Overlooked: The Frustrations of Older Gamers in a Youth-Oriented Industry

A 2023 AARP Research study found that almost 70% of gamers over 50 feel that video games are not designed with them in mind, despite the audience of older players being 52.4 million strong. Older gamers prefer playing games on mobile phones, but about 28% play on gaming consoles and 19% consider themselves "enthusiasts" or "immersives." They believe that games are too complicated to understand and need tutorials to play effectively. Older gamers prefer puzzle and logic games, card and tile games, and word games, and view gaming as an important aspect of healthy aging.