Aging Agents: Cross Generational Analysis of Behavior and Need Satisfaction Among Players of Tom Clancy’s The Division 2

Abstract

This research investigated the effect of age on players of an online multiplayer shooter. Through combining the data from two large scale surveys, we collected information regarding age, gaming habits, game rating and psychological need satisfaction for 8120 players of Tom Clancy’s The Division . Behavioral data extracted from the game’s tracking engine was then cross-referenced for different age groups to indicate motivational, behavioral and habitual characteristics of each age group. To find the importance of measured factors we employed a rank-based model for comparing independent sample means for intergenerational analysis (Kendall’s tau for non-parametric correlations) as well as multiple Machine Learning algorithms. Results found that different measures of playtime vary significantly among generations. Baby Boomers showed significantly higher playtime, days played and group playtime. Intergenerational comparison of perceived need satisfaction also found that older gamers feel more agentic, present in the narrative, closer to non-playable characters but less competent at the game. Percentage of group playtime also showed a decrease in older generations. Future research may expand cross generational analysis to other game types and include more granular behavioral measures.