Technology

I think it's pretty telling that so many of the people they talk to and a lot of the focus of the article isn't really about older gamers, it's about their money.

The opportunity is substantial. The 40+ segment in the US is on track to grow from $19 billion in 2022 to $43 billion by 2030, a 132% expansion at a moment when the rest of the industry is shrinking. These are players with the most disposable income, the longest gaming literacy, and the highest brand loyalty.

I'm in that "40+ segment" and I suspect part of the "problem" these companies face is that older gamers have seen the enshitification of so many of the brands we love. Our tolerance for bullshit is basically gone at this point. Micro transactions, season passes, fucking ads in games, all of that bullshit is a quick way to not get our money.

I also suspect "brand loyalty" is basically gone for the same reason. As a kid, I looked for the Electronic Arts logo. If I saw this logo on a game package, I knew I was looking at a good game. I haven't bought an EA game in years. I don't expect to buy an EA game any time soon and I basically ignore everything they do. Sure, if a trailer for Starflight 3 dropped, I'd sit up and take notice. I'd also expect it to be an enshitified mess wearing the skin of a beloved series to sucker me in, before pouncing on my wallet.

So ya, maybe just make good games and older gamers will inevitably buy them. I mean, Larian can pretty much say, "hi we're making..." and I'll have my wallet out and be pulling bills before they get any further. And maybe that's your "brand loyalty". Game companies who make good games and aren't private equity firms wearing the dead skin suits of brands we used to love.

There are literally 9000 hidden object games on Steam

What would a game for a retired person look like? Stuff that isn't twitchy is all over the place: puzzlers, sims, casual experiences, and visual novels exist by the truck load. The main character doesn't need to be 80 for it to be a game for the older generation.

My dad is in his 70s and he spends most of his time playing open world shooters/rpgs. He just finished borderlands whatever is new and started his 5th or so witcher 3 run. He also plays free to play puzzle games on mobile (to my disappointment)

My point being that I think "games for the retired people" is just games....

What makes a game "for retired people"?

What a silly premise.

WTF are games for retired people?

Ok brb making a game about being a self righteous asshole boomer who is always correct and its actually everyone else's fault that he has no friends and his wife and kids dont speak with him.

Call it Boomer Shooter, but its not an FPS, its actually primarily a series of small adventure/puzzle levels with complex branching dialogue options.

You get points for shooting down ideas you either didn't think of first or don't like because they might imply that you aren't perfect.

The rules are made up and the points don't matter beyond a high score at the end of the bad ending.

The good ending happens when you don't get that many points, despite the game constantly handholding you and telling you thats what you should focus on.

There, enjoy your retirement.

EDIT:

The DLC will add the ability to play as a privileged white woman who gets points for morally policing everyone around her but herself, spreading misinformation, and guilt tripping people who trust her.

EDIT 2:

In case I'm not being clear enough, a Boomer that wants a video game for their enfeebled retired ass can fucking make it themselves, and/or possibly think about why it is the case that the industry has enshittified to the extent that it has.

Who is it exactly thats in charge of all these enshittifying gaming companies again? Oh right yeah, its your 401ks, teaching children how to love their gambling addiction, so that you can retire well.

I mean, it can't be that hard, right? To make a toy that satifies Boomers? Just bootstrap it yourselves, I'm sure you'll discover that if you just shake a few hands and burn a few hundred million dollars, it's just about showing up and doing the job well, or something.

... you want a Boomer game?

It already exists, its Candy Crush, its Words with Friends, its Scrabble Go, its Solitaire.

That's not even an insult, that's just literally market research data.

Yeah they have. They're the same fucking games as before. If you're not a gamer by the time you're over 65, odds are good that you're not gonna suddenly become one.

what the fuck? isn’t the dark souls for retired people… just dark souls?

"Analysts" are a large part of why I abandoned "AAA" games over the decades. Keep them.

I thought that when you turn 40 they just give you a copy of Tetris The Grand Master and that's all you get to play for the rest of your life?

They are making games for retirees

AARP.com has a long list of games, and all the leaderboards resets everyday at midnight.

My grandma, who has dementia, and severe arthritis, has an alarm to get up at midnight to go play the games so she can be #1. Every night. She loves being #1.

She's 82 years old. Just broke her hip for the 3rd time, and she asked if we can bring her laptop so she can play her games.

They're playing MMOs. I am currently playing a game with a group of people and the ages range from 35 to 80. Game has been operating for 24 years at this point. Several retired during that time.

Why would retired people need their own video games?

As soon as I retire, every single one of the multiple hundred games in my steam library will be a game for at least one retired person... except the ones I don't like and don't play anymore, like PAYDAY 2.

Games for the unemployed? Have you not heard of MMOs?

I still care about video games very much but the industry suffers from growing bad incentives. Stop Killing Games is merely the start for me - I want games to catch up with other software and start respecting user's software freedoms.

Bullshit. Plenty of games oldnpeople can enjoy.

Balatro

Stardew Valley

Peglin

New heroes of might and magic

XCOM

Civilization

Flight Simulator (plus a ton of all the other sim games on the market).

Man I've seen my fair share of old people rocking it to Best Saber and and Synth Riders. Just play on the right difficulty..

Love how Gustafsson is focused on the money of old gamers.

I'm 47. I would be the prime target for this sort of campaign. Except a I've been boycotting shitty companies for so long any nostalgia I might have felt at the thought buying consoles, or a game published by EA, Activision, or Blizzard has been dead for more than a decade.

The enshitification of triple AAA titles by MBAs has driven me away from the space. Keep fucking slapping surcharges on EVERYTHING; day one dlc, microtransactions, always online DRM, the ability to revoke access to the games we paid for, because we never really owned it.

I will continue to ignore your shitty products and purchase small indie titles on PC that take risks and innovate. Withholding my money and refusing to purchase your shit will provide publishers with a sense of pride and accomplishment for retaining their customer base.

I mean I'm early 50s, so a bit below one of their thresholds, but still in the "older gamers, 40, 50, 60..." bracket used elsewhere in that article.

I'm not sure what's underserved. There are shitloads of games out there that I'm happy to play. Sure, I'll nostaglia myself into a coma playing Infocom games in bed on my laptop. But I'll also sink hours into a good story or walking sim, the single-player campaigns of an FPS, a puzzle game or hell, I'll keep the kids off my lawn in Fortnite and have fun making them cry. How am I underserved?

It's not a good long term market because retirees will be gone in 20-30 years and millennials+ will never be able to retire.

sure there are games for retired people. EVE Online. pretty much everyone who plays that are either middle aged or retired.

I'm 54 in a couple of months... I'm currently playing BF6 to death. Before that it was Apex. I've been playing games since the 8-bit days and just never stopped.

What about indie games? Lots of good games, also for gray people.

I'm not sure having games made for you would be better than having games you can play. There's plenty of shit out there that's not marketed towards me anymore, but I still enjoy it. And yes, it's rarely AAA games. Even more enjoyable AND cheaper.

Pretty sure my dad just wants to play Skyrim forever.