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"How old? You should know better"

I wonder what the average age of gamers are?
Myself, I am fast approaching 28 yet still purchase games on a (too much for my wallet) regular basis.

I personally believe it's because my generation grew up with video games and computers, we've evolved as they have and see them progress each time, and sit back puffing on our pipes saying "I remember when Atari was the business"

I remember the 1st console I had was that big old black Atari - the games were brilliant then. Night Driver, Combat, Tennis. Sure, they were little white lines on a black screen but it was new. It was fresh and exciting.

And as I have grown, so has that console sitting in my house. It may be faster/better/smoother, but it still gives me a chuckle to think I'm still doing the same thing now as I was at 7. Getting a new game, going home and playing solidly that evening.
A connection to childhood? Rose tinted glasses?
No idea, but I do know that the older I get, I never lose interest in playing games.

I have a pc, it's used for WP and all manner of things, but time and time again I return to simply playing games.
Doesn't interest my parents at all, but then they didn't grow up with computers as an entertainment accessory.
I did, as so many my age.

It feels nice to know I was there at the start of the whole industry, and as it progressed to the BBC, Vic 20, Commodore 64, Spectrums etc, so did I.
A continued evolvement on both parts, which is why I still love to be a kid.

And, I think that having a disposable income helps a lot.
Games cost £30-£40, and the average kid has to beg and plead for a game, it's a treat.
Me? I see something I like, wander over and slap down my greenbacks. No asking for the money, no waiting until I've saved enough to purchase one.
Impulse buying, hence I have some decidely suspicious titles in my collections (K1 Arena Fighters anyone?).

I have no doubt that as I get older, new consoles will impress and I will buy. I don't forsee a time when I stop playing games, simply because they are ingrained in me, part of my upbringing and something I derive great pleasure from.
Roll on the day when it's Virtual Reality helmets etc, because I know I'll sit there, grankids gathered around my feet, fire up the pipe and lean back in my ratty old armchair and begin with
"When I was younger, the PS2 was cutting edge. Sure you may laugh now, but there was a time when we were stunned over it."

My favourite games of that era:

Jet Pac on the VIC-20.

On the C64: Raid Over Moscow, Hawkeye, Crazy Comets, Mega Apocalypse, Beach Head II, Galaxy, Ghostbusters, Spy Hunter, Up 'n' Down, IK, IK+, Dropzone, Thrust...

Probably more, too...

No idea.
The old games were brilliant though.

Ghostbusters, Beach Head, Commando, Horace Goes Skiing, Horace and The Spiders, Uridium, Galaxian, Tornado Low Level...I could go on and on.

Ok, I will:

Target Renegade
Combat School
Operation Wolf
Platoon
The Great Escape (waiting each day for the red cross parcels to arrive with flashlights etc)
Hard Drivin'
720

Ah, you see?
We all love these games, we grew up with them.
Our little electronic children that we can never abandon

Because we got more complicated?

Barbarian... now that was a game.

I was great at it, but I could NEVER get past that wizard at the end! It drove me insane!

Way of the exploding fist was great with a joystick. Same kind of controls as Barbarian... But Ghostbusters was one of THE games on the C64.

Did anyone ever play Uridium? That was great as well... You had to blow up all the defenses and stuff on a big ship, land on it, place explosives, and then fly off as it exploded.

Loads of levels, all great fun... Why can't gameplay be as simple and great as it was back then...

There there.
It's ok.

That's why I live in carefully constructed fantasy world, no disappointments or upsets.

We all shed a tear when IK+ went away.

But it will return one day, oh it will.

I remember IK+ on my commodore 64. I liked the fact that you could have three people fighting at once and it still stayed simple. The moves were easy to pull off and kicking two people in the face at the same time was really funny.....don't think i'll see a game like that again (sobs)

Darkreaper

Yep.

Way of the Exploding fist had too many keys to play with in comfort.

IK+ and Brian Jacks Judo Champ.

On cassette.

Now we're talking

> But you can't beat IK+

That was a craking game! The bonus levels were highly amusing - the shield and bouncing balls (oo-er!) etc.

And it had a brilliant Rob Hubbard soundtrack... well, on the C64 and Amiga it did, anyway!

ZX 128+2.

It had a tape player built in y'know.

Ghostbusters had speech.
Yie-Ar Kung-Fu.

We know these and remember them to be great.
But you can't beat
IK+

Your man could do the splits

Golden Axe and Altered Beast were the first games I ever played on my first 'true' console. (Megadrive).

Before that it was all arcades (X-Wing) was my favorite, that Death Star made up of green isometric lines was my Nemesis for many months.

And before that it was the ZX81 with a 16k Ram Pack (supported with Blu-Tac of course) and ZX Spectrum 16k.

Then there was Pong...