Video gaming offers something for every age and demographic imaginable; Gen Z gamers may prefer competitive titles, while millennials seek more socially engaging experiences in their gaming sessions.
Young gamers tend to favour sandbox, survival, and fighting games, but for older generations? What are their preferred video game genres? Read on!
1. Rainbow Six Siege
Every round in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege presents an opportunity for tactical innovation. Players face off against each other during missions, with each operator using unique gadgets. Siege may not be suitable for newcomers due to its large maps and unique interactions between operators, which may not be well explained in supplementary content, making learning the ropes time-consuming and demanding of practice.
Ubisoft immerses players in a warzone experience, placing them in perilous situations and compelling a reserved approach to avoid getting killed. Without health regeneration, every life becomes precious, heightening tension with every encounter. At launch, which will be expanded free over the year ahead, there will be ten multiplayer maps with domestic settings like deserted planes on Heathrow runways, training camps in Hereford, and snowed-in department stores in Moscow; plus, these places feature B&Q aesthetic elements like balsa wood panels, which can be broken apart with breaching bombs!
Ubisoft’s lack of clan infrastructure and an eSports mode to encourage players to join teams is cause for alarm, as is its absence of an engaging single-player mode.
Rocket League, a vehicle-based soccer experience with an engaging soundtrack and immersive multiplayer progression, is another top pick for Gen Z gamers. Additionally, Id Software’s Hellfire will allow for plenty of demon-killing fun as players battle through Hell with clever arsenals and thrilling traversal features to satisfy your cravings for violence.
2. Rocket League
Rocket League is an impressive demonstration of how an indie video game can achieve success without spending on marketing efforts. First released as an unexpected PS4 hit in 2015, its combination of soccer and cars quickly rose to fame among gamers of all kinds, creating an extraordinary success story without needing expensive advertisements to promote itself. Now with an active community and varied modes to offer an unmatched gaming experience. Today, it remains one of the greatest titles of this generation.
Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB). It features vibrant graphics that will appeal to children and young people who appreciate fast-paced action, chaotic multiplayer games, short matches to accommodate limited attention spans and the competitive aspect that makes the game compulsive playback.
Rocket League epitomises what makes an excellent game: easy to pick up but difficult to master. The customisable car and football’sports’ concept is both accessible and satisfying for newcomers, while its intricate team-based strategy adds depth. Meanwhile, its beautiful graphics captivate players’ eyes, while its sound design stands out among free-to-play titles.
Rocket League is a fantastic video game suitable for all generations, but especially so on the Nintendo Switch. Playing with friends is always enjoyable and being able to arrange private online matches that only include teams in your friend list is fantastic. While early servers and somewhat repetitive AI opponents may cause some inconveniences, the sheer flexibility of Rocket League across platforms is remarkable.
Psyonix developers deserve praise for creating such an enjoyable multiplayer title as GTA V, which stands up against even the greatest titles from this generation. Everyone should own it for themselves!
3. Minecraft
Minecraft, one of the world’s most beloved video games ever made, has become an influential cultural touchstone. Played by millions across every nation imaginable, including Antarctica and Vatican City, millions have played it worldwide, from Antarctica to Vatican City; hundreds of gaming influencers were launched because of this game; its initial shelf life lasted five years before reappearing later; it even inspired modern game design approaches for open worlds with emergent gameplay elements modelled on Minecraft.
This sandbox game allows players to design their own worlds and explore them however they please, which provides gamers with an ideal way to exercise creativity while learning implicitly through play. Furthermore, the social space created by Minecraft has fostered an incredible sense of community and collaboration, along with producing fan content such as videos, guides, and mods, as well as being released across various platforms such as Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, mobile devices, and virtual reality.
Minecraft has had an enormous influence on gaming culture, and YPulse’s Metaverse Trend Report shows that Gen Z particularly enjoys virtual world games as an outlet. They play these virtual environments to socialise with friends or express themselves, sometimes spending more time engrossed in them than engaging in real-life activities.
Minecraft may appear simplistic at first glance, yet its rich and fascinating history makes it one of the most influential titles of this generation. Minecraft defined our generation’s gaming landscape and will likely remain so for some time to come.
4. Roblox
This platform allows players to design and build their own worlds. While some players create simple games or virtual rooms for friends to hang out in, others go further by turning their creations into businesses that make millions every year. It is a very social and interactive game that encourages teamwork and cooperation among its participants; additionally, children learning coding may find this beneficial as well.
Roblox remains an overlooked game despite its immense popularity; it is more often seen as a children’s game rather than having over 100 million active users like Minecraft or Fortnite. This lack of coverage may explain its relatively low appreciation by media outlets.
Brands are taking full advantage of the metaverse and all its possibilities, from Nike creating non-fungible tokens of its best-selling shoes for Roblox gaming to Gucci offering shop experiences where gamers can buy designer clothing for their avatars. Gen Z doesn’t fear investing in digital items either; in fact, they relish the idea of earning real-world currency through games and purchasing virtual products to customise their avatars.
Parents should educate their kids about these risks and monitor how much time their kids spend gaming, in addition to how long they play. Parents can use this as an opportunity to talk about keeping personal data private online and the necessity of not giving out information to strangers. If kids experience anything that makes them uncomfortable online, make sure they know how to report it and seek assistance from trusted adults immediately if anything arises that makes them uncomfortable. Also, ensure devices and consoles remain within shared family spaces so adults are aware of what games their children are playing and who is interacting with whom.
5. Call of Duty
Call of Duty remains one of the most beloved video game franchises around, boasting more than two decades of success within its FPS genre.
Although the franchise has changed, it continues to deliver fast-paced action and engaging gameplay, drawing in more fans each year as new releases arrive and creating a dedicated following of players that follow along for each edition of the game.
Call of Duty was a trailblazer at its time, introducing features and advancements other games had difficulty imitating or matching. Its campaign was both captivating and historic, while its multiplayer introduced players to a level of skill and strategy they hadn’t witnessed before.
Treyarch made great strides with 2010’s Black Ops 2 to demonstrate they could lead the Call of Duty franchise without depending on Infinity Ward for direction. Its story focused on conspiracy theories surrounding the JFK assassination and the Bay of Pigs fiasco, while its gameplay featured verticality and constant movement with its exo-suit gameplay.
Modern Warfare 2 carried on this legacy with its thrilling and engaging campaign that offered both an adrenaline rush and strategic shooter elements. Multiplayer was also an unqualified success, cementing itself as the top first-person shooter.
COD: Call of Duty finally made its mobile debut but is now one of the most beloved console games on TikTok. Offering 5v5 team deathmatch and zombies action as free-to-play modes, COD appeals to gamers of all ages and interests alike.
