Video Games and Old Age

[cardero]

Are you an older RF member who enjoys video gaming? Are you hardcore? If you are an elder RF member why or why have you not devoted a good portion of your life playing video games? What stories can RF members relate of playing video games with older friends and family?

What if any is the correlation between older people and not deeply participating in the video gaming experience? Is it a generation reason?

Why do we not have more of our elder members responding in the video gaming forum?

Are contraptions like the Wii a step forward to inducting older people to playing video games?

What kind of game or application would have to be produced to get an older demographic on board to appreciate the hobby of video games?

 

[NoahideHiker]

I think it's a matter of time and priorities.

 

[cardero]

I think it's a matter of time and priorities.

Though I would never purport a video game gene , would the upbringing of a child in a video game environment have some bearing on whether they bring this hobby into their older years? Is it a nostalgia factor or can video games teach any old dog some new tricks? NoahideHiker, what is your age and how and when were you first attracted to video gaming?

 

[BucephalusBB]

Well, I am not really of older age. However, I am old enough to have started in the atari period, not the start, but close to it..

So when is one considered old when it comes to games?

 

[NoahideHiker]

Though I would never purport a video game gene , would the upbringing of a child in a video game environment have some bearing on whether they bring this hobby into their older years? Is it a nostalgia factor or can video games teach any old dog some new tricks? NoahideHiker, what is your age and how and when were you first attracted to video gaming?

I'm 40 and remember the very first time I saw a Space Invaders game. I was mesmerized! I had an Atari 2600 when I was about 11 or 12 and played a lot. I've played games ever since. I just can't find enough hours in the day to play though. I work anywhere from 8-12 hours a day, about an hour on the net, 1-2 hours of working out. I don't even really have time for reading and/or tv much less gaming. However I do find myself winding down with the DS nearly every day for about 20 minutes.

 

[3.14]

my mom + computer = WW3
me + computer = jack in 8 hours a day
my younger relatives are = dvd-internet(barbie)-internet(my little pony)-dvd-nickalodian etc

though this does eqeul out to

my mom 5 hours a day outside
me twice a day outside
my younger relatives, (besides being driven to school) ones a week

 

[Caladan]

Are you an older RF member who enjoys video gaming? Are you hardcore? If you are an elder RF member why or why have you not devoted a good portion of your life playing video games? What stories can RF members relate of playing video games with older friends and family?

Im not a gamer. I have one game installed on my HD, and that is the original Unreal Tournament, for those nights I just want to get on line and blow off some steam in a safe environment (hey cut me some slack im a veteran ).
my golden gaming days where when I was in junior high, me and my friends used to play outside all day long, and at the night play Quests and strategy games on our PCs. this was an era which produced legendary games, mostly quests, highly enjoyable and challenging and even culturally stimulating. I dont know, but I think this era is over, and today games are focused on different elements.

What if any is the correlation between older people and not deeply participating in the video gaming experience? Is it a generation reason?

Like said earlier, priority and time are big factors.

Why do we not have more of our elder members responding in the video gaming forum?

I can speak for myself in saying that im not sure if I want to go into the gaming scene like in my childhood days. dont get me wrong, I would love to get my hands on a great Quest, but I much rather spend my time socializing, spend time outside home etc.

Are contraptions like the Wii a step forward to inducting older people to playing video games?

I dont know, I do see people gettin a Wii and even socializing around it.

What kind of game or application would have to be produced to get an older demographic on board to appreciate the hobby of video games?

Like I said earlier, I miss the Quest genre, and of course I appreciate a good strategy game, personally I can get lots of kicks of on line first person shooters in the spirit of UT.

 

[BucephalusBB]

I used to play Red Alert 2 with my father... He's old..

 

[NoahideHiker]

I can speak for myself in saying that im not sure if I want to go into the gaming scene like in my childhood days. dont get me wrong, I would love to get my hands on a great Quest, but I much rather spend my time socializing, spend time outside home etc.

This is why I have never, nor will I ever play World of Warcraft even once. It would become my life. Haha!

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I'm old enough that my first video game system was an Atari 2600, and I played video games my whole life, but I never constantly nor consistenly played them. I have a number of other, more productive, interests which have always taken most of time anyway. I do like to get into a good game every now and then, but there just really aren't that many I'm interested in playing. I like a good strategy or rpg, but most focus is on making hack n' slash or first person shooter games, which I find boring and repetitive. Still one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences I've ever had is an rpg from the early 90's called Darklands - it's still the best overall open-ended rpg I've ever played, from a gameplay perspective.

 

[larsonmahl]

I'm not into the shoot 'em up kind of games.
I like puzzles and games online where you need to think -- rather than some mindless stuff.