World of Warcraft News Update: Older Gamers Play More Often Than Younger Ones -Study

Older gamers tend to play the massive multiplayer online video game "World of Warcraft" more often than the younger generation, primary results of study by the University of Calgary in Canada have shown.

The study, which seeks to understand how subscribers can become addicted to the game and similar role-playing games, compared players in their 20s and 40s and found that although the average age is 25, players in the older group were online at least two more days per week, Calgary Herald reported.

Ulric Wong, a researcher in the Department of Psychology, said this is likely due in part to the fact that older players can spend more time online because they do not have to worry about homework or finding a job.

The World of Warcraft has also been around for over a decade, and its players are also aging.

"Some of the oldest people in this particular study are in their 70s," Wong was quoted as saying. "I had an opportunity to speak with one of the folks in this group and they said, What greater way to be able to spend your time now that you've retired?"

"And maybe you can't play this sport that you once did but you still want to hang out with your friends."

Wong has been following almost 280 players of the game for over a year. He measured how often they play and how they developed their characters' strengths and skills. He also analyzed the gamers' age, employment status, number of friends, self-esteem, and other factors. Women compose a little more than half of the roughly 280 study participants.

"I'm hoping the intersection of all those areas of data will give us a way to assess if someone is addicted and how addicted they are to video games," Wong stated.

Wong, who has worked as a programmer in the gaming industry, said the gamers have to invest a lot of time in the game to reap rewards such as weapons, armor, and a higher status after completing challenges.

Another addictive factor, said Wong, is that challenges require cooperation among groups of players called guilds. These guilds have social structures that come with roles, "like intense jobs where you have to show up on time and train," Wong said.

He also met people seeking treatment for video game addictions. Some lost their jobs, dropped out of school, and had difficulties in keeping their responsibilities with family and friends.

"It probably becomes addictive when someone in their real life, they are missing something and the game gives that to them," he said. "Or if they are trying to cope with something difficult in their real life and the game lets them forget about all that for a while when they play."

Warcraft, which has 7.4 million subscribers who pay $15 per month to play the game, is struggling to maintain following, however.

"As many of the game's original fans age and create careers and families, they can't devote the time needed to play World of Warcraft," BBC wrote.

Dmitri Williams, chief executive of gaming analytics firm Ninja Metrics, was quoted by BBC as saying: "I've seen many people meeting and losing their spouses due to World of Warcraft... It takes a big time commitment."

Although younger gamers are more reluctant to pay a subscription fee amid the number of free games available, William said he expects the game to retain its powerhouse status.

Officials at Blizzard say they are not worrying about the subscriptions, with World of Warcraft executive producer J. Allen Brack explaining that the firm "takes a long view" of their games and do not react every time figures fluctuate. 

"We're not worried about what the subscriber numbers are today. We worry about are we delivering a great gaming experience that's going to satisfy the fans,'" he was quoted by BBC as saying.

A recruit-a-friend scheme has even been launched by Warcraft, where gamers can send a customized email invitation to their friends. If a friend buys a full copy of the game and pays a month's worth of subscription, the gamer can get 30 days of game time for free. If the friend pays for two full months, the gamer will receive their choice of "mounts" or special pets.