No.1 medals by division
The awards have three tiers: No.1 by category, special awards that recognize growth, and the top honors of the year.
Three No.1s
in every category
Gaming PCs, mice, keyboards, headsets, monitors, earphones, microphones, mouse pads, controllers and gaming chairs each get a No.1 for these three metrics.
- SHARE No.1The most used. The brand used by the most gamers in the category
- SATISFACTION No.1Glad they bought it. The highest satisfaction among gamers who actually use it
- RECOMMENDATION No.1Worth telling friends about. The brand gamers are most likely to recommend
Growth that rankings
alone can miss
These divisions recognize momentum and how products are used, which share rankings alone do not capture.
- BREAKTHROUGH AWARDCombines share growth from the previous year with satisfaction. A brand that made a big leap with quality to match
- NEXT BREAK AWARDNot yet a share leader, but with high satisfaction and recommendation. A brand with strong potential to grow
- FULLSET AWARDThe share of gamers who use the same brand for mouse, keyboard and headset. Support for the whole ecosystem
The two highest honors
of the year
The peak of the awards, representing the gaming device market of the year.
- GAMING DEVICE OF THE YEARThe device of the year. One product, chosen from the most popular across all categories, that combines quality and popularity
- GAMING BRAND OF THE YEARThe brand of the year. Wins across divisions are converted to points, and the brand with the most wins the title
We also publish play-rate rankings of game titles for PC, console and mobile.
See the results
Winning brands and results for every division are published on the official results page for each year. Our editorial announcement on EAA!! FPS News (Japanese) also covers the lineup and how winners are selected.
Where you can use the medal
Award medals work across your touchpoints, from your own website to the store shelf and transit ads.
The deciding factor
at the point of sale
Put the medal where shoppers compare products, and it gives the undecided a reason to choose.
- Product images and pages in online stores
- On product packaging and outer boxes
- In-store displays, flyers and other print
From web ads
to station and transit ads
From web campaigns to digital signage in stations and hanging ads on trains. Talk to us about mass media placements.
- Web ads, web videos and influencer campaigns
- Press releases, email and social media
- Station ads, digital signage, outdoor and in-train ads
Real gamer comments
as endorsements
We extract positive comments gamers wrote about a winning brand, which you can use as endorsements.
- E-commerce and retail
- PR videos, the web and social media
- Press releases
What winners do with it
How winners actually use their awards.
-
Announce it on social
Logicool G announced its six No.1s with its own banner of the medals. HyperX announced a double win in microphones.
See Logicool G's post
-
Show it on your site
Sony lines up six medals, including Gaming Device of the Year, on its INZONE Buds special page.
See Sony's page
-
Put it in ads
Sycom, a Japanese build-to-order PC maker, placed its gaming PC recommendation and satisfaction No.1 medals in its summer campaign ad.
See Sycom's post
-
Put it on product images
Pixio, a gaming monitor brand, added its gaming monitor satisfaction and recommendation No.1 medals to its product images on Amazon and its own online store, with the medals redesigned to match its products.
See Pixio's award page
-
Put it on the shop floor
Logicool G places medal POP cards in electronics stores, one in front of each winning product.
-
Launch an award edition or sale
Sycom released a 200-unit limited model to mark the double win, following a 100-unit model the year before. Hermitage Akihabara, a PC hardware news site, covered the launch. GALLERIA ran a sale to celebrate its No.1 share in gaming PCs (JILCH announcement).
See Sycom's post
Award coverage on EAA!!
We also produce announcement and interview articles on EAA!! that bring your company's voice and the thinking behind your products to gamers.
- Articles announcing your award or an award edition
- Interviews with your developers and team
How the secondary-use license works
From application to first use. See the award secondary-use license terms (Japanese) for details.
- Award noticeWe notify each winning company and present the Gamers Census Award medal.
- Applying for secondary useLet us know if you want to use the award in PR or other channels. We do a quick review of the creative before it goes public.
- Start using itOnce reviewed, you are free to use it. Tell us how you are using it and we can help amplify it.
Why a No.1 matters
No.1 claims and award badges backed by third-party research influence purchase decisions. Here are figures reported across industries.
- Say No.1 claims affect purchases
Consumer Affairs Agency of Japan, 2024 - 50%
- Units sold with a Best Seller badge
Amazon (traffic +45%) - +41.5%
- Sales after winning
@cosme Best Cosmetics Awards - +200%
- Sales with an award badge
PTPA Awards (perceived value +20%) - +24%
- Awareness of the award
Good Design Award (61.5% say it affects purchases) - 81%
- Check reviews before buying
Capterra Japan (81.0% trust word of mouth, NTT Com Research) - 77%
- Japan92
- South Korea85
- Germany65
- United States46
- United Kingdom35
Japanese buyers choose
on certainty and consensus
Japan combines a strong urge to avoid bad purchases with a high regard for what others think. A third-party No.1 answers both at once.
- Uncertainty avoidance of 92, among the world's highestShoppers work hard to avoid a purchase they will regret. At about twice the US score (46), third-party endorsement works as a signal that lowers risk
- Collectivist buying behavior"Everyone uses it" and "ranked No.1" carry noticeably more weight than in Western markets, and shoppers check bestseller lists and reviews to confirm what others think before they buy
- Stricter rules demand real dataJapan's Consumer Affairs Agency tightened its rules on "No.1" claims in 2024. Only awards based on legitimate survey data hold up
ROI estimate (reference values)
For a brand with ¥100 million in annual sales: reference values for added revenue and return on investment if the award display improves your conversion rate (CVR). ROI is an estimate based on our own exposure results and similar data.
| Scenario | CVR lift | Added revenue (reference) | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very conservative | +0.5% | +¥500,000 | 1x |
| Conservative | +1% | +¥1,000,000 | 2x |
| Median | +5% | +¥5,000,000 | 10x |
| Research median | +23% | +¥23,000,000 | 46x |
Frequently asked questions
Where can we use the award medal?
Use on your owned channels (your website, social accounts, etc.) is free. With a license, you can use it on the web (e-commerce), social media, email, print, in-store displays, on product packaging, in web videos, influencer campaigns and more. Talk to us about mass media advertising. We deliver PNG, PDF, SVG and other formats.
Can we modify the medal image?
Yes. We accommodate certain changes, such as adjusting the look to match your brand. Please share the creative you plan to use in advance.
How should the "No.1" note read in advertising for Japan?
Add a note that matches the division and award type printed on the medal, for example "*Gamers Census [survey year], [category] division, [type] No.1". Place it near the "No.1" claim (in the same field of view), at a readable size and contrast; this follows the requirements for No.1 claims under Japan's Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations. See the award secondary-use license terms (Japanese) for details.
How long is it valid?
Until the next year's Gamers Census begins. For physical products manufactured and shipped during the license period, a six-month sell-off period applies. See the award secondary-use license terms (Japanese) for details.