What About the Grey Gamers?

Chris Morris at CNN's Game Over column wonders out loud about the legions of older gamers, and their snubbing by most of the gaming industry. From the article: "The Entertainment Software Association reports that 19 percent of the people playing video games are 50 or older. That's a huge jump from 1999, when players of that age group made up just 9 percent of the gaming world. Game publishers, though, seemingly couldn't care less - mainly leaving senior gamers to Web-based games, such as PopCap Games' 'Bookworm'. And while it certainly makes loads of sense for publishers to focus primarily on the core market, especially in transitional times like they're experiencing now, that focus is at risk of becoming myopic."

Comments

It's inevitable

[deadhammer]

Eventually the game industry is going to have to figure out how to market to the older demographic. The majority of gamers currently are 25 and over. If we're talking about an industry that's planning on sticking around for the next few decades, it's going to come up eventually.

Naturally, of course, there's still plenty of clout among the "video games are just for kids" crowd to delay this eventuality.

When the new releases became 'classics'

[photojunkie]

I only hope that when I'm 72 and sitting down to play a little Mario Cart or Half-Life, my little brat grandkids won't bug me all the time with questions. "how do you play this game without stereo-glasses grandad?" "Is that supposed to be an alien?" Goddamn kids.

Not all "gamers" play FPS games...

[FlyByPC]

I'm not yet "old and grey," but I've never liked FPS games. DOOM was unique when it came out, but if you've seen one, you've seen them all. (Yes, I've tried more modern versions; the graphics are much more realistic, but there's still really no plot.)

Why aren't there more games like Syberia, Myst, The 7th Guest? Even Zork, with *no* graphics, was more interesting than the shoot-anything-that-moves games that the industry seems to concentrate on these days.

Why not, for example, a space exploration game -- concentrating on the science, economics, and logistics involved, instead of the usual shoot-the-evil-green-aliens theme?

Re:Not all "gamers" play FPS games...

[solios]

Why not, for example, a space exploration game -- concentrating on the science, economics, and logistics involved, instead of the usual shoot-the-evil-green-aliens theme?

Give Escape Velocity Nova a try, if you haven't already. It's available for Windows and MacOS and it's quite entertaining. It may not have the depth you're looking for, but it's extremely freeform for a modern game - you can be a trader, a raider, a transporter, a diplomat... sure there's combat involved, but it's more along the lines of Asteroids than Doom. I find the game highly enjoyable - it's the first piece of shareware I actually payed money for!

What do you, a grey gamer, want to play?

[LionKimbro]

I would just like to ask:

What would you, a "grey gamer," like to play?

• Are there any particular story themes you want to explore?
• What kinds of characters would you like to play?
• What sort of interactive experiences do you want to try out?
• Who do you want to play with? Do you want to stay with your generation, or would you like to mix it up?
• Where are you at in your life? What do you want to do?
• What do you need? What do you have to contribute?

I'd earnestly like to know the answers to these questions.

It's clear that you can "learn new tricks," otherwise you wouldn't be playing these games. So, what sorts of new tricks do you want to perform?

Some thoughts from a "grey" gamer/game designer

[bfwebster]

I turn 53 in a few months and I still buy and play computer games on a regular basis; recent purchases include Civ IV and Star Wars Battlefront II (I've reviewed both on Amazon). I suspect I'm in the distinct minority among my peers, but I could be wrong; my age group was pretty much the first one that grew up playing (and writing) computer games. Put another way, I've been playing computer games (30+ years) longer than some of you have been alive. (I also was involved in professional computer game design for several years back in the early years of PC-based games [1981-85; see here and here], as well as writing columns on the subject and reviewing commercial computer games.)

Still, most people in the 40s and 50s just don't have time for computer games. Between family, work, church/community and other activities (yardwork, household repairs, struggles to get to the gym, etc.), they typically don't have the amount of free time required by most modern computer games. I work out of a home office on a consulting basis, so unless I'm swamped by current engagements, I can easily block out several hours to spend on a game. However, there have been other times in my life when I've had a 'regular' job; during those times, I've gone months or years without playing a computer game for the reasons cited above.

Another downside for older gamers is that the 'costs' of spending lots of time on games are higher--e.g., it can interfere with work (and income), can cause serious marital problems, and so on. I know a man in his early 30s whose marriage is undergoing severe stress largely because of his obsession with HalfLife 2. In my own case, I have from time to time simply thrown away games because I felt I was wasting too much time playing them and not enough time on other projects (books, etc.).

My own preferences tend to be strategy/simulation games, including historical war games and large-scale strategy games (the Civ games and various space-based 4x [eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate] games). I tend to prefer turn-based games over real-time strategy (RTS) games, but have still spent time with the latter (e.g., LOTR: Battle for Middle Earth). I've played several RPGs (e.g., DungeonSiege, Neverwinter Nights, Freelancer) and even some MMORPGs (Earth and Beyond). While first-person shooter (FPS) games are not my first choice, I'll cheerfully play them if the subject matter is interesting; I've bought and played several of the Star Wars FPS games (Republic Commando, Battlefront I and II).

Were I to design for 'grey gamers', I would probably focus on the following:

• Design for short play cycles (30-60 minutes at a time); consider your competition to be an individual TV show.
• Provide easy exit from the game and easy re-entry.
• Emphasize analysis and thought over reflexes.
• Avoid fiendishly difficult puzzles or tasks; we just don't have the frackin' time.
• Allow saves (and restarts) at any point; same reason.
• Design for PCs, not for game consoles

Beyond that, I'd apply some of my own preferences on game design:

• Emphasize game design before eye candy.
• Avoid "railroad" games (i.e., the player is stuck on the rails and can't get off).
• Allow many paths and solutions, including ones you as the designer might not have thought of.
• Avoid arbitrary roadblocks and limits (usually put in to make the designer's job easier).

FWIW. ..bruce..