Despite the advancement in games over the years, there’s one aspect that has remained largely overlooked, according to the Geena Davis Institute – age representation.
Despite the advancement in games over the years, there’s one aspect that has remained largely overlooked, according to the Geena Davis Institute – age representation.
A new study by the organisation, in conjunction with the AARP (formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons), has revealed that, while 45% of adults aged 50 and over play games, characters over 50 years old are rarely represented.
The research shows that:
- 45% of adults aged 50+ play video games at least once a month.
- 69% of older gamers feel video games are not designed with them in mind.
- 71% report never seeing people like themselves reflected in video games.
A detailed analysis of the 49 best-selling PC and console games of 2023 reveals:
- Only 7% of human playable preset characters are aged 50-plus.
- 55% of characters fall between ages 20-49, while 37% are immortal or fantasy-based beings that don’t visibly age.
- Among the few older characters, 94% are men, and 67% are white.
According to the AARP, this mirrors a larger trend in media, where age representation skews male and lacks diversity. Older women, in particular, are significantly under-represented.
Moreover, while many modern games allow customisation, age representation remains limited. Among games with character customisation:
- 100% allow race/skin tone changes.
- 96% allow gender customisation allowing users to specify their gender identity beyond the traditional binary of male and female, enabling them to choose how they want to be publicly referred to.
- 52% allow some form of body size adjustments.
- Only 43% allow players to make their character visibly older such as with wrinkles or hair colour.
You can take a look at the full report here – https://geenadavisinstitute.org/research/aging-in-play-representations-of-age-in-video-games/
And you can download the GDI Playbook on creating inclusive games here – https://www.gdiplaybook.org
