Author Topic: Who says you're too old to play video games?  (Read 6627 times)

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Offline Medea Fleecestealer

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Who says you're too old to play video games?
« on: 27 August 2018, 07:50:35 »
Found this this morning on the BBC News website.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-44862968/silver-snipers-the-gaming-team-with-an-average-age-of-67

I can relate since I'm in the same age range.

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Offline CrocMagnum

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Re: Who says you're too old to play video games?
« Reply #1 on: 28 August 2018, 13:17:10 »
Much obliged for bringing this up, MedeaFleacestealer. ;D This is quite topical subject, maybe more than some people might think.^^

On this matter, Warren Spector, the famous developer behind Deus Ex, talked about this in his keynote speech at the the DICE Summit in 2013. A very insightful discussion about the fact that Gamers are getting older. Here's the vid, I encourage people to listen to it:

Warren Spector "Growth of Adult Gaming" - Full Keynote Speech - D.I.C.E. SUMMIT 2013 (Youtube)

Here’s what I said, somewhere else, about this subject a few years ago:

"Two weeks ago Warren Spector, the guy behind Deus Ex, made a very interesting speech.  As always Spector is verbose, but I found many of his comments fascinating:

1) The Graying of Gaming

Gamers got older. The average age of gamers is arounds 30 nowadays (33 in France, 30 in the US) [Edit: in 2013]. When you hit the 30's life takes it toll on you. If everything goes smoothly you have a job, a partner and even kids maybe. It's very hard to devote 100 hours/month for a game, here's what Warren Spector said:

Quote
So you know we’ve lived through the transition from Geek Entertainment to almost Mainstream Medium anyway. But there is something that’s different: We’re different !...We are getting older…As a young gamer I needed 100 hours of gaming. I needed it, you know…I could ditch anything in my life and focus on games…20s and 30s and 40s something not so much. All of a sudden there’s competition for your time…I got to the point where a 20 hour game: perfect…You just don’t have the time anymore…But there’s more just that the time…It’s about the content…(4 :33 min)

2) Adult Content

Seeing we got older, he’s encouraging Developpers and Publishers to make games for a somewhat Senior audience. More mature games. To illustrate his point his mentioned 2 games which made a big impression on him: Heavy Rain and The Walking Dead. By the way I never played these, so if anyone of you played them I’d gladly hear their opinion, Warren Spector said:

Quote
I want content that is relevant to my life, that is relevant to me, that is set in the real world…If we’re gonna reach a broader audience, we have to stop thinking about that audience strictly in terms of teenage boys, or even teenage girls. We need to think about things that are relevant to normal humans.(9:22)
...
But the really cool thing, the thing that blew my mind about those two games [Heavy Rain and The Walking Dead] was that they weren’t just about, you know, ideal Nordic bodybuilding heroes and they weren’t about like big events. They celebrated the ordinary, the quotidian,  the everyday, they made a dinner compelling, they made a hug compelling, they made playing with the kid compelling,…when you can make every day activities as compelling and cool and as fun as a firefight I think you’ve really accomplished something…They kinda changed the way I think…obviously these games are in my design real house…(9:50 min)"

Edit CrocMagnum: what can I add in 2018:

- if the average age of gamers was around 30 years in 2013, maybe we can extrapolate to 2018; an average age of 35?,

- consequently most gamers have financial autonomy nowadays. In the past it was usually the Family who bought games for their kids,

- from a developer perspective, when you sell games to players around 35 or more, you can expect most of these customers to have "Political Views". Compared to 25 years ago this is quite new. But that's a whole different subject.^^
« Last Edit: 28 August 2018, 13:49:01 by CrocMagnum »

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Offline Medea Fleecestealer

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Re: Who says you're too old to play video games?
« Reply #2 on: 28 August 2018, 14:06:19 »
Well, it seems to be a bit of a marketing campaign by Lenovo since they sponsor both teams.

https://www.dbltap.com/posts/6069713-grey-gunners-and-silver-snipers-represent-lenovo-s-desire-to-diversify-gaming

But they also want to show that gaming isn't just for the young and male players.  And if the oldies are having fun doing it then kudos all round.

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Offline efko

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Re: Who says you're too old to play video games?
« Reply #3 on: 28 August 2018, 15:31:17 »
For me this is strange, to be gamer in late years  :o , most of people after 30 are focused on kids and money only. In Serbia playing games after 20 is "wtf are you doing?", after 25 "why do you waste your time", after 30 "something is not right with this person, need medical attention". I was shocked when I heard that some of you guys are over 40.
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Offline Medea Fleecestealer

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Re: Who says you're too old to play video games?
« Reply #4 on: 28 August 2018, 16:23:48 »
Didn't start playing games until I was in my 40s.  ;D  Didn't have my own PC before then.  But it makes sense if you think about it.  People around my age were the first to have personal computers and the ability to play games on them.  Then you got the next generation who are probably in their 30s now and then you have the 3rd generation playing now.

I agree that a lot of people in their 30s probably don't have any or as much time to play as they used to.  I know Grava was saying in the GD stream the other day that he just doesn't have the time now because he's married and has 2 kids plus work.  At the other end of the spectrum us oldies are most likely retired and do have time on our hands to play more if that's our thing.

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Offline sauruz

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Re: Who says you're too old to play video games?
« Reply #5 on: 28 August 2018, 17:03:48 »
im sure i will gamer for life!

the concept of gaming is growing and evolving day by day.

edit: Efko , isnt only in Serbia, mostly people think gaming is a waste of time, but it can help you on your skills and prespectives and other things.
« Last Edit: 28 August 2018, 17:08:12 by sauruz »
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Offline efko

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Re: Who says you're too old to play video games?
« Reply #6 on: 28 August 2018, 19:50:29 »
Many people here above 40 have no clue how to use pc nor phones with OS. My mom could not learn to use her simple small nokia for 9 years of having it, she never remembered how to use sms, yes I agree it wasn't simple but far away from hard. So depends on location, with 200e salary there is not.much to expect.
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Offline Medea Fleecestealer

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Re: Who says you're too old to play video games?
« Reply #7 on: 28 August 2018, 20:11:18 »
I can't use a mobile phone either, not that I want to.  I could learn I guess, but I simply have no need for one.

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Offline mammoth_hunter

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Re: Who says you're too old to play video games?
« Reply #8 on: 28 August 2018, 22:30:28 »
Many people here above 40 have no clue how to use pc nor phones with OS. My mom could not learn to use her simple small nokia for 9 years of having it, she never remembered how to use sms, yes I agree it wasn't simple but far away from hard. So depends on location, with 200e salary there is not.much to expect.
This point of view you are talking about, call it conservationist, though it will turn retrograde over time. It has nothing to do with salary. Some 200 years ago people did not have much mass entertainment other than alchohol and perhaps religion. XX century added tv/radio, widespread sports and professional sports. There had been games that children do not play for a long time already. I would rather expect more cyber entertainment coming, for different ages and social strata.

Your mom does not use phone not because she can't, but because she does not need to, like Medea says. If she will suddenly finds there something she likes... In a new model perhaps. And with large enough text too - text size in any phone is a big roadblock. My own mom 70 y.o. now learned to use the internet. Not on a phone, on pc but damn it, she almost spends more time there then I do

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Offline nargil66

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Re: Who says you're too old to play video games?
« Reply #9 on: 28 August 2018, 23:48:57 »
For me this is strange, to be gamer in late years  :o , most of people after 30 are focused on kids and money only. In Serbia playing games after 20 is "wtf are you doing?", after 25 "why do you waste your time", after 30 "something is not right with this person, need medical attention". I was shocked when I heard that some of you guys are over 40.

People think the same way here in Bulgaria :-\
It's good that other countries are more open-minded.
If someone wants to be gaming for life, it's only his/hers business and noone else's. Heck, I'll be gaming for life! And f*ck the stereotypes!

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Offline WNG

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Re: Who says you're too old to play video games?
« Reply #10 on: 29 August 2018, 00:06:13 »
And I thought video-gaming was a kiddie thing o.o

I was also surprised about the age of some of us. Maybe it is because of the world I grew in, but I had never heard of professional gamers under 40 years old before.

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Offline botebote77

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Re: Who says you're too old to play video games?
« Reply #11 on: 29 August 2018, 02:18:19 »
I'm a bit surprised at that info that the average age of gamers is older now.. from what i see, there are lots of young gamers who love mobile Freemium games.. or maybe they did not include mobile Freemium gamers in that research
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Offline efko

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Re: Who says you're too old to play video games?
« Reply #12 on: 29 August 2018, 08:27:00 »
Many people here above 40 have no clue how to use pc nor phones with OS. My mom could not learn to use her simple small nokia for 9 years of having it, she never remembered how to use sms, yes I agree it wasn't simple but far away from hard. So depends on location, with 200e salary there is not.much to expect.
This point of view you are talking about, call it conservationist, though it will turn retrograde over time. It has nothing to do with salary. Some 200 years ago people did not have much mass entertainment other than alchohol and perhaps religion. XX century added tv/radio, widespread sports and professional sports. There had been games that children do not play for a long time already. I would rather expect more cyber entertainment coming, for different ages and social strata.

Your mom does not use phone not because she can't, but because she does not need to, like Medea says. If she will suddenly finds there something she likes... In a new model perhaps. And with large enough text too - text size in any phone is a big roadblock. My own mom 70 y.o. now learned to use the internet. Not on a phone, on pc but damn it, she almost spends more time there then I do
I disagree with most of your text. Money is very important thing here, not talking about paying for games, but about how people are without freedom and fighting from month to month for life. There are no options if you don't have money, for basic expenses goes about 100e, for healthy food 10-20e  daily for 2 persons which means money is divided in 2 direction, now everything else is luxury and investments in other things are almost impossible, so people are in stress most of time. I don't understand why we people from balkan are not secured with at least food, and some countries in west and north europe are living on our back. It is well known how that was done on purpose through causing wars here so we can became modern slaves of west. Maybe is little better in Russia, but it should be similar situation like here. In past people were simple with simple point of view, now you can't watch tv anymore, you have to be expert for android phone in order to use, you can't use online newspapers nor newspapers from market and won't go with examples because I went offtopic.
About my mom she could not figure buttons on her phone, and I know many people from similar years range with same problem. She wanted to know how to send sms to people but after month or 2 of not using sms, she was in confusion. Circumstances were like that so she was always focused on other things. She played in past simple tetris which works on batteries, also simple games on her phone. Text size was mostly not a problem. So its all about freedom and secured life.
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╚►They say "Before you die your whole life flashes before your eyes…". Make it worth watching. It's true, even for a blind man... ◄╝
              ╚►It is said some lives are linked across time, connected by an ancient calling that echoes through the ages ◄╝

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Offline mammoth_hunter

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Re: Who says you're too old to play video games?
« Reply #13 on: 29 August 2018, 15:16:25 »
I don't think you properly understand me.


Learning ability deteriorates with age, but not to the point of total incapability. Like other things it is mediated by motivation and reward. If said motivation is near zero, learning is hard. By common citation, kid sees how the ball rolls, while adult knows how the ball rolls. Older people exist in a set of already developed schemes of reality and hate to leave them, the further - the worse. After living for 40-50-60 years you get to see this sparky gadget, blip blop, ahahah what do I need it for, look at funny images? I would rather keep living like I lived. Its worse for women when some of them hate to understand technology at all, much worse with age. Going by example of my mom, my father is familliar with internet since 90s, but he also needed that for his job. While my mother lived with that retrograde attidude - "I do not need this" - and what was she doing, reading (paper) books she has read 3-4 times alredy, while she could possibly get any kind of info or entertainment. Appropriate reward does it, I think it was damn videos with cats :facepalm:. Or maybe she was just bored to death at last to try anything.


What income do you think these people have?

Spoiler for Hiden:


TV was also considered luxury at certain point. If there is a demand there will be offer and people will find a way. Computer games were first developed for kids, sure, and this attitude towards them will stay for some time, most likely a generation will have to pass. Traditional and / or authoritarian societies will likely actively shun "deviations" too. Until they become mainstream. Then, in ~20 years, internet will be full of bored chinese pensioners, and whats left of Nordic and Crate will be developing games for them - mark my word.  :) To complete this joke, Crate has experience in dealing with overaged crowd, and can pioneer it, can they?

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