Games can (and should) be for everyone, regardless of things like gender identity, race, or even age. That said, there are certain challenges to making a game for older players, which is the topic of a GamesIndustry write-up from William Taht, a 16-year veteran of mobile game dev who has previously worked on games like Angry Birds and currently is working on Bingo Bash, a game that is predominantly played by women ages 55 and up.
The article discusses a number of lessons that Taht has learned over the course of his time heading Bingo Bash, including how to make objectives clear to understand, bearing in mind physical limitations while not making things too condescending, and appreciating how older gamers shift towards luck-based or completion challenges over traditional gaming challenge. The article also talks about the differences between “old” players and “tenured” ones — players who are experienced in a game and have become loyal to it — and how to accommodate that playerbase’s needs.
Yes, we know, this is an article about a multiplayer mobile bingo game, but none of us are getting any younger and it’s a pretty insightful bit of reading for active game devs or armchair devs alike.
