Old Man of Gaming: Introduction

Written by Gilbert Cecchetini Saturday, 28 February 2009 10:00

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Old Man of Gaming is a new Loading Reality editorial column. Each Saturday, author Gilbert will take readers through the world of being an older gamer. Trials, tribulations, embarrassments, and pride: these are some of the many traits of being the old man.

I am a gamer - an older gamer. To be precise, I am an old video gamer. These days, anyone over the age of 40 can be considered an older gamer. Albeit not as popular as 16 year-old gamers, we ARE out there.

Usually when I come across an article about older gamers, it has something to do with “statistics” on their demographics, how comfortable the controller is in their bear claw hands, or if they've even heard of a d-pad. Welcome to the other side. Guess what. There are old timers that know how to play, and could best you. We ARE out there. We come in many fashions and play for many reasons. For instance, you have the late night gamer that hits the PC or console when the kids are in bed, sooner if they don’t have kids. If they are like me, they play games with their kids most of the time. Whether first person shooter, role playing or strategy - there are older guys and gals playing... they just don’t always admit to it.

We all have our reasons for playing video games and mine are not that different than my younger counterparts: diversion, fun, competition, catharsis, and a good head shot counts big in our game room. (I am sure to hear from parents on that last note.) Time away from the rat race: that's the answer. Gaming is an activity that gets us away from the bills, away from the office, away from whatever hassles weigh on you today. Like a good book, good games involve you. Personally, I rarely play puzzlers or games that are supposed to better your memory. Those aren't my speed. Most games have been proven to help your memory and hand eye coordination in some fashion, anyway. My favorite games are the Halo series, the Call of Duty series, and survival horror titles like Resident Evil and Dead Space. Sounds like you, huh?

However, Zelda games (especially Twilight Princess), holds a special place in my gaming repertoire. My 5 year-old daughter and I play Zelda and have the best time I can imagine. I will go more into gaming with your children in later articles, but racing games like Mario Kart and Pure are great, too. Playing a co-op game with your teenage son or daughter will do wonders for you and him or her in the relationship area... just don’t complain when your son makes you look old and slow - even if you are old and slow. I might be old, but with practice I can keep up. Sort of.

So whether you are in your 40's, 50's, 60's, or beyond, older gamers want the same experience out of gaming as everyone else: entertainment. If my memory improves and I can find my pants in the morning or my hand-eye coordination gets to levels unheard - all the better.

Concerns? Comments? Have a question for Gilbert? Do you game with your kids? Discuss this article or send a letter to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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