Older gamers

*Prowler* · 02-20-2018, 02:05 PM

How many do you know? By older I mean people aged 50-55 and above. I'm curious about how they got into gaming considering games weren't really a thing when they were kids. My mother never cared for games and finds it difficult to understand why someone aged 18 and above would play them still, despite knowing there's games for every age group out there. Other older people have also told me they find games a waste of time and that young people should go out more. And the ones who understand the phenomenon just aren't able to get the hang of the controllers.

By "gamers" I don't mean old people who played Wii Sports a few times or have Bejeweled on their phones, btw. I normally don't like the term "gamer" but I just wanted to make it clear that I mean people aged 55 and above who are into games as much as younger people are.

Seems like a random thread, but I'm curious. Thoughts?

*FredWolfLeonardo* · 02-20-2018, 02:29 PM

Haven't seen any people in their 40s who are actively into video games, let alone old people lol.

But I do have a feeling that when our current generation becomes old, we will eventually start revisiting nostalgic titles and create a trend where old people start playing games from the 90s/2000s or something.They're pretty easy to access nowdays too thanks to emulators and I imagine that the trend of convenience will become even better in the distant future.

*Prowler* · 02-20-2018, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FredWolfLeonardo

Haven't seen any people in their 40s who are actively into video games, let alone old people lol.

But I do have a feeling that when our current generation becomes old, we will eventually start revisiting nostalgic titles and create a trend where old people start playing games from the 90s/2000s or something.They're pretty easy to access nowdays too thanks to emulators and I imagine that the trend of convenience will become even better in the distant future.

I saw once a guy playing Ultra Street Fighter II at an electronics store. Appearances can be deceiving, but he looked he like he was at least 50 already. The other day I talked to this middle aged guy who told me that he knows some people of his age bracket that play games, but not as much as people aged 35 and below, though.

*Powder* · 02-20-2018, 03:07 PM

My Mom's not a gamer anymore, but throughout the 90's, in her 30's/40's she was. My half-brother had a Gameboy which my mom took interest in & played when he was asleep or whatever, ended up getting her own. Then when SNES dropped, she asked for it as a birthday gift. It was through her that I got into games. She was huge on Tetris, Mario, Zelda, DK, etc, all the key stuff. She stopped following games in the early 2000's, GBA was her last console. Now she just plays stuff online, though once in a blue moon she'll ask me to play my SNES or pop in to watch me play her faves.

I don't really know people in that age-range otherwise.

Should I live to be a senior, I could definitely see myself actively taking part. I've made it this far without losing interest. Still a hardcore Nintendo guy.

*Prowler* · 02-20-2018, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Powder

My Mom's not a gamer anymore, but throughout the 90's, in her 30's/40's she was. My half-brother had a Gameboy which my mom took interest in & played when he was asleep or whatever, ended up getting her own. Then when SNES dropped, she asked for it as a birthday gift. It was through her that I got into games. She was huge on Tetris, Mario, Zelda, DK, etc, all the key stuff. She stopped following games in the early 2000's, GBA was her last console. Now she just plays stuff online, though once in a blue moon she'll ask me to play my SNES or pop in to watch me play her faves.

I don't really know people in that age-range otherwise.

Should I live to be a senior, I could definitely see myself actively taking part. I've made it this far without losing interest. Still a hardcore Nintendo guy.

I think the only time me and my brother got our mother to play games for a bit was when we got the Wii in 2007 and let her play Wii Sports for a bit. She found it fun for half an hour haha.

Well I suppose i'll be playing games when I'm an old man as well. Unless the industry dies or takes a nosedive, I don't see why not.

*CyberCubed* · 02-20-2018, 03:17 PM

I get the feeling that our generation will be the first generation to still play games in our 50's+ regularly.

You have to realize our parents generation did not grow up with videogames. They grew up knowing them as Arcade games like Space Invaders or Pacman. Or Pong. They were a generation before videogames became a thing people played regularly. That's why our parents always used to say, "You're supposed to outgrow videogames" or "You're too old to be playing videogames" etc.

It wasn't until the NES came out in 1985 and Nintendo/Sega made games popular among kids in the 80's and 90's that we had our first videogame generation. Then the Playstation and PS2 came out making videogames more mainstream for casuals in the late 90's and early 2000's. And nowadays it seems like all the people who play games are now in their late 20's through 30's. And that's because all the 30+ year olds playing games now were the original kid fans from the 80's and 90's.

*Storm Eagle* · 02-20-2018, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prowler

By "gamers" I don't mean old people who played Wii Sports a few times or have Bejeweled on their phones, btw. I normally don't like the term "gamer" but I just wanted to make it clear that I mean people aged 55 and above who are into games as much as younger people are.

Can I just ask you why you have issues with the term "gamer"? I know others have expressed disdain towards it, but I personally never had any qualms about it.

*Turo602* · 02-20-2018, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Storm Eagle

Can I just ask you why you have issues with the term "gamer"? I know others have expressed disdain towards it, but I personally never had any qualms about it.

Same here. I never understood why some people don't like the word. For me, it's just a simple way to describe people who play games or have interest in video games regularly.

*CyberCubed* · 02-20-2018, 09:59 PM

Because it's a label. It's like the people who self-proclaim themselves as "geeks" or "nerds." Like "I'm a videogame geek." Or "I'm a Star Wars nerd."

There's also a negative stigma surrounded to labels. If you say you're a gamer, it gives people the image that you do nothing but sit home all day and play videogames and live in your parents basement. On the other hand if you say you play videogames, it makes it look like you have a normal life.

*Cure* · 02-20-2018, 10:09 PM

Yeah, pretty much what CyberCubed said. Any label is the worst.

*Storm Eagle* · 02-20-2018, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Because it's a label. It's like the people who self-proclaim themselves as "geeks" or "nerds." Like "I'm a videogame geek." Or "I'm a Star Wars nerd."

There's also a negative stigma surrounded to labels. If you say you're a gamer, it gives people the image that you do nothing but sit home all day and play videogames and live in your parents basement. On the other hand if you say you play videogames, it makes it look like you have a normal life.

That makes sense, although there are people who would still judge the hell out of anyone who even simply says they play video games, or if they see someone playing a video game. I was at the car dealership some months ago, getting the car inspected, and as I was waiting in the waiting area, I was passing the time by playing a game on my 3DS. This man who looked to be in his late 40s or early 50s sitting next to me assumed that I play games for hours just because of that. I told him that it hadn't even been an hour. In fact, it was more like half an hour. He said his son plays Call of Duty for hours on end.

*Turo602* · 02-21-2018, 12:29 AM

Honestly, I don't get caught up in what people think. I think the labels exist for a reason. I mean, if you go around professing that you're a gamer or that you're such a nerd for this, then that makes you look like an attention seeking loser. But at the same time, people are going to judge you for anything. Whether you're Black, Mexican, Christian, or Atheist, people will have some sort of deluded thought of you, but that doesn't mean we should start ditching the labels.

02-20-2018, 02:05 PM	#1
Prowler Emperor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Portugal Posts: 8,909	Older gamers How many do you know? By older I mean people aged 50-55 and above. I'm curious about how they got into gaming considering games weren't really a thing when they were kids. My mother never cared for games and finds it difficult to understand why someone aged 18 and above would play them still, despite knowing there's games for every age group out there. Other older people have also told me they find games a waste of time and that young people should go out more. And the ones who understand the phenomenon just aren't able to get the hang of the controllers. By "gamers" I don't mean old people who played Wii Sports a few times or have Bejeweled on their phones, btw. I normally don't like the term "gamer" but I just wanted to make it clear that I mean people aged 55 and above who are into games as much as younger people are. Seems like a random thread, but I'm curious. Thoughts?

02-20-2018, 03:07 PM	#4
Powder So tired of this place Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Shell Ri La Posts: 26,809	My Mom's not a gamer anymore, but throughout the 90's, in her 30's/40's she was. My half-brother had a Gameboy which my mom took interest in & played when he was asleep or whatever, ended up getting her own. Then when SNES dropped, she asked for it as a birthday gift. It was through her that I got into games. She was huge on Tetris, Mario, Zelda, DK, etc, all the key stuff. She stopped following games in the early 2000's, GBA was her last console. Now she just plays stuff online, though once in a blue moon she'll ask me to play my SNES or pop in to watch me play her faves. I don't really know people in that age-range otherwise. Should I live to be a senior, I could definitely see myself actively taking part. I've made it this far without losing interest. Still a hardcore Nintendo guy. __________________ I'm convinced that none of you have ever experienced joy

02-20-2018, 10:09 PM	#10
Cure Y'all need Jesus Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: New Jersey Posts: 8,938	Yeah, pretty much what CyberCubed said. Any label is the worst. __________________ Last edited by Cure; 02-20-2018 at 11:53 PM.

02-21-2018, 12:29 AM	#12
Turo602 The King of Kings Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Chicago Illinois Posts: 2,931	Honestly, I don't get caught up in what people think. I think the labels exist for a reason. I mean, if you go around professing that you're a gamer or that you're such a nerd for this, then that makes you look like an attention seeking loser. But at the same time, people are going to judge you for anything. Whether you're Black, Mexican, Christian, or Atheist, people will have some sort of deluded thought of you, but that doesn't mean we should start ditching the labels. __________________

02-20-2018, 03:17 PM	#6
CyberCubed Overlord Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 41,053	I get the feeling that our generation will be the first generation to still play games in our 50's+ regularly. You have to realize our parents generation did not grow up with videogames. They grew up knowing them as Arcade games like Space Invaders or Pacman. Or Pong. They were a generation before videogames became a thing people played regularly. That's why our parents always used to say, "You're supposed to outgrow videogames" or "You're too old to be playing videogames" etc. It wasn't until the NES came out in 1985 and Nintendo/Sega made games popular among kids in the 80's and 90's that we had our first videogame generation. Then the Playstation and PS2 came out making videogames more mainstream for casuals in the late 90's and early 2000's. And nowadays it seems like all the people who play games are now in their late 20's through 30's. And that's because all the 30+ year olds playing games now were the original kid fans from the 80's and 90's.

02-20-2018, 09:59 PM	#9
CyberCubed Overlord Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 41,053	Because it's a label. It's like the people who self-proclaim themselves as "geeks" or "nerds." Like "I'm a videogame geek." Or "I'm a Star Wars nerd." There's also a negative stigma surrounded to labels. If you say you're a gamer, it gives people the image that you do nothing but sit home all day and play videogames and live in your parents basement. On the other hand if you say you play videogames, it makes it look like you have a normal life.