There’s still a lot of noise about “the TikTok generation”.

Short attention spans.
Constant scrolling.
Instant gratification.

And while there’s some truth in there, it’s also… incomplete.

Over the past year, through our Seed Fund research, interviews with kids and parents, and a frankly unhealthy amount of snacks (and reading), we’ve been trying to get past the headlines. Not to label younger players, but to understand how they actually make decisions, what keeps them engaged, and why some experiences stick while others disappear almost instantly.

What we’re seeing isn’t distraction for distraction’s sake. It’s selectivity. Younger players decide quickly, yes – but they’re not careless. They’re filtering.

And that distinction matters.

One thing that keeps coming up across research and our own conversations is that decisions are fast, emotional, and deeply contextual.

Young players aren’t sitting down thinking
“I will now commit 40 minutes to this experience.”

They’re thinking:
Does this look interesting right now?
Do I get what’s going on immediately?
Does it feel like it’s for someone like me?

In our Seed Fund interviews, kids talked far less about genres, platforms, or features. Instead, they focused on things like how something made them feel, whether they could “just have a go”, and whether they understood what they were meant to do without being told.

That emotional gut-check happens in seconds. If it passes, attention follows. If it doesn’t, no amount of clever design hidden underneath really gets a look-in.

One thing that surprised us as this research progressed was how consistently emotion showed up before reasoning.

A lot of Gen Z and Gen Alpha decision-making research points to emotive choice first, rationalisation second. That doesn’t mean younger players are impulsive or careless. It means emotion is the gateway. Logic still matters – it just arrives later.

We saw this clearly when talking about games linked to causes. Younger players weren’t motivated by abstract impact statements or donation totals. They also didn’t talk about how much they donated, instead, they talked about:

• Helping a specific animal

• Contributing to a greater cause

• Feeling like their small actions mattered

• And receiving personalised recognition for their contribution

If you’re a parent watching how your child decides what to play, or a game dev trying to design responsibly for younger audiences, this distinction is important. It changes where effort and time is best spent.

That’s one of the reasons we keep coming back to micro-actions and micro-rewards. Small, repeatable moments that feel good, make emotional sense, and reinforce identity over time. 

We’ve also been thinking a lot about how storytelling connects these motivations.

There’s a noticeable shift away from long, epic narratives towards self-contained story moments that resolve quickly but build meaning.

You see this in education through bitesize learning, social platforms through updates, streaks, daily check ins and the occasional mini side quest. And you see it more frequently in games aimed at younger audiences.

Our research also uncovered that kids consistently respond more to a short situation they can understand, a choice they can make, and a visible outcome.

Each moment doesn’t need to carry the whole story. It just needs to resonate quickly.

It’s less “here is the whole journey” and more, “here’s what’s happening and what happens next”.

That approach is incredibly powerful for games built around strong values. You don’t need to convince a player of everything in one sitting. Trust and meaning build gradually, through repetition, familiarity, and fun.

When we pull all of this together (research, player behaviour, and our own findings) a few design patterns keep resurfacing:

• Those first few seconds matter more than we sometimes want to admit.
  Visual clarity, simple actions, and immediate feedback do a lot of heavy lifting before deeper systems and game mechanics have a chance to take hold.

• Stories don’t need to arrive fully formed.
  Small scenes, small choices, and small consequences can accumulate into something much bigger over time.

• Agency works best when it’s local.
  Every choice should do something the player can see or feel, even if the wider structure stays simple.

• Identity matters.
  Authenticity, inclusion, everyday language, and issues young people actually care about aren’t “nice to have”. They’re table stakes.

One area we’re particularly focussed on is data and trust. If we’re designing for younger audiences, transparency and consent aren’t optional add-ons. They’re part of the experience itself.

There isn’t (yet) a single rulebook for “TikTok generation game design”.

What there is, is a growing body of evidence suggesting that younger players

• Think in moments

• Feel before they analyse

• Attach meaning through repetition rather than lectures

• Want agency without the overwhelm.

This thinking is already shaping how we approach the next stage of what we’re building - not just what we make, but how and why we make it.

And that means building a platform to bring additional revenue to charities and showcase games that respect how young people actually experience the world today - and give them something worth staying for.

Stay Hangry!

Andy & Ceri

The Hangry Animals Team
www.hangryanimals.com

If you’ve not seen this yet, click here and read about how Hangry Animals came about.

👋 Just joined us? 

You can rummage through every past issue on our newsletter homepage in Paragraph.
No paywall, no spam, just pure Hangry.

👍 Got questions or reflections?
Pop them into the #ideas-vault on Discord or email us at hello@hangryanimals.com. 

👉Still want more?

Click here to explore our social channels

There’s still a lot of noise about “the TikTok generation”.

Short attention spans.
Constant scrolling.
Instant gratification.

And while there’s some truth in there, it’s also… incomplete.

Over the past year, through our Seed Fund research, interviews with kids and parents, and a frankly unhealthy amount of snacks (and reading), we’ve been trying to get past the headlines. Not to label younger players, but to understand how they actually make decisions, what keeps them engaged, and why some experiences stick while others disappear almost instantly.

What we’re seeing isn’t distraction for distraction’s sake. It’s selectivity. Younger players decide quickly, yes – but they’re not careless. They’re filtering.

And that distinction matters.

One thing that keeps coming up across research and our own conversations is that decisions are fast, emotional, and deeply contextual.

Young players aren’t sitting down thinking
“I will now commit 40 minutes to this experience.”

They’re thinking:
Does this look interesting right now?
Do I get what’s going on immediately?
Does it feel like it’s for someone like me?

In our Seed Fund interviews, kids talked far less about genres, platforms, or features. Instead, they focused on things like how something made them feel, whether they could “just have a go”, and whether they understood what they were meant to do without being told.

That emotional gut-check happens in seconds. If it passes, attention follows. If it doesn’t, no amount of clever design hidden underneath really gets a look-in.

One thing that surprised us as this research progressed was how consistently emotion showed up before reasoning.

A lot of Gen Z and Gen Alpha decision-making research points to emotive choice first, rationalisation second. That doesn’t mean younger players are impulsive or careless. It means emotion is the gateway. Logic still matters – it just arrives later.

We saw this clearly when talking about games linked to causes. Younger players weren’t motivated by abstract impact statements or donation totals. They also didn’t talk about how much they donated, instead, they talked about:

• Helping a specific animal

• Contributing to a greater cause

• Feeling like their small actions mattered

• And receiving personalised recognition for their contribution

If you’re a parent watching how your child decides what to play, or a game dev trying to design responsibly for younger audiences, this distinction is important. It changes where effort and time is best spent.

That’s one of the reasons we keep coming back to micro-actions and micro-rewards. Small, repeatable moments that feel good, make emotional sense, and reinforce identity over time. 

We’ve also been thinking a lot about how storytelling connects these motivations.

There’s a noticeable shift away from long, epic narratives towards self-contained story moments that resolve quickly but build meaning.

You see this in education through bitesize learning, social platforms through updates, streaks, daily check ins and the occasional mini side quest. And you see it more frequently in games aimed at younger audiences.

Our research also uncovered that kids consistently respond more to a short situation they can understand, a choice they can make, and a visible outcome.

Each moment doesn’t need to carry the whole story. It just needs to resonate quickly.

It’s less “here is the whole journey” and more, “here’s what’s happening and what happens next”.

That approach is incredibly powerful for games built around strong values. You don’t need to convince a player of everything in one sitting. Trust and meaning build gradually, through repetition, familiarity, and fun.

When we pull all of this together (research, player behaviour, and our own findings) a few design patterns keep resurfacing:

• Those first few seconds matter more than we sometimes want to admit.
  Visual clarity, simple actions, and immediate feedback do a lot of heavy lifting before deeper systems and game mechanics have a chance to take hold.

• Stories don’t need to arrive fully formed.
  Small scenes, small choices, and small consequences can accumulate into something much bigger over time.

• Agency works best when it’s local.
  Every choice should do something the player can see or feel, even if the wider structure stays simple.

• Identity matters.
  Authenticity, inclusion, everyday language, and issues young people actually care about aren’t “nice to have”. They’re table stakes.

One area we’re particularly focussed on is data and trust. If we’re designing for younger audiences, transparency and consent aren’t optional add-ons. They’re part of the experience itself.

There isn’t (yet) a single rulebook for “TikTok generation game design”.

What there is, is a growing body of evidence suggesting that younger players

• Think in moments

• Feel before they analyse

• Attach meaning through repetition rather than lectures

• Want agency without the overwhelm.

This thinking is already shaping how we approach the next stage of what we’re building - not just what we make, but how and why we make it.

And that means building a platform to bring additional revenue to charities and showcase games that respect how young people actually experience the world today - and give them something worth staying for.

Stay Hangry!

Andy & Ceri

The Hangry Animals Team
www.hangryanimals.com

If you’ve not seen this yet, click here and read about how Hangry Animals came about.

👋 Just joined us? 

You can rummage through every past issue on our newsletter homepage in Paragraph.
No paywall, no spam, just pure Hangry.

👍 Got questions or reflections?
Pop them into the #ideas-vault on Discord or email us at hello@hangryanimals.com. 

👉Still want more?

Click here to explore our social channels