Woods, Barbara (2011) Age is No Barrier? The Experiences of Older Players in an Online Computer Game. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
The increase in popularity of video and computer games has been a remarkable feature of the past decade. The vast majority of homes have a computer or console for gaming and this pastime is well recognised as a form of mass entertainment. One of the most popular online games, World of Warcraft, boasts a membership of over 12 million players. Computer games have traditionally been accessed by younger members of society, but in recent years researchers have noted that adult and older players are represented in demographic ranges in gaming studies. Currently, players over 65 are a rarity in games such as World of Warcraft but there are higher numbers of players in the over 50 cohort. To date there has been extremely limited research attention paid to older gamers. Most studies group these players together with others that are decades younger during age related analysis. This study takes an initial step towards examining some of the reasons why older people play the game World of Warcraft. Motivations for playing this game were examined, as well as barriers that exist for older players and other themes relevant to the experiences of older people. An exploratory, qualitative methodology was utilised because research into computer/video gaming is generally a young field, the numbers of older people engaging in this form of gaming is low, and an extensive literature review failed to identify any published studies of older gamers. The key theme regarding what motivated these older players was the social interaction made possible by the online nature of Warcraft. This included interaction with friends and family as an extension of in-person relationships. A second common theme was goal achievement, which may be considered the basic platform of the game, expressed in terms of increasing in levels, completing quests and gaining achievements. Barriers to older players were identified as sourced in two main areas, computer literacy and mental/coordination skills. However, these respondents demonstrated that older players are able to learn the high level of computer knowledge required to play Warcraft if they are sufficiently motivated to do so. Other topics of interest were the theme of addiction to the game, and of representation of identity through avatars. In general, participants identified that they had experienced a level of addiction to playing Warcraft that required some self monitoring and self regulation. In terms of avatars being an expression of identity, the physical or outward characteristics of avatars (e.g. hair colour, names, gender) was discussed by two participants but all participants expressed the desire for their online identity to match their real life ethics and values such as playing fair, being reliable, helping others and treating people with respect. The findings of this study highlight the potential of computer games to become an engaging hobby for older players. Such games can provide a source of activity and interest, generate social interaction, supply goals to achieve and a give a focus for spare time. A potential downside is the possibility of negative consequences from addiction, particularly in the presence of pre-existing depression or loneliness. The experiences shared by participants in this study provided insight into the diversity of ways that this game influenced their lives and their enjoyment of life. Furthermore the results demonstrate that, at least in the view of these older players, key differences exist in the behaviour of players based on age. The lack of age differentiation in all other existing quantitative studies serve to average out and thus hide what could potentially be important age-based differences between players.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Sciences - Department of Psychology (Up to 30 Jun 2013) |
| Supervisors: | Jan du Preez |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 10 Nov 2025 01:42 |
| Last Modified: | 10 Nov 2025 01:42 |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52897 |
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