Video games have come a long way over the past few years, between the immense growth of eSports-based competitions and video popularity on both YouTube and Twitch. A lot of this has to do with the players behind these games — and their content is slowly but surely taking over the landscape.

Newzoo provided further proof of this with a new whitepaper report, sponsored by Limelight Networks, titled The Consumer As Producer: How Games & Video Converge To Drive Growth. The report examines the trend of consumers becoming the world’s producers, while at the same time delving into the origins of video in games and how pre-recorded video and live streaming are pushing games to new heights, with the players calling the shots.

“There was a brief moment where we collectively thought the fast pace of change in our industry would slow down following the mobile games revolution,” said Newzoo CEO Peter Warman. “However, the opposite has occurred as a unique alchemy of forces and trends continue to relentlessly drive innovative change. Games are now branching out in all directions, with consumers at the helm and the industry taking a facilitating role.”

The report breaks down a number of key trends for the future of the games market for this year, across Future, Consumer, Industry and World. A lot of factors figure into this process, such as creativity, the games themselves, connectivity and growth, with the creator, facilitator, accelerator and convergence all taking part to keep the ball rolling.

Video streaming and machinima (a process where game engines are used to make cinematic experiences) have grown over the last 20 years, becoming a driving force in this industry. Starting way back in 1996 with the short Diary of a Camper, but quickly moving into the mainstream with the likes of Red vs. Blue and other programming, gamers have been motivated to create content for new platforms, sharing and editing so that they find the right niche with it.

Newzoo’s data indicates that 41 percent of gamers who stream to Twitch regularly are males aged between 21-35, while 30 percent of those who stream are female. Of these frequent streamers, the company reports that nearly half are playing Candy Crush Saga, while a third prefer soccer. That’s not even counting the many players who engage in more serious competitive-based games like League of Legends and DOTA 2.

While the PC platform was the initial place for game content to take off, other platforms, like game consoles (such as Xbox One and PlayStation 4, which have built-in streaming capability) and mobile have taken off. Last year, Twitch announced that 30 percent of their viewers watched streams from mobile devices, and with new apps like Meerkat and Periscope on the market, more mobile games can be streamed as well – like the incredibly popular Hearthstone from Blizzard.

“Publishers will want to take a strategic look at their video sharing infrastructure based on the convergence of games and video,” said Anne Blanchard, Gaming Solutions for Limelight Networks. “The business opportunities are just beginning to emerge, but clearly this new surge in gaming creativity will demand tremendous scalability and innovative solutions.”

Two additional charts from the report, posted below, break down what devices gamers use for watching their sessions, as well as more specific Twitch numbers.

In this chart, video on demand is highly appreciated amongst gamers, by 73 percent, while 54 percent of those polled prefer live streaming video. Out of all devices accounted for, PC/laptop are the most popular in both categories, but mobile phones, tablets and TV’s have their fair share of appreciation as well.

As for Twitch’s numbers, while a majority of them are male, female gamers are on the rise, and in varying age groups, from 10-20 all the way to 51-65 (even though they’re at two percent). Only a small handful watch other Twitch sessions (16 percent) or stream to Twitch regularly (13 percent), but these numbers are on the rise as well, as more people catch on to its streaming services.

The full whitepaper can be found here.