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Retire, Slow Down... Play Some Video Games

by Chris Remo, Jan 18, 2006 3:00pm PST
Related Topics – Namco, Capcom, Konami

Keith Stuart at Guardian Unlimited considers whether the video game industry can cater to an audience that not only consists of a growing number of young gamers but also a growing number of older gamers.

Anyway, the report got me thinking about videogames and how they're almost exclusively aimed at young men. Not only does this policy cost the industry over 50% of its potential market on gender terms alone, but in a few years time, it's also going to cut out a huge audience on the age side of things too. I wonder, are forward-thinking publishers already having brain-storming sessions in order to address the challenge of the grey gamer? Wired.com ran an article this week on how the ageing population in Japan is bringing about some major cultural changes. Have Namco, Nintendo, Capcom and Konami et al caught the zeitgeist?
Despite relentlessly negative depiction in the mainstream media, video games are becoming more and more an activity that is appropriate for a broad audience rather than simply a young technology-oriented one. While people like Old Grandma Hardcore represent an older audience that seems completely content with games aimed more at younger gamers, are there other people middle aged or above who don't necessarily feel like shooting gangsters or aliens but want a bit more than another Bejeweled clone? While, as the article points out, certain Japanese publishers seem to be addressing that growing demand, it doesn't seem as though Western publishers are as concerned. Do you see yourself outgrowing the games you play now, or do you feel you already have, and if so what other types of games would you want to see?


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Comments

14 Threads* | 32 Comments
  • #24
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    By: skankcore x
    Reply
    an eb i worked at years ago was frequented by an older (60, maybe 65) gentleman almost every day. he owned one system at a time and only one, but it was one of any next gen system. he would check out any new games or new trade ins and purchase any game that was of interest. then he would trade in everything he bought a month later for credit and get a different system and any games he wanted, stopping by for more all the time. and repeat it almost every couple of months. he was retired military and lived with his invalid mother. probably survived a wife, i dunno. but income came in and he had nothing else to do with it. played some quality stuff, anything i would reccommed of course
    Jan 18, 2006 8:03pm PST
  • #14
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    By: PenicillinX57 x
    Reply
    There are plenty of games that older people can enjoy:

    Civilization (or anything else made by Sid)
    The Sims, SimCity, etc.
    Anything with the word "Tycoon" in it

    And I'm probably forgetting a bunch of other slow paced simulation type games. Old people like to just take their time and think about stuff. The author is probably overblowing the problem, because while old people like games, they don't run out to the store every week looking for new ones. They buy a game and then play it to death for years. The market for slow-paced games doesn't need to be any bigger than it already is.

    Jan 18, 2006 4:56pm PST