I have written a few things about gaming and the older generation, but I think that something needs to be said regarding this that hasn't been touched on. That is the fact that though there are many people who are in their 50's and up who like games, very few games are geared toward them. By that I mean that as we age our reflexes get slower, and this means eye hand coordination as well, making it increasingly difficult for older people to be able to compete in any meaningful way against the younger crowd. Even single player games have many things in them that require quick decisions and reflexes, so when someone who is older tries to tackle them, they may become frustrated and quit playing the game altogether.
I also believe that playing video games is good for people as they age, because you do have to keep your reflexes going pretty well in order to succeed in them at all. But once you begin getting into your 60's and 70's, it becomes more difficult. Too bad they couldn't somehow have a mode built into games to accommodate those older gamers who, though young at heart, aren't able to do what they used to do. I think this would be a great way to assure that they would remain gamers for their entire lives. What do you think?
It would be absolutely wrong for me to think that gamers passing through their fifties and well into their seventies, will only play strategy and puzzle games, true this can still excercise their logic and reflexes, but I know some of you out there are just as happy to play Super mario or the latest FPS shooter perhaps far better than the younger crowd? why? because you have experience playing at your side. Look at the kids running around aimlessly on call of Duty games, that older gamer might find a neat spot from which he can snipe from and patiently pick them off one by one. He or she might have the patience to out box his eager grandson thats just wearing himself out with his controller. But agreed, for those finding it increasingly difficult to play games, there could be a lot more thought going into the process of making the game suitable for all age groups in respect to ability. There are options right at the start menu of which players can adjust a difficulty setting. But does everyone ever really go to that setting (More importantly FIND that setting?) earlier on before they start a game.
ReplyDeleteI was shocked as a young teenager to find my mother playing Tetris at well over 40 years old and she plays it far better than i ever could and very recently going up against her was basically a foregone conclusion from an inflight game inbound for a Vacation this summer. She still has the knack, but not so much the speed. Would a speed setting be any good in terms of gameplay options? I believe this is Only available on some games..
I agree Cheeks, speed does become a factor as we get older. I have been playing Red Dead as you know for a long time now, but I know that I don't have nearly the speed of reflexes these younger kids do. I play for the fun factor more than the accomplishment, trophies and the like. It would be nice if more of the games made available to us as older users had speed options built in just like some have the difficulty options.
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