Gamers 50-plus credit gaming with being beneficial to their lives.
It helps them have fun and relax while also staying mentally sharp and being challenged.
The study found that 45% of people 50-plus are gamers.
Among these gamers, 45% say they spend time gaming every day.
Older adults' interest in gaming grew noticeably in 2016 and spiked during the COVID pandemic.
Solo play is most popular with 81% of those surveyed playing alone.
Older gamers use a variety of devices and not always the newest ones.
They are as impressed with Play Station or Xbox consoles as they are with the Nintendo Switch.
Some 50-plus gamers still use a Wii.
Mobile continues to dominate game play, accounting for over half of all 50-plus gamers preferred devices.
Even though smart speakers and smart TVs join the ranks, the No.
Still played but less popular are arcade, educational, strategy, and shooter games.
Mind teasers and brain challenge-based games lead the way.
Number placement logic games ranked second at 32%, and finding hidden objects came in at 25%.
With the immense popularity of Wordle, word games have become their own genre.
The AARP study notes that 36% of age 50-plus gamers identified word games as their favorite.
Dabblers
This group represents 15% of 50-plus gamers.
Mainstreamers
This is the largest group of 50-plus gamers, representing 35%.
Mainstreamers have the highest concentration of mobile-only gamers.
They may play every day, but they dont feel very passionate about gaming.
Theyre in it more for the enjoyment, challenge, and mental stimulation.
Wordle is very popular with this group.
Indulgers
This group plays daily on mobile phones and tablets for enjoyment and mental stimulation.
This group represents 23% of 50-plus gamers.
Action, adventure, and fantasy or role-playing games (RPG) help fill their evenings.
This group looks for strong storytelling and compelling gameplay.
Immersives identify as gamers.
Ease of play is the most popular feature among all five groups.
When it comes to challenge, respondents like games that build in intensity over time and require competitive skills.
Seven in 10 (69%) older gamers feel that games are not designed with them in mind.
Another 66% said video games are designed with no thought to players 50-plus.
The survey was conducted June 23, 2022 to July 13, 2022.
Survey length median gamers (32 min.
); nongamers (7 min.).
Sample = 7,885 completes (5,953 50-plus gamers/2,630 40-plus nongamers).
For more information, yo contact Brittne Kakulla atbkakulla@aarp.org.
For media inquiries, hey contact External Relations atmedia@arp.org.
