Also in 1972, Atari released a simple, black-and-white game called Pong.<\/p>\n
![\"Pong](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Depositphotos_56503805_original-Photo_Tinx-750.jpg\")
Pong game. Photo: Deposit Photos, Tinx<\/p><\/div>\n
Pong<\/em> and the Invention of Social Gaming<\/h4>\nPong<\/em> was one of the few video games to reach mainstream popularity. The classic arcade game was the first of its kind, letting its players not only play at the same time, but compete against each other. As the first home-gaming system, Pong<\/em> was groundbreaking. Pong was revolutionary.<\/p>\nSince Pong<\/em> burst onto the scene in the early 1970s, the number of people playing video games has grown. As of 2014, it\u2019s estimated that 58 percent of Americans play video games and 29 percent are ages 50 or older\u2014meaning gen Xers and baby boomers on up.<\/p>\nAccording to a recent study conducted by the AARP and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), over 40 million people over the age of 50 play video games, so many of those who were around for the release of Pong<\/em> continue to play video games today.<\/p>\nThe release of Pong<\/em> ushered in a new era, enabling other games to follow in its footsteps and build upon its basic concept. The classic game also encouraged an entire generation of people to create and interact through video games; what began as a solitary pastime became a new form of socialization.<\/p>\nThis new method of communication\u2014of interacting with others\u2014was passed down through families. As these gamers grew up and had families of their own, they shared their love of video games with their own children and now to their grandchildren.<\/p>\n
![\"Photo:](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/iStock_81362209_XLARGE-istock-shironosov-750.jpg\")
Photo: istock, Shironosov<\/p><\/div>\n
What Keeps Older Gamers Playing?<\/h4>\n
The reasons and ways people over the age of 50 play video games are as wide and varied as the gamers themselves. While most of them\u2014according to AARP and the ESA\u2014play for fun, others cite video games as important to retaining memory.<\/p>\n
Of course, there are other reasons why people continue playing video games as they grow older. As millennials begin to raise families, many gen Xers have turned to technology in order to bond with their children and grandchildren. In fact, the AARP and ESA report shows that 50 percent of sampled gamers learned about new game releases from younger family members and grandchildren.<\/p>\n
![\"COD](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/COD-Infinite-Warfare_Rogue-Asteroid-Activision-press-center-750.jpg\")
COD Infinite Warfare Rogue Asteroid Activision<\/p><\/div>\n
What Games Do Older Gamers Play?<\/h4>\n
Not all older gamers are playing Animal Crossing or Pok\u00e9mon Go with their grandkids. In fact, older gamers explore just as many genres of gaming as their millennial constituents. While card and tile games are favored by 46 percent of the baby boomer and gen X\u2019s gaming population, puzzle and logic games like Candy Crush or Pet Rescue Saga claim 44 percent of the popular vote.<\/p>\n
While logic games are certainly popular with gamers above the age of 40, many play other types of games. This includes but is not limited to horror, fantasy, combat, and massively multiplayer online (MMO).\nOlder gamers might even be playing one of the following top-10-selling video games:<\/p>\n
1. Overwatch.<\/em>\n2. Grand Theft Auto V.<\/em>\n3. Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens.<\/em>\n4. Doom.<\/em>\n5. Mirror’s Edge Catalyst.<\/em>\n6. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.<\/em>\n7. NBA 2K16.<\/em>\n8. Call of Duty: Black Ops III.<\/em>\n9. Destiny: The Taken King.<\/em>\n10. Minecraft<\/em><\/p>\nWhat Gaming Platforms Are Popular?<\/h4>\n
The devices older gamers use to play video games are wide and varied. While most older gamers prefer computer gaming\u201459 percent\u2014mobile gaming comes in at a close second with 57 percent of those surveyed. From mobile apps to handheld consoles, it seems there is a gaming platform to suit everyone\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n
Keeping Social Through Gaming<\/h4>\n
As technology becomes increasingly important in our day-to-day lives, many older adults find that video games are a great way to stay in contact with friends and family. According to the America Psychological Association, video games are proven to increase social skills, especially among children.<\/p>\n
Gaming Myths and Misconceptions<\/h4>\n
There are many misconceptions about the identity of a gamer. When most people think of a gamer, they think of a young man in his late teens or early twenties. More than likely, this young adult is alone in his bedroom, playing video games late into the night.<\/p>\n
The image of the isolated gamer, however, is long outdated. According to the AARP and ESA report, 70 percent of gamers play their games with a friend.<\/p>\n
Women: The Largest Gaming Population<\/h4>\n
While seniors don\u2019t occupy the majority of the gaming population, the gender and age of those who game might surprise you. Contrary to popular belief, men do not make up the larger percentage of those playing video games\u2014it\u2019s women<\/em>.<\/p>\nJust pulling ahead of the guys with 52 percent, women account for the largest demographic in gaming. However, the ladies aren\u2019t playing the same games as men. While first-person shooter games, like Left 4 Dead<\/em> and Call of Duty<\/em>, are more popular with the male population, females are more likely to play puzzle-solving games.<\/p>\nThe trend of women playing video games continues as gamers reach their 40s and 50s. Older women are more likely to play video games than their male counterparts. According to Pew Research Center, though 6 out of 10 people in the U.S. believe that men play more video games than women, 38 percent of women over the age of 50 play video games, compared with just 29 percent of men over the age of 50.<\/p>\n
However, many of these women are reluctant to label themselves as gamers. Only six percent of women feel that the term gamer describes them well. The number of men who lable themselves as gamers is more than double the amount of women at 15 percent.<\/p>\n
![\"Poke](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/unsplash-david-grandmougin-750.jpg\")
Poke Mon Go. Photo: David Grandmougin, Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n
What is Pok\u00e9mon GO and How it Might Change Gaming?<\/h4>\n
The newest installment in the Pok\u00e9mon<\/em> game series, Pok\u00e9mon GO<\/em>, is a great xample of generations coming together to play a single game.<\/p>\nParents and grandparents often drive young children to public places where they can locate, capture, battle, and train Pok\u00e9mon\u2014virtual creatures from Japanese anime who appear live on the screen of your mobile device. Through Pok\u00e9mon GO, parents and grandparents have found a new way to interact with their families\u2014even if they never actually get to play. Pok\u00e9mon GO also promotes a new style of gaming where people are encouraged to exercise through gameplay.<\/p>\n
Gaming has come a long way since the 70s, but one thing is clear\u2014as the generations age, video games and gamers are here to stay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The never-ending fun of video gaming <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4521,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fall-2016","category-fall-2016-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4281"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4555,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4281\/revisions\/4555"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Since Pong<\/em> burst onto the scene in the early 1970s, the number of people playing video games has grown. As of 2014, it\u2019s estimated that 58 percent of Americans play video games and 29 percent are ages 50 or older\u2014meaning gen Xers and baby boomers on up.<\/p>\n According to a recent study conducted by the AARP and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), over 40 million people over the age of 50 play video games, so many of those who were around for the release of Pong<\/em> continue to play video games today.<\/p>\n The release of Pong<\/em> ushered in a new era, enabling other games to follow in its footsteps and build upon its basic concept. The classic game also encouraged an entire generation of people to create and interact through video games; what began as a solitary pastime became a new form of socialization.<\/p>\n This new method of communication\u2014of interacting with others\u2014was passed down through families. As these gamers grew up and had families of their own, they shared their love of video games with their own children and now to their grandchildren.<\/p>\n Photo: istock, Shironosov<\/p><\/div>\n The reasons and ways people over the age of 50 play video games are as wide and varied as the gamers themselves. While most of them\u2014according to AARP and the ESA\u2014play for fun, others cite video games as important to retaining memory.<\/p>\n Of course, there are other reasons why people continue playing video games as they grow older. As millennials begin to raise families, many gen Xers have turned to technology in order to bond with their children and grandchildren. In fact, the AARP and ESA report shows that 50 percent of sampled gamers learned about new game releases from younger family members and grandchildren.<\/p>\n COD Infinite Warfare Rogue Asteroid Activision<\/p><\/div>\n Not all older gamers are playing Animal Crossing or Pok\u00e9mon Go with their grandkids. In fact, older gamers explore just as many genres of gaming as their millennial constituents. While card and tile games are favored by 46 percent of the baby boomer and gen X\u2019s gaming population, puzzle and logic games like Candy Crush or Pet Rescue Saga claim 44 percent of the popular vote.<\/p>\n While logic games are certainly popular with gamers above the age of 40, many play other types of games. This includes but is not limited to horror, fantasy, combat, and massively multiplayer online (MMO).\nOlder gamers might even be playing one of the following top-10-selling video games:<\/p>\n 1. Overwatch.<\/em>\n2. Grand Theft Auto V.<\/em>\n3. Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens.<\/em>\n4. Doom.<\/em>\n5. Mirror’s Edge Catalyst.<\/em>\n6. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.<\/em>\n7. NBA 2K16.<\/em>\n8. Call of Duty: Black Ops III.<\/em>\n9. Destiny: The Taken King.<\/em>\n10. Minecraft<\/em><\/p>\n The devices older gamers use to play video games are wide and varied. While most older gamers prefer computer gaming\u201459 percent\u2014mobile gaming comes in at a close second with 57 percent of those surveyed. From mobile apps to handheld consoles, it seems there is a gaming platform to suit everyone\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n As technology becomes increasingly important in our day-to-day lives, many older adults find that video games are a great way to stay in contact with friends and family. According to the America Psychological Association, video games are proven to increase social skills, especially among children.<\/p>\n There are many misconceptions about the identity of a gamer. When most people think of a gamer, they think of a young man in his late teens or early twenties. More than likely, this young adult is alone in his bedroom, playing video games late into the night.<\/p>\n The image of the isolated gamer, however, is long outdated. According to the AARP and ESA report, 70 percent of gamers play their games with a friend.<\/p>\n While seniors don\u2019t occupy the majority of the gaming population, the gender and age of those who game might surprise you. Contrary to popular belief, men do not make up the larger percentage of those playing video games\u2014it\u2019s women<\/em>.<\/p>\n Just pulling ahead of the guys with 52 percent, women account for the largest demographic in gaming. However, the ladies aren\u2019t playing the same games as men. While first-person shooter games, like Left 4 Dead<\/em> and Call of Duty<\/em>, are more popular with the male population, females are more likely to play puzzle-solving games.<\/p>\n The trend of women playing video games continues as gamers reach their 40s and 50s. Older women are more likely to play video games than their male counterparts. According to Pew Research Center, though 6 out of 10 people in the U.S. believe that men play more video games than women, 38 percent of women over the age of 50 play video games, compared with just 29 percent of men over the age of 50.<\/p>\n However, many of these women are reluctant to label themselves as gamers. Only six percent of women feel that the term gamer describes them well. The number of men who lable themselves as gamers is more than double the amount of women at 15 percent.<\/p>\n Poke Mon Go. Photo: David Grandmougin, Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n The newest installment in the Pok\u00e9mon<\/em> game series, Pok\u00e9mon GO<\/em>, is a great xample of generations coming together to play a single game.<\/p>\n Parents and grandparents often drive young children to public places where they can locate, capture, battle, and train Pok\u00e9mon\u2014virtual creatures from Japanese anime who appear live on the screen of your mobile device. Through Pok\u00e9mon GO, parents and grandparents have found a new way to interact with their families\u2014even if they never actually get to play. Pok\u00e9mon GO also promotes a new style of gaming where people are encouraged to exercise through gameplay.<\/p>\n Gaming has come a long way since the 70s, but one thing is clear\u2014as the generations age, video games and gamers are here to stay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The never-ending fun of video gaming <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4521,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fall-2016","category-fall-2016-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4281"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4555,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4281\/revisions\/4555"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What Keeps Older Gamers Playing?<\/h4>\n
What Games Do Older Gamers Play?<\/h4>\n
What Gaming Platforms Are Popular?<\/h4>\n
Keeping Social Through Gaming<\/h4>\n
Gaming Myths and Misconceptions<\/h4>\n
Women: The Largest Gaming Population<\/h4>\n
What is Pok\u00e9mon GO and How it Might Change Gaming?<\/h4>\n