I was playing Halo 2 on Xbox Live last night with some guys that are on my friends list. In between games, I was talking to one of them about what he does for a living. It turns out he owns a cleaning business. He was surprised to find out I am 28 (I must sound young), the same age as him. It turns out we have both been married for nearly 6 years and met our wives first in 1995. What a funny coincidence. This began a conversation about the age of gamers and the number of professionals that spend time playing video games — he has a couple of 40-somethings on his friends list.
According to a survey conducted by the Entertainment Software Association last year, the average age of gamers was 29. This survey included many kinds of games including online card games and the like. Still it is clear that video games are not just for teens. The true age of the average gamer may be closer to 20 depending on you was surveyed, but there is a clear trend concerning the the age of game players. When the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in 1986, I was 10 years old. The NES was a revolution in the video game console market and was able to do more than Atari or Coleco ever did to get a massive market. Now when the NES was released, it did market the younger gamer, just like me at the time. That generation of kids has grown up playing video games and they are still playing them. Only now, they are 25-35 years old. So I can see why the age of gamers is rising. Besides someone has to buy those expensive games and consoles, and most teens don’t have the means.
I have also come to notice a difference between older video game players and younger ones. There is a very different attitude about games. Older players really want to experience the best the game has to offer in the way it was designed. For that reason, we like matchups to be fair and our games to be challenging. Games that are won too easily are not worth the effort. The younger game players are the ones who grew up with the Game Genie a tool that allowed you to "cheat" in games. They love the secret codes that give you unlimited ammunition or invincibility. They are also the ones most likely to talk trash in oline games. The older players are usually playing games to have fun, not to cause other players grief with obnoxious behavior or whiny diatribes. Maybe it is just age an maturity that make the difference but I think that there is just a gap in the gaming generation.
So, I if you read this far you must be interested in computer games. It could be solitaire, Scrabble or Doom3 that you play — there is a wealth of gaming genres. What are you favorite games? How old are you? How long have you been playing games?
I like Tetris Worlds and Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball. That answers pretty much makes me not a “gamer”. I also got into Splinter Cell and Halo for awhile. But only Halo one player. And Splinter Cell stopped being fun when I couldn’t figure out a level. I think I need a game genie.
I’m 29 and have been playing games since the old Nintendo came out. I got the one with the robot and gyromite. Wow was that thing frustrating. My favorite game on the that system were Super Tecmo Bowl, Legend of Zelda, all the Ninja Gaidens, Super Mario 3 and Casltevania. I next got a Genesis but that system didn’t seem to leave much of a impression. I don’t remember all the games I played. I now have a XBox and love playing Halo and ESPN 2k5. I tend now to beat a game a couple times and sell it to get another one. With Game prices soaring I don’t need a whole library. Haven’t decided if I’m going to get XBox 360. We shall see.
My first console was also the NES. We had the power pad for Track and Field and the gun for Duck Hunt. My favorite NES games included the original Zelda, Metroid and the best hockey game for NES, Blades of Steel. I never owned any other Nintendo systems but did have a Genesis (2 of them, at different times). The only Genesis game I ever spent time playing was Madden ’95. I am currently an Xboxer. I might consider the 360 after a year or so and the price wars with Sony have driven the price down to something reasonable. It looks like a promising platform.
Here’s that article on dead cats. http://www.wnbc.com/news/4511117/detail.html
-Ryan
My first console was the Atari 2600. My favorite game on it was Pitfall. I played that game for hours, and because it was before any concept of a pause or “saving”, I had to play it non-stop to get further and further.
I was late getting the NES but once I did, of course I played it like crazy.
Eventually I got the Sega Genesis, and I really loved playing FIFA on it with the author of this site.
I now am a Playstation 2 man, with several games in my collection. I am no longer willing to sale back games, b/c the prices you get for them has plummeted with over saturation. In fact, I don’t think I’ll ever sell a console or game ever again.
By the way, I’m 28 and I’ve been playing video games since the early 80’s.
Hello, I am almost 30 and I no longer game. Unfortunately, once I start playing a game (tetris, super mario brothers) I cannot stop. Hours pass by and I do not even notice. So, for the safety of my 2 year old, I can no longer game :)! I wish I had more self control!!!