A
new Gamasutra feature has been surveying so-called 'missing gamers', revealing some key facts on what 25-35 year old former gamers want in order to return to the pastime.
In writer Andy Robertson's introduction, he reveals some of the underpinnings and background for the study:
"Having visited ourselves upon groups of Family Gamers and Silver Gamers, we now turn the labs over to Missing Gamers in an attempt to discover what is keeping them from playing games as they did in their youth.
Although the ranks of the gaming masses are swelling more than ever, there are still thousands who used to play games when they were younger that have yet to return to the pastime.
Their lives have obviously changed in the intervening years -- so that available time, money, and attention are now in more limited supply.
But beyond these generalizations, we wanted to discern the detail of what it was that kept them from picking up controller, mouse, or remote. Over a few weeks in the summer we organized a series of play sessions with some of these absentee gamers, a group ranging in age from 25 to 35.
As with our Silver Gamer sessions, we weren't sure what would result but again, by the end of each day we had armfuls of notes on what they now wanted from games."
Some of the key takeaways from the sessions include 'Integrated Social Experiences', 'Adjacent Multiplayer', 'Price Point', and more, tracking down what these lapsed gamers seem to be looking for from the industry they no longer utilize to the same degree.
You can now read the
full Gamasutra feature on the subject, including lots more detail on what this demographic are particularly interested in to rekindle their gaming love.
