49 and still gaming!

[cessnaace]

I turned 49 years old today and I'm still gaming strong. It all started back in the late/mid 70's when I got a Coleco Telestar (Pong) system for Christmas. I was in High School by that point, so no playing games as a youngster for me. I started old .LOL!

The first system I bought was a Atari VCS (heavy-sixer) which I bought somewhere around 1978. I still have it. I hated it though. None of the games looked like the artwork on the box, or anything like their arcade counter-part. I then put my VCS in a closet and promptly forgot about it. Then, one Christmas, a brother of mine broiught home (well, to my parents house) his NES to play. I swore I'd get one.

As soon as I returned to Jacksonville (FL) I went to a local Toys 'R Us, cash in hand, determined to buy an NES. To make a long story short I bought an SMS instead, and have never regretted that choice. I now have:

Atari 2600
Atari 7800
Atari Jaguar
Nintendo Entertainment System
Super NES
GameCube
SMS
Genesis
Saturn
Nomad
Dreamcast
PlayStation
Intellivision
Commodore 64
IBM PC
3DO

And games for (no systems):
Atari Lynx
GB
GBC
Nintendo 64
PlayStation 2
Xbox
Sega CD

and probably some I have forgotten.

I have issues of many gaming magazines:

Commander
Compute!
Computer Gaming World
Compute!'s Gazette
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Game Informer
Gamepro
Incite
Massive
Next Generation
Nintendo Power
Official Dreamcast Magazine
Official PlayStation Magazine
Official Xbox Magazine
Retro Games
Run
Transactor

And dozens of titles I can't think of right now.

It's late. I think I'll go rest my tired old gamer's eyes.


Mark

[tom]

no shit, i turned 49 on 21 March (me and Bach share the same birthday :-)

Could say I'm 50....that'll be the big one next year. I'll have young blonde chicks dancing naked on the table.

gaming still rocks

[Rogmeister]

I still got you guys beat...I'll be turning 55 in May... :D

[Pantechnicon]

(/me steps around from the back of the rocking chairs)

@cessnaace: From which TRU in Jacksonville did you get your NES? Was it the one close to Regency Square Mall? That was a shopping haunt of mine circa 1989-1990.

[DarthKur]

I turned 40 last month so it's nice to see I'm not the only one here that's been into these games since their inception. :-D

[tom]

That's just the thing, i got into gaming (serious) in 1984, during the 70s I was way too old for 'games', it was girls, music and cars.

[heybtbm]

My Dad is 61 and just called me last weekend to tell me he finally beat Resident Evil 4 (I bought it for him for Christmas). It's one of the hobbies we've always had in common. He'll be gaming into his elderly years...I'm sure of it.

[Chadt74]

it is funny.. I am 32 and I have been gaming for 26~27 years. I got an Atari 2600 when I was a kid and never looked back. I just thought video games were better than TV?!? So I kinda feel like an 'old' gamer but I see myself playing video games until I die just because they are fun. So rock on!

[suppafly]

I will be 30 in 4 months...IM starting to feel old!

[ubikuberalles]

47 here. I cut my gaming teeth on a Sears Pong unit that I played at a friends house. My first gaming system was an Atari 400 I bought some years later. My dad bought a VCS about the same time and, when he got bored with the system, gave it to me. I still have it. I also still have the Atari 400.

[RadiantSvgun]

And I thought I felt old as a gamer at 22! I'll never put the controller down though.

[cessnaace]

I'll have young blonde chicks dancing naked on the table.



Just as long as they're not MY daughters.



Mark

[cessnaace]

(/me steps around from the back of the rocking chairs)

@cessnaace: From which TRU in Jacksonville did you get your NES? Was it the one close to Regency Square Mall? That was a shopping haunt of mine circa 1989-1990.


Yes, as a matter of fact that IS where I bought my systems, although I beleive I bought my VCS at Lionel Playworld. Remember them?


Mark

[poloplayr]

I can't stress enough how cool it is to have this place where "older" gamers can meet and hang out. I'm turning 30 later this year (still feel 18 max mentally most times though! :) ) but really think it's cool to know I can still keep gaming and have comrades who do the same.

[Raven1280]

Im turning 27 in 2 months and sometimes I feel like I'm to old for games. But then I talk myself out of it!

Raven

[Trebuken]

How do you guys hold a controller with all the arthritis.
Do you have to sit closer to the TV?

Just kidding.

The only thing that I've noticed is that I tend to get lost talking to younger gamers. I'll talk about games that came out before they were born and they have no idea what I am talking about wheras I just take it for granted.

They'll say Pacman is lame, and I'll say 50 cent should never have been in a game, and that's the end of the conversation.

I hope I'm playing Resident Evil at 60+, I know I'll be playing Pacman.

[cyberfluxor]

Cool beans. Everyone is a potential gamer for life. :)

My dad, now in his 40's just about only plays Tetris and shooters. I just got him hooked on Quake 4 the other day.

[TurboGenesis]

I just turned 31 (March 20).

I been playing games seriously since 1987 when I got me NES. Never looked back except during the mid/late 90's (Playstation/Saturn/N64 era) when I was more into fast cars and girls. The only game I really played during these times was Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Gran Turismo's and NHL 98(with friends while drunk). The Dreamcast and PS2 brought me full circle back into video games.

[RPG_Fanatic]

I turn 36 in Aug. and have been playing since the 2600 i got that christmas of 1978 and i don't plan on stopping anytime soon i'm having to much fun with my 360 and PS3!!!!! Gamer for life!!!!!:rocker: :rocker: :rocker:

[Kitsune Sniper]

Cool beans. Everyone is a potential gamer for life. :)

My dad, now in his 40's just about only plays Tetris and shooters. I just got him hooked on Quake 4 the other day.

Do you want to kill him or something? He'll have a heart attack! XD

[xtremegamer]

My dad is 56 and he would only play Gran Turrismo games before I let him borrow an extra Xbox and Forza Motosports. Now he's hooked on Forza. He likes the custom soundtracks so he can jam to ZZ Top and other Classic Rock. Looks like my dad will be over at my place when Forza 2 comes out for 360.

[XxHennersXx]

you guys are 50? man, what're your favorite games?

[Tron 2.0]

34 here damn, it's hard to imagine that are gamers who are older then me.

Well congrats on turning 49 cessaace and keep on gaming.

[Drag0nsfyre]

35 here. :) Still enjoy gaming very much. I've been gaming since the 2600 (though I've yet to get that system in my collection as of now) I've only really been "collecting" for about a year and I'm loving that aspect as well. I'm up to 14 systems w/ who knows how many games. I've learned a ton since joining here and also have been turned on to new games and systems that I never owned or played back in their day. Very cool! :D
Game on everyone! I hope you continue to enjoy gaming and the hobby for many more years to come. :cool:

[Streetball 21]

I just turned 29 a few days ago. Cool to see other hardcore gamers around my age still gaming. I remember when my older brother bought a Atari 2600 and it all started from there.

[RegSNES]

That's awesome and very inspiring! My father is 52 and he still games. I'm not sure what his first systemw as but I think it may have been the Atari 2600.

As for me, I'll be 26 in July and I'm still gaming and I plan to keep on gaming until I die.

[Rogmeister]

As I said, I turn 55 in May. I recall we had a Pong of some sort and then we got the VCS and I took it over and went on from there. I also remember starting work in 1972...in 1976, I remember getting laid off and I spent many days at the arcade at that point. Obviously this was before the VCS.

My favorite games include Mario and similar platform games, FPS games (especially the PS1 Medal of Honor games), baseball games and some fighting games and many others though I never really got into RPGs for some reason.

[mb7241]

I myself am but 21 years old. Like some of you more aged types, however, the first system I played and loved was an Atari 2600 (my mother's). I used to be pretty good at Jr. Pac-Man back in the late '80s. Even to this day, I look for a second player to challenge at Space Invaders and Bowling. Unfortunately, my friends, who are for the most part about the same age, have difficulty adjusting to a single button and a joystick from their 14-button and 2-stick controllers of today, so I usually end up beating them big time (I think last time I played Space Invaders against someone, I beat them 1585 to 380).

[schnuth]

Im turning 27 in 2 months and sometimes I feel like I'm to old for games. But then I talk myself out of it!

I'm 32 and I sometimes think the same thing, but then I get a grip. :) Do what you like and don't let your age be a factor. I work with plenty of "adults" that have no hobbies they enjoy, and that seems like complete hell to me. :devilish:

[ShenmueFan]

I probably won't even make it to 49....Well, if I touch a PS2 I definitely won't.

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

31 here. Modern gaming kind of died off with me after how the Dreamcast went out, but I got back into gaming big time after I got an XRGB-2 and RGB cables for all my old systems. Now I'm mostly into the Genesis, Neo Geo and SNES with the occasional PC game.

I don't think age has anything to do with enjoying video games. Being a serious gamer for most of my life, other than the gaming magazine addiction I used to have, I'm still just as into the stuff that I like. I don't see that changing as I get older.

My Dad (51) bought himself his first console a few weeks ago. It's a Wii- but it's still a game system, and my Dad was never into gaming. I think that's pretty cool.

Never stop gaming!

[DREW]

58 was a good year

I did 49 in Feb

[mr_nihilism]

I'll be 31 this June.

Game on, everybody.

[Mr. Flibble]

I'll be 8 this summer which is 56 in Penguin years (and the oldest one here! w00t!). Does that count?

[Venturin]

44 here. I long ago decided that I am not too old for console, arcade and PC gaming. Who says we have to grow up?

And for me, it's not so much about playing the games... It's about having an interest in the gaming industry as it's grown from the beginning. It's about watching the technology develop and advance. It's about seeing new trends and new ideas come to fruition.

It's also about nostalgia. I have such fondness for the 80's arcade era and am very glad I was there.

So for me, being 44 is nothing but a number. I love what I love, and I love that I still love gaming.

-V-

[Ruffie]

40-year old here.

Yes, there is certainly a whole generation that has been playing and will continue to play videogames for the rest of their lives. Some of us may not be as hardcore as we once were, but we know what we like to play and we make the time for it when we can.

In fact, my blog is all about the ramblings of one such Middle - Aged Gamer (http://middle-agedgamer.blogspot.com/).

Ruffie

[gepeto]

Hi senior gamer here.

Question any one remember the tv hockey and tv tennis games in the mid 70's that was big as a 12 in tv and had 2 knobs and the the light would go from one end to the other and if it got past you it would ring a point and a bellMan that thing is an antique. I wonder how much one of those is worth. We use to play that game all the time. Memories.

[DarthKur]

Hi senior gamer here.

Question any one remember the tv hockey and tv tennis games in the mid 70's that was big as a 12 in tv and had 2 knobs and the the light would go from one end to the other and if it got past you it would ring a point and a bellMan that thing is an antique. I wonder how much one of those is worth. We use to play that game all the time. Memories.

I believe the device you are referring to was mostly green right? And the "ball" was actually a light attached to an armature that moved it across the playing field. Totally mechanical device. I had one of those. I wonder if my folks might still have it in their basement. That would be great to see that again. Of coarse I doubt it would still work perfectly, if at all, since I think there were extensive usage of rubber bands in the inner movements. I can't remember what that game was called. Something like TV Tennis, maybe.

[vespertillio]

39 and still trying to achieve some sort of carpal tunnel related injury here. Game on you old (and young) farts! :-)

[OldSchoolGamer]

39 here and going strong (mostly) I admit throughout the years I often wondered "Am I ever going to outgrow gaming?" but even though I went through some slow periods I always returned to it. I've seen so many changes but still wish the hobby was more mainstream, I really do get sick sometimes of being made to feel it's any less valid then any other entertainment choice, funny how someone can judge you for gaming as being childish when that same person will sit around all day watching "Reality TV" or spend the same couple hours watching an Ernest movie or drinking and watching a boxing match, I have no problem with that, to each his own but hey what the hell people are judgemental I guess................

Anyway, didn't mean to go off topic or be a downer, I love gaming and have many fond memories and experiences tied to the past time and hope for many more yet!

[200609]

My mother very seriously told me the other day that she was "worried" about me, that I hadn't grown up yet, because I still play video games! For the record, I'm 20 and still live at home. Yes, I have a job ;)

[Gentlegamer]

My uncle is 56 and is a PC gamer.

[gepeto]

I believe the device you are referring to was mostly green right? And the "ball" was actually a light attached to an armature that moved it across the playing field. Totally mechanical device. I had one of those. I wonder if my folks might still have it in their basement. That would be great to see that again. Of coarse I doubt it would still work perfectly, if at all, since I think there were extensive usage of rubber bands in the inner movements. I can't remember what that game was called. Something like TV Tennis, maybe.


Yeah that was it. I think it was called tv tennis tv hockey. I haven't seen one of thoses in 30 years even on ebay. That one has to be up there in the world of classics.

[Clownzilla]

Well, I'm 27 this year and my first system was an NES which I got back on Christmas of 1985. It's funny because I bought Namco Museum for my PSP yesterday and thought to myself that if somebody told me back in the 80's that in the future, I could play arcade games on a tiny game system that fits into my hands, I would of laughed in their face! Don't worry though, I still play my NES (not the same one, lol), on a weekly basis.

[Joe West]

they say, the average age for Gaming "Nation Wide" is 37 Years Old

[Anthony1]

Currently 36, I've been gaming since I was a young lad. It really started when I got an Atari 2600 for Xmas. Played the 2600 for a few years, then we got a Atari 800XL computer, and then a few years later we got a Nintendo NES. At 19 I bought my first game system (the previous ones were purchased by my parents). It was December of 1989 and I bought a TurboGrafx-16 from Montgomery Wards on my first credit card. I didn't actually become a "hardcore" gamer till my TG-16, Genesis and Super Nintendo days. During the 2600 and NES time, I was more casual.


Anywho, I have no plans to stop gaming anytime soon. I just hope I can live long enough to see some really cool things in gaming. I also hope I can get my game on in Heaven as well, lol.