Gaming at the Geritol Age 37
An anonymous reader writes "There's an interesting opinion editorial over on GameDaily.com about all the recent reports regarding the age of gamers, and what it all might mean - if anything - to the hobby." From the article: "When I tell someone that I write about video games, I typically get a pretty enthusiastic response. The few who have looked down on me for having such a job 'at my age' aren't so much numerically older than I am as they're older in mind and spirit. Take for instance my neighbor. I honestly think he considers me less of an adult for playing videogames 'at my age.' That's fine. I think he's odd in general, so we're even. I've been playing video games in one form or another since 1977. That's the majority of my life now. But I'm not alone though. Things are changing in the world of video games. I guess the best way to put it is: it's growing up. I'm not talking about the industry itself, but rather those who actually play the games."
Re:Open Letter to Zonk (Score:1)
Improve your credibility next time by encheferizing your text first.
Re:Open Letter to Zonk (Score:2)
Re:Open Letter to Zonk (Score:3, Funny)
I don't think it's working...
Yeah, but then you get this: (Score:5, Funny)
Age 7: You play your first game of Equinox.
Age 15: You're failing school, but you can pass the skeletons now without trouble
Age 19: Missed your high school graduation, but at last you've conquered the third dungeon
Age 35: No job, no friends, never kissed a girl, but you can now get to the fifth dungeon with ease
Age 52: Heart's giving you trouble, but at least you can beat those green blobs in the sixth dungeon
Age 71: Can't feel the controller, can't see the screen, can't hear the sound. Feeling the breath of the evil empress on your neck, you bequeath the joystick to your grandson.
Age 7: Has to miss grandpa's funeral, but you finally defeated the evil empress. He would have wanted it that way.
Re:Yeah, but then you get this: (Score:5, Funny)
Hold on...following the pattern, how would you have a grandson to bequeath it to?
Re:Yeah, but then you get this: (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Yeah, but then you get this: (Score:1)
Re:Yeah, but then you get this: (Score:1)
Re:Yeah, but then you get this: (Score:2)
Sounds more like a critical hit to me.
The Best Part (Score:2)
It's still mostly uncharted territory. (Score:2)
I imagine old Grampa Ugg the caveman turned his nose up at little Grogg and his young pals' hunting with sharp
Re:It's still mostly uncharted territory. (Score:2)
And we will be doing the same when we're old and grey and these damn kids keep running their mouths off about holographic gaming.
We're also the first generation to grow up with the internet, hybrid vehicles, Islamic (and Christian) fundamentalism, and a lot of other things. We take all of these things for granted while our grandparents just give us the "in my day
Re:It's still mostly uncharted territory. (Score:1)
This Just In (Score:2, Funny)
Gaming: Not just for kids anymore (Score:2, Insightful)
Video games started out mostly for kids. There weren't too many adults that played video games when they were first catching on. Now the "kids" that were playing video games in its infancy are adults and many haven't stopped playing video games.
However, the video game industry hasn't seemed to figure this out for the most part. Sure, there are "mature" games out now, but most of them appeal to the "barely legal" adult d
Re:Gaming: Not just for kids anymore (Score:3, Insightful)
There are some valid reasons for this, and I'm not arguing those. However, as years go by and more and more people over 30 have grown up with video games, the industry really can't afford to continue to ignore this demographic.
I wouldn't say the industry is ignoring this demographic, but it probably is underserved. Still, games like The Sims appeal to the 30-and-up crowd, IMO, as do titles like Star Wars: Empire at War, and of course
Re:Gaming: Not just for kids anymore (Score:2)
The Sims? Please. I tried it for a few days and then gave up. What an awful game.
I play one game on a daily basis - Counter Strike: Source.
Other games I enjoy (or have enjoyed in the past): Gran Turismo 3/4, Need for Speed:Porsche Unleashed, Air Warrior (that's an oldie). Warbirds.
In general, my preference is for multiplayer online near-realistic action games.
Age: 42
Re:Gaming: Not just for kids anymore (Score:2)
Remember when (Score:2)
Generation Gap... (Score:5, Insightful)
Many people live rather sheltered lives outside the things they personally experience. As an example: recently I was talking about taking off my front bike tire to mount it on my car rack, and my 66 year old mother looked like I was from another planet. They didn't have quick release when she was a kid, and she hasn't ridden a bike for probbably 30 years. Even though quick release has been popular for at least 20 years, and you see people using it fairly often it was alien technology to her.
Mature gamers? (Score:2)
You, Sir, have never played Counter-Strike on a public server or followed a fully grown, 3-way free-for-all flame war between Playstation, XBox and Nintendo fanboys. Or did he refer to the Pacman generation?
Why does the _medium_ matter? (Score:2)
But not ok to play video games because it is a different medium?
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Far too many gamers fall victim to the red herring of game realism, when they are really complaining about lack of consistency.
Been gaming since the beginning (Score:2)
We got "Super" Pong for our 8 inch B&W Sony portable around 1976 and from that point on always had some kind of computer system in the house.
My father (68) is a Half Life 2 junky. Just yesterday he emailed a dea
Re:Been gaming since the beginning (Score:1)
What I really want to know is how do you hold onto your GF when your clothes are stinky?
I dunno... (Score:1)
I still enjoy playing FPS and sim games at 55. I'm not good ... but good enough to enjoy myself. I'd like to think that continued practice at realtime decision making is good mental exerci
Funny... (Score:1)
Most of my friends do play computer games now, but I still consider it 'not so good' to spend much time playing games...
*(NaeRey hides from the angry-looking crowd)*
Card games (Score:2)