Recent McKinsey research on “The Attention Equation” reveals a compelling truth about media consumption that should reshape how brands think about audience engagement. Not all consumer attention is created equal. The quality of time spent, driven by focus and intent, matters more than simple consumption metrics.
How is consumer attention shifting?
The research shows that console and PC gaming deliver exceptional attention value. It’s the only digital medium that gets close to live levels of focus (high focus: 73%), far higher than other forms of video-based content like streaming video (57%). The monetization reflects this quality: console and PC games generate $1.50 per hour of consumption compared to just $0.25 per hour for social media.
But here’s the challenge: while the consumer attention value is exceptional, the audience is shrinking rapidly. Video game hardware sales dropped by 45% in January 2025:
Today’s younger audiences are rejecting the $300-500 console investment and the commitment of sitting in one place for hours.
This creates a critical strategic question for brands: how do we find platforms that provide similar attention value as PC and console gaming, but are accessible on mobile devices where audiences actually are?
What platforms are dominating consumer attention?
This is where virtual worlds provide unmatched opportunities. Mobile-based virtual platforms like Roblox combine the constant engagement and interaction that makes PC gaming so valuable with the audience reach and frequency of mobile platforms. They deliver the high-focus, high-intent consumption that McKinsey identifies as most valuable for monetization, but without the barriers that are driving audiences away from traditional gaming hardware.
These virtual worlds represent the perfect convergence—offering the deep engagement that creates valuable consumer attention while meeting younger audiences’ demand for low barrier-to-entry, on-the-go, accessible entertainment. They’re mobile-first experiences that don’t compromise on the quality of attention that makes gaming so effective for brand engagement.
Key takeaway
The opportunity is clear: brands need to identify and invest in platforms that deliver console-quality attention within mobile-accessible experiences. Virtual worlds currently represent the best solution to this equation.
