Today we will talk about older players and find out why grandparents all over the world throw knitting and scanwords for virtual battles.

It is generally accepted that video games are primarily entertainment for young people. But this is not quite (if not at all) the case, which statistics confirms. It is high time to get rid of this long-held stereotype. Today we will talk about older players and find out why grandparents all over the world throw knitting and scanwords for virtual battles.

Some statistics

By given The American Retirement Support Association, in 2019, more than 50 million people aged 50 and over regularly spent time in video games. This is 25% more than it was in 2016, and makes up almost half of the entire elderly US population.

In 2010 was reportedthat 18% of UK residents over 60 regularly play video games. Last May, The Telegraph statedthat every fourth Briton over the age of 65 is fond of video games, and in the age group from 55 to 64 years of their 40%. Pensioners use games to communicate with children and grandchildren, as well as to train the brain.

The explanation for this phenomenon is quite simple. First, technology and video games, including every year, occupy more and more space in people’s lives. Even my 80-year-old grandmother has a smartphone. Secondly, time does not stand still. The birth of the industry as we know it now falls on the 1970s. Atari and Konami were founded at that time, the first mass consoles and arcade machines appeared. This means that children who chopped in Pong are now around 60 years old.

Increasing attention to video games from the older generation is also observed with a simple review of the Internet. Over the past ten years, the number of journalistic articles and scientific research on silver gaming has steadily increased. More and more often there are stories about ordinary players, streamers and even cybersportsmen who have exceeded 50 years.

Stories about older players

One of the very first elderly gamers to whom many media drew attention was Umeiji Narisawa from Japan. In 2011, the story of a 99-year-old woman appeared on local television, and a little later, from the filing of the Kotaku portal, they learned about the “oldest gamer” around the world.

At the time of reporting, Narisawa had been playing video games for 26 years, or rather, a video game – Bomberman. For more than a quarter of a century, she daily went through all 50 levels on her Nintendo Famicom. She usually needed two hours to do this. According to Narisawa, the game helps her keep her mind toned.

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Even non-core publications pay attention to older players. For example, the website of the NBC television channel in 2019 talked with Shirley Curry, known as the Skyrim Grandmother.

Curry is a popular gaming blogger specializing in TES: Skyrim content. Now she has more than 800 thousand subscribers on YouTube. She gained wide fame in 2018, when she expressed fearthat may not live up to the release of the next The Elder Scrolls due to old age – at that time she was 82 years old.

Blogger and TES fans have asked Bethesda and even created a petition to perpetuate Curry in the game. The company listened to the audience. In 2019, the studio announced that Skyrim Grandma would appear in the new RPG as an NPC – for this, the developers even scanned her face.

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In Russia, among the older generation there are also gamers. First of all, this is my grandmother, who occasionally plays Candy Crush on her phone. But a wide audience is better known for streamer Anna “Baba Anya” Sandalova, who has more than 200 thousand subscribers on YouTube.

In 2018, Cybersport.ru published a large interview in which Sandalova talked about how she began to get involved in video games and began to stream. You can read more about this at the link. Interestingly, she initially considered the hobby of her grandchildren to be cruel and did not approve of it. However, after she began to play herself, she changed her mind.

Sandalova’s experience confirms the results research 2016, which was conducted by scientists from the universities of Stetson, Copenhagen and Westminster. According to their findings, the bias of older people towards video games changes after they first become acquainted with titles – this applies even to cruel M-rated actions. Moreover, the attitude changes only to specific products, and not to the industry as a whole.

The benefits of video games for the elderly

At the same time, representatives of the older generation can benefit from interactive entertainment. Researchers and older gamers themselves note three main positive effects:

• beneficial effects on mental abilities;
• socialization and maintaining contacts with society;
• adaptation to technological progress.

Beneficial effects on mental abilities

Aging is the natural gradual degradation of biological organisms that can affect both the body and the mind equally. The latter is called senile dementia, and is popularly called “senile dementia.”

The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, the likelihood of which is increasing directly proportional to age. Meanwhile, according to a study by the Alzheimer’s Association, cognitive stimulation, along with other factors in a healthy lifestyle, reduces the risk of dementia by 60%.

Cognitive stimulation is, roughly speaking, brain training. There are many methods, including even regular gymnastics, but the simplest are different puzzles and mental puzzles. And the vast majority of video games fit this description well, because you need to think in them anyway.

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IN article University of California scientists noted that a group of subjects aged 60 to 85 was able to improve their multitasking performance and other cognitive functions through training in a specially designed video game. Their performance improved compared with the control group and, according to the researchers, reached the level of untrained youth.

In a number of others research (including from University of California employees) it is indicated that regular commercial video games, created solely for entertainment, have a positive effect on cognitive functions. Although for scientific and medical purposes, special developments are needed.

The positive effects of video games on cognitive functions in the elderly confirmed study University of Porto. According to him, eight weeks later, older people playing video games showed a decrease in the number of cognitive impairment compared to control groups. To similar the conclusion came the staff of the University of Montreal and many others. And scientists at the University of North Carolina found outthat retired gamers feel better emotionally than those who don’t play.

Socialization and keeping in touch with society

Age-related changes affect socialization in different and mostly negative ways. The circle of acquaintances is gradually narrowing, and making new connections becomes more difficult due to the fact that it is banal hard to leave the house. Technology can help with this.

According to The newspaper TelegraphSome retirees use video games to get in touch with their families. In them, they find a replacement for traditional board games, thanks to which they can spend more time with their grandchildren.

This trend is not limited to relatives. Video games pave the way for older users to the Internet, where they can freely communicate with an unlimited number of people. IN most interviews and streamers, and ordinary gamers called communication and stress management one of the main advantages of video games.

A hobby provides older people with different opportunities in different situations. Some find a company in the NPC community, while others receive a direct platform for communication, the subject of discussion on thematic sites and forums, and in and of themselves a reason to go online.

Adapting to technological progress

It is impossible to take advantage of the Internet and remote communication without the appropriate skills. And games from ancient times were used for training.

The classic Windows suite was not just for entertainment purposes. He also helped users get used to the mouse and cursor more easily. “Kosyna” taught to drag objects, and “Minesweeper” trained click accuracy.

Remembering this story, after buying my grandmother’s first smartphone, I installed one of the three in a row versions on it. These games are easy to learn, use the capabilities of touch control and allow you to operate with small objects. All this seemed to me very successful to facilitate the transition with a simple push-button Nokia.

Study The University of Linz confirmed my theory (scientists even chose the same Candy Crush). According to the conclusions from the experiment, video games really help in teaching modern technologies and interactive media. Experts said that the results of their work do not mean that video games are the best way to learn, but they simplify the process of mastering technology.

Video games are not only popular with older people, but also useful for them. It’s time to buy your grandparents on the console and find out what will interest them.

Researchers from the University of Berne concluded that older people mostly prefer casual games because of the simplicity of their development. Among genres, they prefer primarily puzzles: simulators and action are less interested in them.

Casual puzzles are a great genre. A person who has never dealt with video games in his life can easily figure it out. Yes, and such activities knead their brains with a bang, but because this is a great way to start exploring a new hobby.