Understanding the needs of the elderly within First-Person Shooter game design

Abstract

In the USA alone, there are over 214 million players as of 2020, the false assumption being that older people are not interested and therefore are not a viable market outside casual puzzle games. Gaming is a popular leisure time activity for many people, and many of them are aged 55+. Yet when games are made, they are made with only those under 50 in mind. The experiences of older players remain largely overlooked.

This thesis explores the questions ‘’What motivates gamers aged 50+ to start playing FPS games, and what continues to motivate them to keep playing?’’, ‘’What general value does gaming bring to their lives?’’ and ‘’How does the competitive play style change as the people age?’’. It does so by firstly looking at the research done on the topic of elderly and gaming, and follows it up with an empirical study to get further insights from the research group.

The empirical research is done in the form of a survey, sent to 7 participants based in various countries around Europe and North America. The analysis of the responses gives an insight that the elderly play games for the same reasons that younger generations do - fun, relaxation - but also confirms that training skills is important to them, though not necessarily for the sake of physical and cognitive health.

The findings section covers the findings of the survey in detail, looking at the initial motivations to play, the overall experience with gaming, the experience of playing FPS games and competitive play. It also looks at reasons why the participants may stop playing competitively. Based on these findings, some future research suggestions and initial pain points that need addressing are highlighted.

Overall this research provides the grounds for future research into the elderly gaming and how the game design and development need to change to include them in the process.