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

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.

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 Panelists spoke to authenticity in gaming and underscored how the term “gamer” feels increasingly outdated, often creating unnecessary distance between people and the behaviors they already participate in daily.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.

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