The 50+ Gaming Audience You’re Overlooking

June 19, 2025

In this session, Dr. Brittne Kakulla, Senior Insights Manager at AARP, shares groundbreaking research on the 50+ gaming community – a rapidly growing, highly engaged audience that public media can’t afford to overlook. From Wordle to digital puzzles and beyond, gaming is already a major part of daily life for millions of Americans 50 and older – the same audience public media proudly serves.

Learn why older gamers are an untapped opportunity, what they want from game experiences, and how public media organizations can think differently about intergenerational play, content, engagement, and innovation for this key demographic. Whether you’re in marketing, content, community engagement, or strategy, this conversation will spark new ideas for reaching audiences in playful and powerful ways.

Panelists

Dr. Brittne Kakulla

Dr. Brittne Kakulla

Brittne Kakulla, Ph.D., is a senior research advisor in consumer insights at AARP Research and the research lead for the enterprise-wide Technology & Digital Connections Impact area. In these roles, Brittne collaborates with partners on AgeTech and digital inclusion, focusing on how technology –and increasingly gaming and intergenerational play– supports social connection, accessibility, and engagement among older adults. This work supports AARP, the marketplace, and policy and decision-makers in understanding, engaging with, and innovating for the 50-plus consumer and their families.

Her recent gaming research, including Aging in Play (2025), Gaming for All (2024) and The 50-Plus Gamer of Today and Tomorrow (2023), highlights the growing influence of gaming in older adults’ lives and informs inclusive innovation for this expanding audience.