My Grandma Can Kick Your Ass At Halo

from the don't-count-out-the-over-fifty-fraggers dept

A couple weeks ago, we pointed to a study that pointed out how widespread video games were in society — and how they weren’t just for teenaged boys any more. That’s not all that surprising, really, and has been reported in the past. Many point out that the generation that first generation that grew up with video games has now reached adulthood — so it’s no surprise they’re still gamers. Also, while there’s been talk about the “bored housewife” market for casual video games, there hasn’t been too much said about older gamers. A new study actually claims that a quarter of gamers are over fifty, though the report does not get into what sorts of games they play. It does, however, point out that many gamer parents play video games with their kids as a family activity. Since the report is from the Entertainment Software Association, and clearly designed to portray gamers as positively as possible, it also includes fun little tidbits about how video gamers exercise quite often (three times as long as they play games!), and also how they read a lot and go to museums and such. Next thing you know, we’ll find out that they’re (gasp!) just normal people.


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Comments on “My Grandma Can Kick Your Ass At Halo”

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30 Comments
Aaron says:

define "game"

Seniors wasting time playing computer solitare? Online poker? I’d believe that.

“Game” is a terrebly broad term, and just like you can hardly compare the movie-going experience for Austin Powers to Pride and Prejudice to Star Wars, I’m sure you can come up with all sorts of gaming demographic crap if you’re careful about where you draw the boundries.

Hautedawg says:

Re: define "game"

A game is a game. Just because you play shyte that blows stuff up, doesn’t mean granny (GMILF anyone?) playing online poker isn’t playing a game. Yes, a game is a game, no matter if you think you are uber macho playing WoW, or the “bored housewife” is playing poker (or with the pool boy playing “poke HER”). At any rate, it didn’t break down the list of games, but I am sure that most would agree that a game is a game, whether “Splinter Cell” or “Hoyle’s Bridge”. Gaming is still gaming.

nes gamer says:

mom gamers

Its not odd that they are finding that older adults are gaming or playing games with their kids. My mother back when we still played NES would play most of the same games as us.. Duck Hunt, mario brothers and so on. She still games just now that she has moved on internet and online gaming on her desktop. So now there is a study to prove want many have known for years.

Celes says:

Re: mom gamers

I hear you. My mom kicked butt at Bubble Bobble and just about any RPG you can think of, and sometimes stay up later than I could manage. She’s now 58 with a strong appetite for all sorts of games (minus the ones that get all bloody, I guess). Nothing wrong with that – I’m sure most of us will be playing video games well into our later years!

Damon Alexander (profile) says:

Old folks have more time than potheads

I play BattleField Europe (formerly World WarII on-line).

We have always had a large percetage of older people playing this. Now I understand much of this is due to the time peroid of the game but it’s still a fact. Oh and one more thing. SO WHAT! I love it. I’m 33 and the damn kids piss me off. I have had countless hours of fun with focused older folks. Not to say all kids are no fun but I seem to have more fun with the older crowd.

Razz says:

It can't be true

It can’t be true that 25% of the gamers are above 50 years of age. The survey probably found out who buys the games. The survery most probably found the people who buy the games for their kids. Alot of games cannot be bought by 13 years olds. And their are alot of 13 years who are good at things that we 20 year olds arn’t good at.

Dan Gallagher says:

Adults and Video Games

I agree. I started out with a TI 99 4a, then got a C64 where I played hundreds of games. I still, at 51, play Halo, Doom III, MOH, Adventure Pinball, Half Life 2, and Clive Barker’s Undying. Virtual worlds open to exploration are what I crave most, and I haven’t lost the gaming urge. My daughter is a Sims 2 fan addict, but she also plays Half Life as well. I wonder where that came from?

Anonymous Coward says:

Re: Halo on the pc

See, it’s people like you who give younger gamers a bad name. At least spell your challenges right, so anyone knows to take you with some semblance of seriousness. Seriously, with all the money we spend on the education system, little fuckbrains like you piss it away. I’m not a lecturing adult either, I’m a 14 year old.

Anonymous Coward says:

I would have to agree that theres no way that 25% are over 50. Just imagining how many teenagers and kids play video games. Now take that into consideration and imagine how many adults over 50 would have to play. Towards the top 6th comment Hautedawg said that a game is a game. But in fact there is a huge difference between playing online poker and playing a video game. Playing online poker has no video to it. It may have some card animations but not a video game. So if you count poker it may help that 25% but in my opinion online poker is not a video game. But then again who’s to define what is and isn’t a video game

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