The term “gamer” used to conjure images of guys locked up in basements playing video games all night. But over the past few years gaming has increasingly become part of our everyday life. According to Forrester research, 60% of consumers play video games online in a typical week –  largely driven by casual games amplified on social platforms such as Facebook. With games requiring customers to be online, this provides marketers with an abundance of data, and a huge opportunity to reach engaged audiences.

Nowadays, almost nothing is private in the gaming industry once you connect your console to the Internet. Gaming companies are able to track every click you’ve made, what levels you’ve been having difficulties in, how many hours and which titles you play. They even track what kind of personal downloads you use to enhance your character’s looks (long blonde ponytail, muscular build, board shorts). All of this is happening regardless of whether or not you opt in. With all of this data, it is a constant balance between knowing one’s customers to provide them with products they’ll love and being considered creepy by invading their privacy.

A big part of marketing in the gaming industry is focused on collecting both customer and gameplay data. Marketers then use this data to figure out what kind of programs will have the biggest impact from cross-selling products the game players are interested in to helping with tips and tricks to beat the level they’ve been stuck on.

Past campaigns have looked at what consumers play and their motivations for playing each type of game. When looking at the collection of games an owner has, sometimes odd titles emerge right next to each other – Hasbro Family Game Night (a virtual board game) with Dead Space 2 (a survival horror game).

However, when looking at who the consumers are and who they are playing with, it all starts to come together. Often times behaviors vary depending on who is playing the game, going beyond just the login. There is the dad who plays family games in the evening with his kids, then switches to violent horror games at bedtime, or the frat boy who plays Madden football with all of his friends and then later plays Sims with his girlfriend.

Processes to measure these activities are continually becoming more sophisticated. They work to identify the top customers – metrics include a combination of who logs the most hours playing with friends, who is buying all of the hit titles, and who is active in the online gamer community – and treating them differently. This could include giving them early access to new releases or even free titles hoping that they will be community advocates for new products.

Whether it’s a tip helping you beat a level so you don’t get frustrated and quit the game or giving you a weapon to enhance your game play, marketing can make a big difference in overall enjoyment and your likelihood to be a happy customer. As with all marketing, it’s all about hitting consumers at the right time with the right message.

Michi Arthur is a Director, Marketing Intelligence at Organic