Demographic of Players

December 14, 2021

based on:

chapter eight of The art of game design: a book of lenses by Jesse Schell

In chapter 8 of "The art of game design: a book of lenses", the author writes about the different demographics of gamers, it states that

"For game designers, the two most significant demographic variables are age and gender."

and although that's a very good assumption I have to add that there may be a third demographic which has to be considered, and that is the type of gamer, a "hardcore" gamer or a "casual" gamer.

My reasoning for this is as follows:

1. if making a game for "casual" gamers, then you are going to naturally have fewer rules and grindy features in the game, as this would confuse or bore the average "casual" gamer.

2. if making a game for "hardcore players" you're going to want a lot more replayability in the game, to keep the same players engaged.

3. if you market to the wrong demographic then very few people are going to play the game again.

another point I want to mention in the chapter is the prediction for what genders prefer in games

Schell writes that men prefer destruction and women prefer natural scenery. although I know this is subjective and everyone enjoys different things in games, it could still be a good guideline to follow.

references:

Brzezinshi, J. 2009, Schell, Jesse. The art of game design: a book of lenses.(Brief article), American Library Association CHOICE.