  The emergence and prevalence of cooperative behavior within a group of
selfish individuals remains a puzzle for \text{evolutionary game theory}
precisely because it conflicts directly with the central idea of natural
selection. Accordingly, in recent years, the search for an understanding of how
cooperation can be stimulated, even when it conflicts with individual interest,
has intensified. We investigate the emergence of cooperation in an
age-structured evolutionary spatial game. In it, players age with time and the
payoff that they receive after each round \text{depends on} their age. \text{We
find that t}he outcome of the game is strongly influenced by the type of
distribution used to modify the payoffs according to the age of each player.
The results show that, under certain circumstances, cooperators may not only
survive but dominate the population.
