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Is it time to start making more games for "older" gamers?
cameltosis
Member LegendaryPosts: 3,847
This is something I've been thinking about for a while, and I don't have an answer, I'm just looking for your thoughts. For reference, I'm 35, so not exactly old, so when I say "older" gamers I'm really thinking of a wide spread of ages, basically anyone you could refer to as a "proper" adult with some maturity. People with normal jobs, partner / spouse, maybe kids. But people young enough to have grown up with video games being a part of normal life (so, maybe max 25 years old during the arcade era, 65ish now).
We know that, historically, the majority of computer games have been targeted at young people. It's a strategy that made total sense in the past and still holds relevence today. Young people are, generally, much better at adopting new technology, so it made total sense to target kids when the industry was new. Trying to convince a 40 year old bloke to try out pacman in 1980 must have been a hard sell, but getting a 15 year old would have been much easier.
Today though, we live in a world where that 40 year old has grown up with video games, from arcades, to consoles, to home computers and now VR. You're no longer trying to get these people to adopt new technology, we already did that when we were kids. Games are firmly entrenched in popular culture.
But, the majority of games are still aimed at kids, despite this very large group of potential gamers who also have a hell of a lot more spare cash than kids.
Why?
Is there an opportunity to specifically target these gamers?
I know one of the arguments has always been that once you've got a normal job, wife, kids etc, you simply don't have the time to game any more. This is very fair and true, jobs, wife and kids all take up time. But, everyone still has some spare time most days, and I know plenty of people who have continued gaming long into later life. Also, I dont know about the rest of you, but even though my gaming time has diminished as I got older, my spending has still gone up because I have more spare money and I'm willing to pay for quality entertainment.
Another of the arguements is that older gamers are harder to please, we get bored with games quicker. This is also true, but this is where I see the opportunity. Its totally natural to get bored with games as you get older - the longer you play games, the better your knowledge and the quicker you can overcome the challenges in a new game. This comes out in complaints like "when are we going to get good AI?", "why is all raiding just choreography?" etc. It's not that current gen games have gotten objectively easier (tho some have), its just that we all learned how to beat this sort of content 15 years ago.
So yeh, I'm wondering if there is an opportunity to specifically target older gamers, most likely 25-50 year old who have grown up with gaming but who perhaps aren't being served with many games right now. Despite the limited gaming time, is our collective spending power worth targeting specifically?
Some genres already do. Some of the strategy titles are definitely targetted at the more mature gamer, with slower gameplay but very complex long term strategy. Sim / builder games are often targeted at older gamers too. The racing genre gives us simulation titles like Project Cars or iRacing which also tend to have a much older average gamer compared to arcade racers.
But, it's still pretty few and far between.
What are your thoughts?
What do you think a game would look like if it was specifically targetted at older gamers?
Am I just talking shit?
For those gamers here who are older than I am, do u think the existing industry is doing well by you?
Currently Playing: WAR RoR - Spitt rr7X Black Orc | Scrotling rr6X Squig Herder | Scabrous rr4X Shaman
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In my guild in EQ2 there is a 74 year old gentleman who logs into the game before I do and is often on when I log off. He has a lot of time and he works but a lot of the time he is actually playing. He is lucky in that he has an office job that only takes up a few hours of his time in conference calls and he manages to just afk when he needs to. He does not have a family from what I understand.
Game companies do not consider us a viable source of good income. We have not grown up playing games on the phone and are therefore unwilling to simply pay for those experience potions or cosmetics. Our mentality is quite different from the kids these days and they are not going to waste money on us.
I am over 60 age group so even worse off than your 35. I cannot even manage an action combat game except when it is in story mode like Horizon Zero dawn so my options are even more restricted. I am also less inclined to play a game that has PvP. So many of the options are just closed off to me and I gave up thinking they will make a game for me.
I adapt where I can and play games where certain classes can be something I can play like the summoner in the Phantasy Star Online 2 (PSO2). I seriously doubt they will make a game you're looking for except Indie perhaps. We can hope I suppose.
The companies making games don't care how old you are all they care about is money. It's why the MMORPG genre is dominated by cash shop cancer.
"classification of games into MMOs is not by rational reasoning" - nariusseldon
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The fact is they have been making games for "older" gamers for a very long time now.
One of the lead articles in AARP magazine this month is about gaming. (Happens to mention nearly 240M people played Candy Crush btw)
Also states almost half of all older Americans play video games.
So looks like OP might be a bit late to the party.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Is GTA, et al, really that obvious?
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.- FARGIN_WAR
Wish people looked at stats like this instead of the usual blaming young people. The younger generation playing minecraft, fortnite, league(that demo is aging now) aren't the ones whaling on mobile games and p2w mechanics. Blame the 30+ folks who don't wanna have to level in a game or play through story mode for where games are today.
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.- FARGIN_WAR
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.- FARGIN_WAR
I personally think it will come from smaller more targeted MMO's not one big catch all MMO. And thus while the well spring of players is there, they would need to be tapped in small pools, in games that thrill some of them.. but the games that target that demographic, not just "Hey, are you an old fart?"
I think this is something that Bethesda said when they made ESO, Paraphrased: "We are not trying to reinvent the wheel with MMO's with ESO, we are focusing on providing fan service"
and I think that is what more studio's should do, and that is fan service, find that group of gamers you think you can make the best game for.. and make that best game for them. They will come, get sucked in, spend money, and be your core, that will carry your game. The people that show up and are like "This game needs XYZ", will never be your core.
and really, MMO's developers need to catch that clue.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I don't see that degree of popularity happening for any one game in a group with that degree of age disparity.
Hell you even had Ashes of Creation admit recently that influencer availability on June 1st (TBC Classic's launch) was a reason for their Alpha 1 postponement,
Whoever the demographic is that streams and follows streamers, that's who is targeted and I don't see that changing any time soon.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
I don't think that is universally true, especially when it comes to games meant to appeal to older players who would not so easily influenced by social media personalities.
The Fortnite level of success comes from the "influencers" and their followers. Without that these days you have niche levels of success which is still success but not on that level.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
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