DB Bauer, Christine Tomlinson
ABSTRACT:
Age is a fundamental element of identity, yet its impact and role in play experiences remain understudied in digital games. While age is influential in shaping our social experiences and the expectations others have of us – from perceived competence to authority and relational dynamics – it remains largely undefined or only implicitly conveyed in role-playing games (RPGs). To address this gap, this article examines how age is constructed, perceived, experienced, and constrained through game design and play. Furthermore, we explore how these constructions shape player agency, immersion, and identity expression in-game. This qualitative analysis of two recent RPGs analyses data from both game content and online forum discussions, allowing for the conceptual development of age layering and playerage to represent the emergent, situated experiences of age within digital games. We find that age-related cues communicated through game design can contribute to flexible role-playing experiences and, if imposed after being loosely defined, can also disrupt immersion and constrain player agency. These impacts are especially salient in the contexts of character creation and in-game romance. Ultimately, we argue that age can be a powerful design affordance, yet remains underdeveloped in game studies and design. We also outline implications for improving RPG design.
KEY WORDS:
age, Baldur’s Gate 3, digital games, Dragon Age, game design, identity, role-playing games.
DOI:
10.34135/actaludologica.2026-9-1.4-20
HOW TO CITE:
Bauer, DB, & Tomlinson, Ch. (2026). Design, agency, and in-game self: Understanding the constraints of age in digital games. Acta Ludologica, 9(1), 4-20. http://doi.org/10.34135/actaludologica.2026-9-1.4-20
Design, Agency, and In-Game Self: Understanding the Constraints of Age in Digital Games © 2026 by DB Bauer, Christine Tomlinson is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0
