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Old 02-20-2018, 02:05 PM   #1
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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?
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Old 02-20-2018, 02:29 PM   #2
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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.
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Old 02-20-2018, 02:35 PM   #3
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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.
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Old 02-20-2018, 03:07 PM   #4
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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.
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Old 02-20-2018, 03:13 PM   #5
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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.
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Old 02-20-2018, 03:17 PM   #6
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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.
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Old 02-20-2018, 03:18 PM   #7
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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 n 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.
before the NES there was Atari and also Amiga and the Spectrum tho. Many people aged 35-42 I've met tarted gaming with the ZX Spectrum. You prolly have not heard of it since it was mostly a European thing. Same for Commodore 64, I think.
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Old 02-20-2018, 09:44 PM   #8
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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.
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Old 02-20-2018, 09:54 PM   #9
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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.
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Old 02-20-2018, 09:59 PM   #10
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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.
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Old 02-20-2018, 10:09 PM   #11
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Yeah, pretty much what CyberCubed said. Any label is the worst.
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Old 02-20-2018, 10:36 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by CyberCubed View Post
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.
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Old 02-21-2018, 12:29 AM   #13
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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.
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Old 02-21-2018, 12:47 PM   #14
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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.
I guess basically what CyberCubed and Cure said.

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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.
What do you mean? He blurted that out to you out of the blue? A bit rude of him considering he doesn't know you.

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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.
That's a bit different. Your race/ethnicity is not something you can change/control. It's something inherent to you. While you could just suddenly decide to never play video games again from tomorrow on and thus would stop being a "gamer".
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Old 02-21-2018, 01:16 PM   #15
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What do you mean? He blurted that out to you out of the blue? A bit rude of him considering he doesn't know you.

He asked me how I can play video games for an hour. Like I said though, it hadn't even been an hour, and it was more like HALF an hour. Besides, an hour of playing video games is nothing. The car inspection actually didn't really take a whole hour either. I just always like to have something with me to keep me occupied while I wait on lines, at the doctor's office, riding on public transportation, plane rides, or whatever. There are times where I'll have a book to read. That time, I had a video game that I could work on. Still, I didn't need some dude half-assedly judging me on it.
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Old 02-21-2018, 01:41 PM   #16
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He asked me how I can play video games for an hour. Like I said though, it hadn't even been an hour, and it was more like HALF an hour. Besides, an hour of playing video games is nothing. The car inspection actually didn't really take a whole hour either. I just always like to have something with me to keep me occupied while I wait on lines, at the doctor's office, riding on public transportation, plane rides, or whatever. There are times where I'll have a book to read. That time, I had a video game that I could work on. Still, I didn't need some dude half-assedly judging me on it.
Yeah, quite rude of him to just ask a stranger that out of the blue. Guess he was bored waiting for his turn and wanted an excuse to start a conversation lol

I really don't bring my 3DS with me when I go out asides from using the spotpass and streetpass feature. I don'r really take long enough public transportation rides or wait long enough in lines on a daily basis in order to need my 3DS to keep myself entertained for an hour or so. If I have 10-15 minutes to wait for something I just brag my phone and browse the internet or play a quick mobile game.

A book I really need some time to read it. I dunno how you read, but I'm nto the type of person who can only read 10-15 mins at a time and then put down the book. I usually read in periods ranging from 30-40 mins to one hour in a half or so.
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Old 02-21-2018, 01:43 PM   #17
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I'm 41, from exactly the generation Cubed mentioned. Yes, I still game (infrequently). I am a gamer, and have been since my parents got our first computer, a (then first-rate tech) TI 99/4A. My first games on it were Parsec, Sneggit, and Alpiner. I also played the original console versions of Pong and Star Wars. Yes, I have been gaming THAT long. My first pure game console was the NES, and my stepdad used to play it with me, and sometimes he even ran through games on his own. It was one of the few things we actually did together. Mario Bros, Big Bass, Bigfoot monster trucks) and Top Gun were a few of the ones we both played. I also had the first Zelda, TMNT, and Last Starfighter. I still play on my 360 (don't have anything newer) fairly often, as well as games like Fate and Neverwinter Nights on my PC. Mine is the first generation of ACTUAL gamers, but even my parents' generation gamed a bit from time to time as family fun activities.
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Old 02-21-2018, 01:50 PM   #18
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I'm 41, from exactly the generation Cubed mentioned. Yes, I still game (infrequently). I am a gamer, and have been since my parents got our first computer, a (then first-rate tech) TI 99/4A. My first games on it were Parsec, Sneggit, and Alpiner. I also played the original console versions of Pong and Star Wars. Yes, I have been gaming THAT long. My first pure game console was the NES, and my stepdad used to play it with me, and sometimes he even ran through games on his own. It was one of the few things we actually did together. Mario Bros, Big Bass, Bigfoot monster trucks) and Top Gun were a few of the ones we both played. I also had the first Zelda, TMNT, and Last Starfighter. I still play on my 360 (don't have anything newer) fairly often, as well as games like Fate and Neverwinter Nights on my PC. Mine is the first generation of ACTUAL gamers, but even my parents' generation gamed a bit from time to time as family fun activities.
41 isn't really that old for gaming. People who are now 41 years old were born in 1977. Meaning they were 7-8 years old when the NES came out, which is a very normal age to get into video games still. Or hell, could even get into them before with Atari and other consoles at the time. In Europe there was the ZX Spectrum.

I'm talking about people aged 55 and above here. I know there's some old people who are into games but they're a minority. I asked this same question to some people and two of them told me they have fathers who are aged about 67-70 years old and love games. Someone aged 70 today was born in 1947-1948, meaning they already got into games when they were adults. I guess some people are more open to the evolution of technology than others. My grandparents never bothered to learn how ot use a mobile phone, let alone a computer, but there«s definitely many old people out there who use and own mobile phones and computers.
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Old 02-21-2018, 02:05 PM   #19
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Actually, I was born at the tail end of '76. The thing is, video games didn't even EXIST until my generation, so older people largely didn't even know about them until they became big in the 80's, and those were mostly in arcades- places that catered mainly only to kids and teens. Many adults either didn't understand the appeal, or felt they were some fad for kids only. It's as much a generation gap thing as it is a lack of interest. Adults over 50 mostly just don't "get it" unless they were still sort of in that transitional stage themselves when video gaming was born.

(Though there WAS an "adult gamer culture" even back then, as early 20-somethings began to hang out in them and play competitively against others, mostly for bets or bragging rights. The movie Tron actually illustrates this with the scenes in Flynn's arcade, and so does the movie The Wizard.)

But as I said, my dad played games both alone and with me when I was growing up, so some older folks DID, and some still do, game. As far as my parents, he and my mom both play games on their phones regularly, and have a few on their home pc as well.
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Old 02-21-2018, 03:55 PM   #20
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Yeah, quite rude of him to just ask a stranger that out of the blue. Guess he was bored waiting for his turn and wanted an excuse to start a conversation lol

I really don't bring my 3DS with me when I go out asides from using the spotpass and streetpass feature. I don'r really take long enough public transportation rides or wait long enough in lines on a daily basis in order to need my 3DS to keep myself entertained for an hour or so. If I have 10-15 minutes to wait for something I just brag my phone and browse the internet or play a quick mobile game.

A book I really need some time to read it. I dunno how you read, but I'm nto the type of person who can only read 10-15 mins at a time and then put down the book. I usually read in periods ranging from 30-40 mins to one hour in a half or so.
Well he told me that his son plays Call of Duty for several hours straight, and I told him that it doesn't mean I do the same thing. Some people I told about this incident said that he was probably trying to start a legitimate conversation with me. Nothing wrong with that, but he just needed to come correct. Particularly the part where he assumed I had been playing for an hour when it was only about half an hour.

What I do to keep myself occupied depends on the situation also. I thought the usual waiting period during a car inspection was suitable for playing a video game, and even reading a book. If I'm waiting on a line at a store, I'll just go on my phone, and I might even have a book.
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