TikTok Gaming Content Opportunity Analysis™ Q1 2022

Key Takeaways

The Gaming & eSports industry can find content opportunities in Q1 2022 from:

• Action Game Clips. Well-executed mobile action game clips that are satisfying to watch. Top games featured are Flag Painters, Car Makeup and Good Luck Runner.
• ‍Among Us Shorts. Animated shorts featuring characters from Among Us who act out entertaining and humorous situations and stories.
• ‍Worst Case Scenarios. Sharing gaming video clips from catastrophic gaming moments or worst-case scenarios.
• ‍Rhythm Action. Top videos share music-themed action game clips that showcase the player's sense of rhythm. 
• ‍Squid Games. Gamers share clips from video games that have been inspired by the Netflix hit show, Squid Game.

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Data Collection Methodology

1. Measure & Categorize. Sample a large number of social posts to find ones that are significantly outperforming the average.
2. Identify Top Themes. Identify the themes that are resonating most with the audience by sorting the themes by their aggregated performance metrics.
3. ‍‍‍Measure Saturation. Identify content themes that are already oversaturated with a heavy posting cadence.‍
4. Identify Whitespace. Look at the data and find the content themes that are both resonating with the audience and not oversaturated with a heavy posting cadence.‍
5. Repeat For Each Platform. Repeat the analysis for every platform that matters to your brand and audience to find platform-specific opportunities. 

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In Q1 2022, TikTok was an oversaturated platform with high competitor focus and low audience attention according to RightMetric’s Digital Whitespace Map™ Analysis.

To see other channel whitespace opportunities for Q1 2022, see the Gaming & eSports Digital Whitespace Map™ → To see content opportunities on TikTok, continue reading.

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TikTok content the audience has been the most interested in Q1 2022 includes:

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While the majority of TikTok content in the gaming space has focused on:

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The Gaming & eSport industry TikTok content whitespace opportunities include:

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Content to avoid due to low attention and high competitor saturation in the gaming space include:

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Whitespace Opportunities:

1. Mobile Action Game Clips

Satisfying Clips from Mobile Action Games. Well-executed mobile action game clips that feel satisfying to watch. Top videos featured the following games:

• Flag Painters
• Car Makeup
• Good Luck Runner

Tactics to Implement:

• Trending Songs: Using trending sounds for videos on TikTok can help increase your chances of appearing on viewer’s #foryou page.
• Satisfying Videos: Since 2018, search traffic for satisfying videos has exploded. Videos featuring repetition and patterns have been known to calm people down. The theory of mirror neurons suggests that "watching someone perform an action elicits the same neurological response as performing that action ourselves"*.

68M Views

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39M Views

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2. Among Us Shorts

Sharing Humourous Among Us Content . Among Us is an online multiplayer social deduction game that became popular in the gaming community in 2020, after many popular YouTube and Twitch streamers started to play it. Videos feature animated shorts of characters from the game acting out entertaining situations and stories.

Tactics to Implement:

• Animated Shorts: Analyze the types of games your audience enjoys most and create animated shorts based on some of them. Engage your audience with funny situations created by your characters.
• Look to Creators: While Among Us was released in 2018, it didn't become popular in North America until 2020 after popular gaming creators started streaming it*. Following popular gaming creators and paying attention to any new games they stream can help your brand become an early adaptor to the latest trends within the gaming community.

39M Views

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43M Views

*Source

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3. Worst Case Scenarios

Showcasing Player’s Worst Nightmares. Creators share clips from point-of-interest games that are their worst nightmare scenarios.

Tactics to Implement:

• Worst Case Scenario: Share gaming video clips from catastrophic gaming moments or worst-case scenarios.
• Hashtags: A common tactic on TikTok is to use a combination of "For You Page" hashtags, including #fyp, #foryoupage, or #foryou, alongside 2-3 niche-specific hashtags. Test similar videos with different hashtags to see what performs best for your audience.
• Use the Reply Feature: The video on the left utilizes TikTok's video comment reply feature. Use previous comments on videos to help inspire new content and engage with your audience.

29M Views

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27M Views

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‍4. Rhythm Action

Rhythm Action Game Plays. Considering that TikTok is the top platform for entertainment through music and dance, it’s not surprising that rhythm action games have come to popularity. Top videos share music-themed action game clips that showcase the player's sense of rhythm. Games featured:

• Osu
• A Dance of Fire and Ice

Tactics to Implement:

• Keyboard Views: Top videos include a view of the player's keyboard, so that the viewer can see the keystrokes they make while in sync with the beat of the song.
• Video Hook: The video on the right hooks the viewer by using the text on the video “Wait for it 🤯☠️”. This encourages viewers to watch the video until the end — which is something the TikTok algorithm takes into account for determining video visibility.

23M Views

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15M Views

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5. Squid Game Recreations

Video Games Inspired by Squid Games. Gamers share clips from video games that have been inspired by the Netflix hit show, Squid Game. Popular clips feature the games recreated on Roblox and itch.io.

Tactics to Implement:

• Stream Highlights: Creators share highlight clips from their streams with their cameras on so that you can see their reactions to the game.
• Participate in Trends: The hashtags #squidgamesnetflix and #squidgame have generated over 84B views on TikTok. Look for ways to participate in emerging trends while relating to the gaming community.

39M Views

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28M Views

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Content Bucket Definitions

• Among Us Shorts: Animated shorts featuring characters from Among Us who act out entertaining and humorous situations and stories.
• Mobile Action Game Clips: Satisfying clips from mobile action games.
• Worst Case Scenarios: Videos that show "worst nightmare" situations while playing specific games.
• Rhythm Action: Music-themed action game clips that showcase the player's sense of rhythm.
• Gamifying Trends: Jumping on TikTok trends while making them applicable to gaming.
• Squid Game Recreations: Gamers share clips from video games that have been inspired by the Netflix hit show, Squid Game.
• Gaming Setup: Showing off gaming setups or touring gamer-friendly rooms.
• Storytime: Game clips with a voiceover that shares a funny story, deep thoughts or mind-blowing facts/ideas.
• Streamer Reactions: Streaming content that is focused on the streamers reactions or how they engage with other players rather than the game itself.
• Fortnite Comedy: Specific moments from Fortnite that are unusual and funny.
• Cosplay Humour: Cosplayers sharing funny or relatable content that is specific to cosplay.
• Prank Calls: Video clips of gaming sessions that feature voice recordings from funny prank calls.
• Game Reels: A curated selection of gaming clips accompanied by music that seeks to provoke the viewer's emotional response (typically excitement).
• Minecraft Builds: Videos showcasing unique, challenging, or intriguing Minecraft builds.
• Relatable Content: Memes and references that relate specifically to the lives of gamers.
• Song Sync: Gaming clips synced with trending songs.