Hasbro and the Ageless Innovation have teamed up to introduce overhauled versions of popular games such as Trivial Pursuit, The Game of Life, and Scrabble and make them more accessible for the elderly.
Although the last several years were difficult for some studios and developers, the pandemic made it abundantly clear that seniors were an underage demographic in the board games sector.
The new titles have been revised versions of the originals in a way that makes the gameplay more easily approachable for seniors and also boost appeal and satisfaction from the experience, Hasbro said in a statement.
For the most part, Ageless Innovation CEO and co-founder Ted Fischer said that the company has focused on introducing age-inclusive component. This is based on the company’s experience in developing toys and products for elderly consumers. Some of the changes include solutions such as bigger components that are easier to grasp, hold, and also distinguish on the board.
Larger fonts for text have been used and the boards have been adjusted in design to appeal to older demographics in giving them a sense of familiar design. This includes a new Scrabble Bingo 3-in-1 edition, which features the traditional Scrabble Game, along with Scrabble Pass and Scrabble Pass, along with a 30-second timer to give room for scaling up the difficulty for players who enjoy this.
Trivial Pursuit comes with a new edition that has been called Trivial Pursuit Generations and focuses on popular categories, such as geography, science, nature, sports, leisure, history, art, and literature. Ageless Innovation has put in the extra work to ensure that the new questions, some 1,500 of which, are sorted by generational relevance, and make for an approachable experience.
Ageless Innovation Seeks to Do Good and Realize Market Potential
Last but not least, there is The Game of Life Generations edition which focuses on generational issues such as college debt. Fischer argues that his company and Hasbro are expanding their product lines to appeal to people over the age 65, with 50 million people in the United States of the said age.
This number will double by 2050, says Fischer who has done his market research, and is confident that the board games and toys market for the elderly is going to play an increasing financial role in business decisions.
The products Fischer and the Ageless Innovation invest in though are tailored not just in anticipation of a demographic shift, but also because there is a real need in the health and wellness space when it comes to fun things to do and try.
“Our insights from older adults told us that the game and age-inclusive toys help foster fun and joy and meaningful connections and help combat loneliness and isolation, which we know was a problem during the pandemic, Fischer told CNN.
The Ageless Innovation was founded in 2018 by a team of former Hasbro employees who are interested in tackling this particular vacuum in the space. Now, the two companies can work together on not just filling this space but also innovating it.
Hasbro VP of licensed consumer products, Jess Richardson, recognized that there is resurgence of board games popularity across all age groups, with the elderly proving a good opportunity for the future.