Games are no longer enjoyable

[ej52835288]

And barely playable because of the new smaller format. AARP is supposed to be serving retirees, and a lot of us don't have the eyesight we used to have. The new format is a strain on old eyes and I'll probably have to stop playing them. I may just cancel our membership over this, as there is no other reason to visit the AARP website.

[AARPMichaelP]

Dear AARP Games Users,

Thank you for reaching out to let us know what you are experiencing after the launch of the Theater Mode feature in the Members-Only games. It has been determined that the technology used to create the feature optimizes the experience for a browser Zoom level of 100%. If your browser setting is higher than that, we suggest setting it at 100% while playing.

This update has been applied to all games in preparation for a full rollout of Theater Mode throughout the site. As such, it is recommended to use a 100% browser Zoom setting for all game play.

We will be rolling out the new feature to all games over the next several weeks and appreciate your patience as we ramp up. We hope you will find Theater Mode a valuable feature that will enhance your game play on AARP Games. 

[b58635c]

Don't understand the new games.

[AARPMichaelP]

UPDATE: We appreciate your feedback on this thread and have some updated information. The game play area on public games remains the same size as the enhanced version was before the rollout of Theater mode for our Members games. That is, it takes up 2/3 the size of the screen.

With the change, you no longer have to click on an icon to make the screen bigger, because it already is the larger size (about 12% bigger than the previous smaller default size).

Some had other issues with the game play area change and we apologize for the inconvenience. We have been able to help many through one-on-one conversations and are happy to try to help you.

Please provide your operating system, browser type and versions (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, etc.) and a couple of screen captures to show us what you are experiencing.  We will do our best to help you get back to playing your games. 

[melandsky]

Theatre mode is on all my games. 

[ThedaM76109]

Totally agree.  Games are only reason I log in,  Frustrating to feel that there is no agency to get them to un-fix what was not broken. 

And, how old were the people who thought this was a good idea?  Certainly not my age.....

[AARPMichaelP]

Hi @ej52835288. I am sorry to hear about the size issue you are experiencing. 

We recently launched Theater Mode. Here are two links which explain more:

NEW from AARP: Theater Mode

Play Members-Only Games in Theater Mode

The screen size icon that existed to increase the size of the game by about 10% is no longer on our public games due to the launch of Theater Mode. 

We suggest holding down both the CTRL and the + keys at the same time to increase the screen size. To reduce the screen size simply hold down both the CTRL and - keys. 

I hope this helps!

[melandsky]

That does not help. I've tried everything I used to do and more, Please put the games back the way they were. 

[AARPLynne]

Hi, @melandsky, have you tried to set your browser Zoom level to 100%? Find out more in our Tip Use Browser Zoom Setting of 100% for Optimum Game Play.

[SallyN854284]

Zoom level 100% was even worse...  I had mine set at 200 adjusted to 150 and it is now simi seeable.  still too small.

[AARPLynne]

Hi, @SallyN854284, thanks for trying the 100% zoom setting. Can you share what type of device you're playing on, as well as the browser? We also want to see if your computer/device, in general, meets the minimum system requirements as follows.

Hardware requirements:

1.5 GHz processor

Windows OS: Windows 10

macOS: Mojave (v10.14)

Resolution: 1024x768

2 Mb/s internet connection

JavaScript enabled

Desktop browsers:

Chrome 93

Edge 93

Firefox 91

Safari 13

Mobile devices browsers:

Chrome 90

Safari 13

Mobile devices OS:

iOS 13

Android 9

[AARPLynne]

Hardware requirements:

1.5 GHz processor

Windows OS: Windows 10

macOS: Mojave (v10.14)

Resolution: 1024x768

2 Mb/s internet connection

JavaScript enabled

Desktop browsers:

Chrome 93

Edge 93

Firefox 91

Safari 13

Mobile devices browsers:

Chrome 90

Safari 13

Mobile devices OS:

iOS 13

Android 9

[ThedaM76109]

Games are square, theater mode is rectangular.  This does not help. 

Games are now too small to see easily, and are no longer enjoyable or playable.  So, now you have taken away my major benefit of aarp. 

I bet there are a Lot of complaints, but it is difficult to figure out how to give any feedback. 

Please put it back to what it was. 

[bg6476]

Backgammon does not have theater mode!

It's so small I can't see it on a 27" monitor!

[KD309152]

You know, one of the reasons I  specifically liked AARP games was: NO COMMERCIALS!  I could sit back, maybe read a relevant AARP article, play a game AND RELAX. There were no useless distractions. Plus, for me as an older  person/AARP member,  the game size was great.  So to date you've added commercials ( I can watch Streaming with Ads, or TV if I want those) and made the screen smaller! NOT helpful... and yes, you have 'Theater Mode' but It's just a gimmick that makes more work in trying to get to a game.  And this excludes older people - who now can't see the small size -  in a time when we're trying to bring people together! Age-ism! No thank you.  Sorry, I won't be playing AARP games any longer.

[AARPMichaelP]

@KD309152 AARP Games is an advertising-supported site. Thanks to this model we can offer our players a great range of games, including exclusive games, features and programs found only at AARP. In our new Theater Mode, a single ad will be displayed on the bottom of the screen. We strive for providing you an excellent casual gaming experience and helping you keep play in your life!