When every screen becomes a gaming screen: Lessons from 4As Gaming Day

Sponsored by Activision Blizzard Media • December 9, 2025 •

Claire Nance, head of gaming business success strategy, Activision Blizzard Media

What began three years ago as a forum to validate gaming’s potential has evolved into something more. This November, Gaming Day returned to New York City for its third year, initiated and organized by 4As and hosted by Activision Blizzard Media. The questions driving the day — which featured keynotes, panels and breakout discussions led by industry pros — centered on something more actionable: how to communicate gaming’s value internally, how to equip teams with the right language and how to elevate gaming within broader marketing narratives.

Across every session, one takeaway stood out: Gaming is no longer a specialty channel. It is a mass-reaching media environment shaped by audience choice, cross-platform fluidity and measurable business outcomes. Jonathan Stringfield, vp of global business strategy, analytics and trust at Microsoft Advertising, noted that the scale of gaming has advanced far beyond lingering perceptions, driven in part by a generation that has grown up with gaming as native media. “Even if you’ve never played a game, it’s almost impossible not to be exposed to gaming IP by merit of where it’s showing up across multiple forms of media,” Stringfield said, referring to the influence of gaming extending well beyond active players.

A medium defined by scale and participation

With 3.6 billion people worldwide playing games, gaming has evolved far beyond traditional definitions to become the leading entertainment channel it is today. Panelists spoke to authenticity in gaming and underscored how the term “gamer” feels increasingly outdated, often creating unnecessary distance between people and the behaviors they already participate in daily. The reality is that it’s difficult to find someone who isn’t gaming in some form. Commuters on mobile devices, families on consoles and office workers opening a puzzle during their break all contribute to a global entertainment behavior that has become fully mainstream.

This shift is forcing marketers to reconsider how they define and understand audience reach. Gaming is not a demographic. It is a participation-driven media channel that transcends age, income, gender and platform.

Cross-platform behavior is now the norm

Another major theme throughout the day was cross-platform fluidity. Among today’s weekly players, 96% move easily between mobile titles, PC experiences and console gaming. Every screen has become a gaming screen, and players choose platforms based on context — a quick moment of play, a competitive session or a social experience with friends.

This fluidity unlocks a wide range of creative and strategic opportunities for brands. Whether embedded inside immersive gameplay, positioned around creator-driven environments or extended through social IP, gaming offers multiple entry points that follow a player’s natural habits.

The event highlighted how Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard represents one of the industry’s most comprehensive cross-platform footprints. With mobile, console and PC experiences under one roof, advertisers can reach players in the moments and environments where they are most receptive, regardless of screen or genre. This massive gaming ecosystem, encompassing experiences in and around the game, reflects the direction in which the entire gaming economy is moving.

Brands want to know how to tell the story internally

Many in the marketing and ad industries have passed the stage of explaining why gaming is relevant, but teams still need help communicating its value in ways that resonate with senior leadership. The focus has shifted to framing gaming as a solution to core marketing challenges.

Speakers shared guidance on reframing internal narratives around three consistent proof points:

Audience scale and diversity: Gaming reaches a broader, more representative audience than many traditional channels.
Attention and engagement: Interactive formats earn time and focus in ways passive media cannot replicate.
Flexibility and outcomes: Gaming supports storytelling, performance, brand building and everything in between.

The need now is to arm planners, strategists and buyers with the confidence and language to advocate for gaming within their organizations.

Content highlighted solutions, not theory

Across Gaming Day’s mainstage conversations and breakout sessions, both speakers and guests reiterated that gaming’s value is no longer theoretical. Presenters focused on how the medium solves concrete brand challenges, from capturing attention to overcoming platform fragmentation. Breakout sessions underscored the importance of understanding player behavior, designing creative that respects the experience and using multi-touch attribution frameworks that prove outcomes with clarity and rigor.

Whether discussing audience strategy, creative development or verification tools, the emphasis remained on practicality. Experts returned repeatedly to the idea that effective gaming activations come from aligning platform choice, creative format and campaign objectives to the way people naturally play. The closing discussion reinforced that gaming’s impact is rooted in this adaptability. Not any one screen, format or environment defines the category. It is the combination of participation, flexibility and measurable performance that makes gaming a powerful solution for modern marketers.

A clear path forward for advertising and gaming

Gaming Day 2025 demonstrated that the industry is aligned on where gaming sits within the media landscape. The conversations have moved from justification to application. The challenge now is enabling teams to integrate gaming more confidently, holistically and strategically.

Every signal from the day pointed in the same direction. Gaming has become a mass-market, cross-platform, measurable channel that commands attention and delivers outcomes. For brands ready to lean in, the opportunity is not emerging — it’s already here.

Partner insights from Activision Blizzard Media