A while back, GamesIndustry.biz ran a piece from game dev Raj Pathmanathan discussing age-agnostic games. While the littlest kids are still happy in fluffy cutesy games aimed squarely at them, slightly older kids are gravitating toward titles that are made for, well, adults. I assume they can see “kid games” coming from a mile away and want none of that. Pathmanathan suggests that it’s changing how games are being developed both before and after launch, as studios intentionally build “multigenerational” games that work for everyone and companies alter their monetization and tone to fit the age of the playerbase they actually get.
“A good game should stretch across ages, be multiplatform and platform agnostic. It should provide opportunities for social hang outs as more and more children are turning to games as a place to hang out, compete against and collaborate with their friends. Perhaps in the future, all games will be developed to have universal appeal and adults are the secondary audience who we appease with limited edition adult-only add-on packs, directors cuts or spin-off content. But, in this future, it’s the kids who will come first.”
I thought it would be fun to ponder age-agnosticism in the MMO industry, especially in the context of the last decade as we’ve seen so many kid-oriented MMOs close up shop as the kids age onward and upward into games like, well, Fortnite. It stands to reason that the most successful MMOs longterm would be the games that appeal to both kids and adults. What would you say is the best age-agnostic MMO?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
