Whether you’ve noticed it or not, gaming is deeply ingrained in pop culture today: Game tunes are showing up in electronic music, workout classes are getting “gamified,” and Hollywood is rolling out the red carpet for movies about games like “Ready Player One.”

Gaming has gone mainstream—so much so that, according to gaming trends analyst Newzoo, it’s one of the most-watched content categories on YouTube today.1

This presents a big opportunity for brands, game-related or not. Gamers are a highly engaged and influential audience on YouTube. But what are they tuning into? What is gaming content all about?

You may think gaming content is niche, but it’s not that different from other content people are watching on YouTube—like competitive sports, how-to, and unboxing videos. Here’s how those content trends play out within the gaming category.

1. Competitive sports: Because sports videos thrill—whether for esports or soccer

Like traditional competitive sports, esports—organized, multiplayer video game competitions—have all the same trappings: crowd-pleasing players, recognizable team uniforms, official playoffs, die-hard fans, and the thrill factor. So it’s no surprise esports have become a cultural phenomenon, with tournament footage drawing 320M people worldwide and counting.2

Watch time of esports videos has grown by over 90% in the past year [download].3 Try searching for “LOL.” You won’t find “laugh out loud,” but rather videos about “League of Legends” championships.

Skilled esports challengers like Nadeshot or Scumperjumper have amassed millions of subscribers to their channels where they share exciting gameplay strategies, favorite plays, and behind-the-scenes videos. Need to see it to wrap your head around it? This video features Nadeshot reliving the intensity of his first Major League Gaming championship.