar scale for influence –Very Influential, somewhat influential, not very influential, not at all influential.

The percentage of gamers that selected ‘Very Trustworthy’ and ‘Somewhat Trustworthy’ were combined together to create an overall ‘trust rating’.