Earlier this month, the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) launched a new casual gaming portal on their website. The free games at AARP’s website are mostly variations of popular casual games, card games and puzzle games like solitaire, poker, Hexxagon, and Bejeweled. The most popular game in the AARP Game section right now is Mahjongg Toy Chest with over 12 million game plays.
The Business Of Making AARP Games For Seniors
The new AARP games were made by a company called Arkadium. Kenny Rosenblatt, CEO of Arkadium had this to say in a June 19th AARP press release:
“Casual games are not just for teenagers who like video games. A significant portion of online game players are actually over 30, and it’s making organizations like AARP realize the value of adding a Game Arena to their site to encourage engagement.”
The only thing Arkadium’s AARP games are missing is a full screen and large text mode for seniors with poor eyesight.
Why Hosting Free Games At AARP Is Important To AARP
Why is AARP getting into the casual gaming business? Three reasons:
- Video games are a great way to keep seniors mentally sharp and help them exercise their minds.
- A study cited by Sami Hassanyeh, Vice President of AARP Web Strategy and Operations in the above-mentioned press release, shows that “boomers” spend about 100 minutes playing games online. The AARP needs to adapt and follow their audience as they evolve and become more online savvy.
- And while seniors are playing AARP games online, they can push marketing messages to them. For example, when I tried to play a game of AARP Skeeball this morning, I had to suffer through an assload of Nutrisystem ads. Why Nutrisystem? A lot of old people are overweight. According to the Canadian National Population Health Survey, 32% of seniors are considered overweight.
More Fun Online Games
You don’t have to be a senior to play fun online games. Here are some free online games that you can play right now in your web browser.
