People who live to age 100 are awesome, I think. It's good, right? Living to triple digits? Apparently so-called centenarians are not just impressive people but potential video gamers. That's got me thinking, what would I play at age 100?
I'd never thought about gaming at age 100 before, not until I found an article this morning from British publication Marketing Week that recognizes 100-year-olds not just as a burgeoning market but one ideal for Nintendo. The famous game company has already been selling its Wii to seniors, as we know from the many stories about the console providing joy to nursing homes.
These elder folks are ready to shop, Marketing Week reports:
The 100-year-old consumer of the future may have had plastic surgery at 80 to improve their looks, have benefited from financial products which projected income and outgoings as long as 50 years beforehand and live in a community built around interests and lifestyles rather than age-group.
A research study from consultancy Clear, shown exclusively to Marketing Week, suggests that companies should begin planning for the 100-year old consumer immediately.
The publication states: "One brand trying to stretch its universal appeal to prepare for the arrival of the 100-year-old consumer is Nintendo."
I'm 67 years away from being in a centenarians slippers, but if companies want to start making games I can enjoy then, go for it. I'm expecting my reflexes will be slowed and I may not have much strength in my hands. I'll need games that don't rely on too many button combos and have voice-overs that I can repeat in case I don't hear them the first time.
I'm not sure, of course, if I'll make it that far into life. The Christian Science Monitor reported this month that the U.S. Census Bureau expects to find that there are only 79,000 100-year-olds in the country. That would be up from about 50,000 in 2010. That's encouraging. As is this detail:
The United Nations expects similar trends worldwide, estimating that by 2050, 1 in every 5,000 people will be over 100 years old, with China, the United States, Japan, and India having the largest populations of centenarians.
Kotaku's youngest readers probably have the best shot of gaming at 100 (aside from any current 100-year-old readers we have, of course!).
I'll turn 100 in 2076. I'd like to play a new Mario then, though I hope we can have at least one non-sequel that year. No Duke Nukem Forever, I expect. Not that soon. But maybe Half-Life 2: Episode Three and finally a game about running for President? We'll see. Or maybe I won't.
Do you expect to be playing games at age 100?
[PIC: Christian Science Monitor]