Kotaku: fogeys

Study Suggests Playing Video Games is "a Great Idea" for Seniors

Owen Good — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 18:00:00 MST

No sooner than two 70-year-old FPS enthusiasts pop up do we also find, in the journal Psychology and Aging, a study suggesting that older folks might benefit from playing strategy-intensive video games.

A study of 40 adults in their 60s and 70s found that, after playing Rise of Nations, they "improved their scores on a number of tests of cognitive functions." The lead researcher also says that, for older adults, "playing video games with (your) grandkids would also be a great idea." But before Grandma goes out to curbstomp Timmy in Gears of War 2, remember this is the first study to make these kinds of findings and suggest such benefits for older persons.

They note that more research is needed to bolster the findings. It's unclear if other games would have the same benefits, or if they persist over time.

The news here is not so much that video games are some magical anti-senility exercise — just that they can be mentally and intellectually stimulating, the same as (presumably) reading, doing crossword puzzles, enjoying the arts, arguing with your in-laws, or other pursuits that call upon critical thinking. I'm sure all of those other things would be considered a good way to keep your mind sharp as you get older. Nice to know that, when I hit 65, games will be waiting to help me get to 100 with mine intact.

Video Games May Do the Aging Brain Good [Reuters, which is not pronounced "Rooters."]

Britain has Septuagenarian Gamers, Too

Owen Good — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 12:00:00 MST

First we found a 78-year-old Japanese gamer, now there's a 70-year-old Brit who is likewise an FPS enthusiast. He's completed Call of Duty: World at War single-player at all difficulty levels. Gamezine has the interview.

"My family, I think they approve because it stops me hanging around on street corners and getting into mischief, LOL," says Stanley Thompson, and yes, that LOL is all his, too. "When I tell people that I play FPS games online, they say, “what at your age?” So I tell them it keeps my mind sharp and gives me something to do other than watching TV all day."

Thompson, 70, is a member of the gaming clan *TBE* TheBritishEmpire.org (his nicknames are IraAten, IraAten*TBE* and Maybe70uk.) His preferred games are a who's who of the FPS genre — Joint Operations, Battlefield, Call of Duty, Medal of Honor. But he got his start as a serious gamer back in 2000 with Monster Truck Madness, and another racer. I'd love to see a 62-year-old guy racing monster trucks online. It's way more hilarious than getting your ass shot by someone old enough to have a living memory of World War II.

An Interview with a 70 Year Old FPS Gamer [Gamezine]

GTA IV: A FAQ for Old People

Owen Good — Sat, 10 May 2008 18:00:00 MDT

So, Brian's 70-year-old dad took on GTA IV and took quite a liking to it. Others his age are not as enlightened or — shocker — willing to try new things, and so the series might require further explication.

Helpfully, here is a FAQ (a FAQ? an F-A-Q? how do I do this) from 23/6 to break down the choices and consequences and action and intrigue that make all the young folk shine shoes and save up their penny-candy money to buy it.

So this video game. Is it like pong?
No. It's called a "sandbox" game.

A who?
A sandbox game. That means it's not strictly linear and the player has some freedom of movement within the game.

Is this e-mail you're talking about?
No. E-mail is different.

I think Sen. Ted Stevens was a consultant on this outreach initiative.

Grand Theft Auto IV: FAQ for Old People [236.com]