No...I meant the REALLY old people, 65+

tch,tch...now you're just being ageist, stop it! [grin]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/22/eveningnews/main1069878.shtml?CMP=ILC-SearchStories

So, no, I'm not surprised.

Quote: Original post by lightblade
No...I meant the REALLY old people, 65+

Kid, at some point in time, I will be 65+ and you will be 65+. Unless something goes horribly wrong and a person has no mental ability left, people like to play games and will play games. People of all ages. Most of the current 65+ ageset didn't have computers, not only while growing up, but the home computer didn't come out until they were middle-aged. However, most people now have computers, even people in their 90s. The assisted living facility my husband's grandmother is in has a computer lab that teaches them how to use computers. While I doubt they'll be playing AutoAssault, there's certainly Chess, Solitaire, Risk and many other games, even golfing and fishing games on computers.

Now, it's also true we don't know what the "old grey-haired guy" you saw was buying, and we don't know who he was buying it for. And honestly, video/computer games isn't exactly "Old peeps gone wild." Sitting at a computer is hardly taxing, physically, and I could see being old and semi-infirm and still being able to play them. To me, "Old peeps gone wild" is when I'm at someone's wedding and the 80-year old grandad is leaping about on the dance floor, like John Travolta and doing it well. :)

I'm not as distressed about the ageist stuff, because I know in my heart, one day, lightblade will be "old", too.

It's ironic how so many markets turn a blind eye to the aging population. It's a well known fact that the older population is rapidly increasing and birth rates have dropped. I live in a retirement community of about 12,000. Roughly 1/3 is classified as seniors and you should see how many of them have computers. They surf, do email and play games ( I know one gent on an upper floor who likes to play his Flight Simulator and makes maps for it). There is some potential there for developers, but so many are blind to it. I've heard comments such as "They can't see the screen" or "They're too old to messing around with computers".

Yes, I even live in a seniors oriented building and there are plenty here using computers. One couple on an upper floor have two computers. Naturally, one for the wife and one for the husband. They have a blast with them and no they don't sit there with their walkers playing solitiare either.

Oh, and I also have plenty of gray hair (there's some white ones too), well of what hair I have left anyway! :)

Yup, that's exactly my point Glenn1962.

Old people market cannot be ignored, especially in the next 20 years.
Survey shows about 20% of all gamers are over 50.

Since you can't teach an "old dog" new tricks, think about what kind of games we'll need to make. The classics that these people used to play.

A lot of industries ignore the aging population, it isn't just gaming. It is those that are able to capitalize on it that should be able to make a decent living from it.

I don't think of my dad as being old and grey exactly. I guess that's because I knew him before his hair went grey for so long, though. However, he plays games from time to time. He'll get adventure games that he'll play flat out until he's completed them. He also programs games (logical ones, as opposed to things like RTSs, FPSs, MMOs and that kind of thing. For instance, he's made a chess game). He makes these games pretty much every time he comes up with an idea for one, he's made more than 50, easily. So, in conclusion, age doesn't effect your love for games :D

Edit: Oh yeah, computer games were best when you had to spend £50 for a 3 floppy disk game. Monkey Island, The Dig, The Day Of The Tentacle, those are the best games!