Video game makers should market more towards older middle age fans – Reader’s Feature

The demographics of gamers is changing (AFP via Getty Images)

With younger gamers increasingly moving away from consoles, a reader argues that publishers should make new nostalgia-based games for older players.

A growing number of companies are targeting the *Peter Pan* generation of adults, those reaching a certain age with a higher level of disposable income and foregoing certain traditional pastimes. Lego, though not the pioneer, is certainly embracing this style of targeted sales towards an older audience.

A quick look at their adult toys, for lack of a better phrase, reveals a classic Nintendo Game Boy set based on the handheld console from the 1980s to the McAllister house from the original Home Alone movie. Premium sets based around existing intellectual properties, appealing to a generation of adults in their 30s and 40s.

Lego have realised they can sell these more expensive niche products to an audience who grew up experiencing these toys, movies, and series first-hand. It sells to nostalgia, a £900 Death Star is testament to that.

In recent years, gaming has dipped its toes back into the waters of existing IPs, with games based around the Alien franchise or even my particular penchant, the world of Star Trek, with a new FTL style survival game. Where gaming is particularly unique is its relatively recent history of bad IP tie-ins, in the early 2000s, that were often poor quality and inferior copies of similar games in original franchises.

There were some exceptions, GoldenEye 007 being the most obvious, but movie tie-ins used to be a sign of a quick cash grab that left you feeling short-changed. They faded into obscurity but looking at the recent drive in other media, to appeal towards nostalgia and IPs from a small window of time, it does lead you to consider whether gaming companies are missing out on some fairly easy quick wins, with a generation of gamers getting a little more seasoned with higher disposable incomes.

Let’s imagine a corridor style, light stealth action title in the style of The Last Of Us based around the Terminator franchise, avoiding T-800s in the future wars waste lands and guiding a young Kyle Reese. For those gaming collectors you could have a metal physical box, for that super expensive deluxe version a Michael Biehn figure.

Or how about a Resident Evil 4 remake style third person action game based on Commando, relentlessly shooting generic South American terrorists whilst trying to rescue Jennie! An Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag style game inspired by Hook, with a deluxe pirate ship case and accompanying figures and collectables.

Other forms of media are aggressively targeting a demographic of adults through nostalgia towards older IPs. That gaming shies away from being so bold is a curious decision indeed with the state of new releases as it is.

Yes, new games take time, money, and resources to put together. This isn’t to denigrate or downplay the enormous investment to take a game from concept to market in anyway. Or, like an oil tanker turning at sea, how long it would take to create an original title inspired by an existing IP and the risk of whether it would still be relevant at launch.

But just a reflection beyond the gaming sphere, where other companies and industries are succeeding to a degree in actively targeting the older demographic with recognisable and familiar names. From Lego creating sets inspired by the 80s and 90s to conventions bringing in stars of shows and series from that period of time. A recent event in London charged over £500 for a picture with Ian McKellen, whose zenith in the cultural zeitgeist probably peaked a decade or two ago. Is the industry too focused on the young demographic?

As the American, European, and Asian continents face an aging demographic, from an economic perspective it makes sense to focus on an audience that is a little older, that has a little more money to spend. True, profiteering off nostalgia isn’t an original concept; when done poorly it can create a bitter aftertaste for the original audience. But nearly every other form of media has recognised a need to face an aging audience, with a simple strategy to profit from reconnecting to IPs from a particular window of time.

The marquee show for Disney+ over the summer was a reimagining of the Alien franchise, while a fantasy convention in London brought back the hobbits from the Lord of the Rings for a two day event. Annually, one of the biggest Christmas experiences in London, and throughout the UK, is a live orchestra version of Love Actually. It seems like a rich vein of media to be inspired by, and a sensible age range to target, to keep the industry relevant towards an aging population.

The alternative is to double down on focusing on sales to a diminishing younger audience, through trading card sales in EA Sports FC or virtual currency in Minecraft. In the short term it makes sense but projecting forward into the future, it’s a questionable strategy.

Older audiences, I believe, do want to play games and other forms of media generate sufficient revenue to make the modern middle age bracket a viable target audience. Like anyone else, they just need to feel a little love. And that’s where gaming, in contrast to other industries in the modern day, is doing a poor job.

When they do try to appeal to older gamers they rely almost entirely on ports of older games, which on occasion are unplayable due to licensing arrangements. Licensing arrangements can be expensive for existing IPs, but they also tap into nostalgia and that, demonstrably, does sell. Lego took a chance and now sells £900 Star Wars sets. It seems an easy victory for the gaming industry to be just as bold.

Thank you for reading.

By reader comfortablyadv (Facebook/Instagram/X)

Please note: this Reader’s Feature was submitted before the recent article on how the demographics for console gaming are aging across the world.

Lego know who their audience are (Lego)

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