Video games straddle both the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the former been the place holder in the history of this entertainment medium. During the last couple of decades of the twentieth century, videogames emerged as a medium which is accessible to all citizens and spheres in society. Recent statistics published by the AARP organisation in the USA report that older adults (50+ years) play videogames on a daily basis, with older women in particular engaging with this medium. In contemporary society, according to the AARP’s report, older gamers do not seek information or assistance from their children or grandchildren, but instead look to learn about new games via multiple channels, social media platforms and from various smartphone apps (Kakulla 2019).

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) note in their 2019 analysis that 65% of American adults play videogames, with smartphones (60%) being their most preferred device, followed by PCs (52%) and specific game consoles (49%). Overall, the casual game genre is their most preferred type of game, with 71% of respondents playing, followed by Action (53%) and Shooter (47%) game genres (ESA 2019). The ESA note that the average age of a gamer is 33 years who has been playing for 14 years; the average age is 34 years for a female gamer, and 32 years for a male