Nintendo Switch | senior’s Relevance POV
Meet Shirley Curry
Senior gamer Shirley Curry has over 970,000 followers. She refers to them as her “Grandkids.”
“I'm an 85 year old grandmother who loves to play (and now record) games! I live in Ohio, USA. I love playing Skyrim. I am a widow. I have 4 sons, 9 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. My birthday is April 2nd.”
What Promoting Senior Gamers Bring to Esports
People feel connected; that they get more time with passed loved ones they long for.
Seeing senior gamers in the space gives aging adults permission to pick up (or continue) the hobby.
Young gamers who interact with senior gamers report wanting to re-expore levels after seeing Senior gamers appreciate their gameplay.
More than 10 million Americans age 50+ became active video gamers over the past three years.
In 2016, there were 40 million senior gamers: a number that's mushroomed to about 51 million in 2019.
- AARP survey.
senior Gamers meetup
As of March 2020, the seniors moved their forum to DISCORD. The #1 social gamer platform.
Sources attribute the rise in senior gaming to the improvements made in Telehealth. This means that senior gaming will continue to bloom at a faster rate than previous years.
telemedicine means senior gaming will bloom at a faster rate than before.
“Western Governors College reports that telemedicine resulted in, ‘38% fewer hospital admissions, 31% fewer hospital re-admissions, and 63% of patients spent less time in the hospital.’ … This likely has helped seniors break into the gaming world and devote more time to their new hobby — or multiple hobbies, across the board.”
— Gaming writer, Frankie Wallace
As senior gaming grows in popularity, the Nintendo Switch presents the greatest opportunity to introduce senior noobs into the space.
The top rated games for older adults are on the Nintendo Switch. Thus a low barrier entry.
The Switch is constantly ranks as the best starting console (compared to PS and Xbox) for older adults.
Nintendo Switch games allow mobility exercises and group social activity. Both contributing to senior health improvements.
Okay…
Are there ways to be creative here? How can we think big?
YES!
Billion $$ industry.
Esports is estimated to take over mainstream sports. It’s rumored that esports will eventually replace the Super Bowl.
Crazy I know (We’ll come back to that).
Brands are eager to get into the space and don’t know where to start.
Esports, compared to other channels, thrived during the pandemic.
To get visibility, brands/advertisers are:
Sponsoring teams
Sponsoring local tournaments
sponsoring major events
sponsoring webpages
