Games for Grown-Ups

There are now more American gamers over the age of 50 than there are under 18. The first generations who grew up with games have kept playing, and they are now a cornerstone of the audience—yet games are often still made, sold, and studied as though the average player is half their age. Games for Grownups is a guide to the older player: who they are, why they keep playing, what gets in their way, and how the industry can meet their needs. It argues against the common framing of games for older adults as a health product—brain training, decline management—and reads them instead as meaningful play that fits within a well-lived life. The book moves from describing who these players are, through an alternate, age-friendly design approach built on their strengths, to a business case showing the 50-plus market was never unprofitable. Built on twenty years of research on older players and conversations with developers, it is for anyone over 50 with an interest in games, and for the designers, researchers, and students who will build what comes next.