It feels a strange thing to be a person of mature years and still enjoying many hours of computer gaming, but just how strange or uncommon is it?There is now such a thing as a ‘mature gamer’ and many forums that have sprung up to support such a growing community, like mature-gaming.com, that one can say it is definitely NOT uncommon.

The reason why there are now so many mature gamers, lies in the fact that we are the generation that was first exposed to a newly conceived industry of electronic and computer games.

From the first days of Pac-man and Asteroids on arcade machines, to Sonic the hedgehog and Mario on games consoles, we were there as kids, growing up, we were the first generation, to enjoy hours of a new type of game.

For me I remember both my friends and myself always being drawn to new gaming consoles as they were offered to the public amongst much fan-fare. We would always remark with gasps, “WOW – look at the graphics”, I was a sucker for digital graphical candy then, and I still am today.

As I mature as a person, so do my reasons behind still desiring to play computer games in my spare time. For me, I see it as a ‘value-for-money’ way to escape the stresses and burdens of everyday life, plus with gaming consoles having more power and more capacity than ever before, computer games are now more compelling than ever before too, and offer a way to get ‘involved’ in something that might be hitherto impossible or unrealistic.

For example, as a man of middle-age years, I am unlikely to find myself (nor desire) in various battlefields sniping or gunning down terrorists, but CoD MW2 provides an experience that simulates the types of guns and explosives real soldiers would use, all without any physical harm being ‘actually’ inflicted on me (unless it’s a clip round the ear from my wife, because I’ve been on the Xbox too long ! ). Neither could I afford a Ferrari or a Lamborghini or race around the worlds best race tracks, but with Forza 3, I can tell you the correct gear and breaking points ‘real world’ racers would use. So for me, it’s a way to experience something that would not necessarily be possible (or I could afford) in real life.

Those that look at adults that still play computer games and think we are oddities, to them I remind that computer games are not my sole past-time, but one of many. I also enjoy playing golf, I play lead guitar which I used to play most weeks at church, I also enjoy cycling. To nay-sayers it only seems odd if you take my interest in computer games in isolation.

SO, mature gamers are neither strange nor uncommon, we are just the FIRST generation.

Happy gaming.
(PS this article was not meant as a ‘defence’ for mature gamers, just a personal expression of motivations and for sharing)

Written By:- Ascenti0n