[QUOTE]Yokohama, Japan (CNN) -- Close your eyes, and you know where you are: The unmistakable sound of anime voices and the jingle of a completed lap around the electronic track ring through the hall. This is a classic video game arcade in Japan, filled with the sounds long associated with this gaming nation. But open your eyes, and the players are not exactly the teenagers you'd expect to find.
In the center of the Sega Corporation game arcade in a Yokohama mall, about a dozen graying heads bobbed in front of video consoles, dropping tokens into the machines. The median age was no where near pre-teen, but much closer to post-retirement.
The arcade industry, while still dominated by younger players, is shifting to an unexpected population reality in the rapidly aging nation of Japan. Japan's government projects the population will shrink by a staggering 30% by 2060. By that year, the government says people age 65 and older will account for 39.9 percent of the total population. Crunch the numbers further, and seniors will outnumber children by 4 to 1.
Sega Corporation spokeswoman Kyoko Matsuda said the company has already spotted the trend in its arcades and is actively courting its older clients. Matsuda said the arcade has begun offering senior days and even gone low-tech in its frequent player cards, using paper cards to collect stamps instead of using electronic data points via mobile phones. "We're using paper because it's senior friendly," said Matsuda.
The Kataokas, both 70, certainly feel the arcade is friendly for their age group. They come every other day. Teruo Kataoka plays about six hours. "It's fun here," he said, rarely taking his eyes off the video game. "It keeps my brain vibrant."
His wife, Tsuneko, splits her time shopping in the mall and playing video games. "We're bored. We have nothing to do. I don't have anything to say to my husband anymore. It's much better to come here than just sit in the house watching TV all day. We need some excitement, too," she said. The Kataokas, like many of the gamer-retirees, prefer the more analog games at the arcade, which mirror more of the video slot machines in Las Vegas.
Drop the coin into the machine, and the machine slides a stack of coins toward the edge, and you can watch the coins fall, explained Teruo Kataoka. The more coins fall, the more games the seniors are willing to play, he said.
The arcade has so many grey headed gamers that it's morphed into an unofficial senior center.
We met here, said one senior, pointing to the Kataokas.
Teenage players, who started filtering in after the school day ended, said they have no problem seeing so many older people in a traditionally youth-oriented spot. What would be weird, said one 16-year-old player, is if he saw a grandparent playing a shooting-or-combat game.
But there's no telling what the future will look like in this arcade and other Japanese venues as this graying nation holds.
[/QUOTE]
Source: [url]http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/08/world/asia/japan-older-gamers/index.html?hpt=hp_bn2[/url]
I think it's pretty cool to see the older guys playing games. I mean, it's not like there's an age limit to them. But six hours a day? That's quite a lot. Maybe not to a lot of people on FP, but I feel that's probably a little much.
Then again, he is 70. Not much to do I guess.
[QUOTE=jbthekid;34618722]I think it's pretty cool to see the older guys playing games. I mean, it's not like there's an age limit to them. But six hours a day? That's quite a lot. Maybe not to a lot of people on FP, but I feel that's probably a little much.[/QUOTE]
My grandfather has been playing an mmo from 7:30 to 22:30 every day since 2004 or '05! V:v:V
and before anyone asks, it's not mmo. He says that non-"diablo camera" mmos are crap
My Uncle's goin on 64 and he plays more games than I do
[editline]9th February 2012[/editline]
used to play diablo 2 with him he kicks my ass lmao
[QUOTE=jbthekid;34618722]I think it's pretty cool to see the older guys playing games. I mean, it's not like there's an age limit to them. [B]But six hours a day? That's quite a lot.[/B] Maybe not to a lot of people on FP, but I feel that's probably a little much.[/QUOTE]
Ha. Lightweights.
My dad won't stop begging my mom for starcraft 2
the japanese just don't give a fuck about social stigma
[QUOTE=Kondor58;34618837]the japanese just don't give a fuck about social stigma[/QUOTE]
They have a social stigma against social stigma
[QUOTE=Hidole555;34618763]Ha. Lightweights.[/QUOTE]
Ha, jobs.
It's good that they are out there doing stuff you know. Better than rotting away in your house.
[QUOTE=Hidole555;34618763]Ha. Lightweights.[/QUOTE]
Ha, super nerds.
My aunt is in her 50s and she plays Diablo.
I wonder how things will be once our generation gets to that age
We'll probably have clan wars in counter strike between retirement homes or something awesome like that
[QUOTE=Murkrow;34618939]I wonder how things will be once our generation gets to that age
We'll probably have clan wars in counter strike between retirement homes or something awesome like that[/QUOTE]
While all the kids are in projectro-3D Cyber-cades with them theres lasers guns.
And I guess they do them ~~1337 f@57 r3f1eX~~ games?
[QUOTE=Aerkhan;34619054]And I guess they do them ~~1337 f@57 r3f1eX~~ games?[/QUOTE]
They play dance dance revolution on expert when they're not playing Galaxy.
[QUOTE=jbthekid;34619108]They play dance dance revolution on expert when they're not playing Galaxy.[/QUOTE]
Pfft, casuals.
More elderly people should do this. They have nothing to do, so why not have fun?
It doesn't matter what they do as long as they have fun it's cool.
Fuck social stigmas.
i don't know what else i'd do if i was that old, can't really go around doing much.
i'd play the shit out of pokemon snap
My grandparents are all dead
[QUOTE=Murkrow;34618939]I wonder how things will be once our generation gets to that age
We'll probably have clan wars in counter strike between retirement homes or something awesome like that[/QUOTE]
Gonna be awesome with the MLG quickscope cod fags from today when they get old.
New challenge: Create a quickscoping video and watch it without losing your hearing and having a heart attack due to the dubstep and the special effects.
[quote]His wife, Tsuneko, splits her time shopping in the mall and playing video games. [b]"We're bored. We have nothing to do. I don't have anything to say to my husband anymore.[/b] It's much better to come here than just sit in the house watching TV all day. We need some excitement, too," she said. The Kataokas, like many of the gamer-retirees, prefer the more analog games at the arcade, which mirror more of the video slot machines in Las Vegas.[/quote] :c that's sad.
My mom is 58, going to be 59 later this year.
She runs a major guild(on the server she plays on) in [I]World of Warcraft.[/I]
Oh, and she's a better[I] Angry Birds [/I]player than I'll ever be. :v:
[QUOTE=Madman_Andre;34622686]My mom is 58, going to be 59 later this year.
She runs a major guild(on the server she plays on) in World of Warcraft.
Oh, and she's a better[I] Angry Birds [/I]player than I'll ever be. :v:[/QUOTE]
Alliance or Horde?
[QUOTE]Crunch the numbers further, and seniors will outnumber children by 4 to 1.[/QUOTE]
4 to 1?! HOLY CRAP! What will we do with these seniors?! THEY COULD TURN VIOLENT AND START GANGING UP ON NEW BORNS! Punching them until their arthritis kicks in..
I once got my grandfather to play Amnesia.
Well, let's not try that one again.
The problem is; the older you get, the less motivation you have to learn new skills. I know my grandmother refuses to learn to use a VHS or DVD player.
[QUOTE=Daniellynet;34619342]More elderly people should do this. They have nothing to do, so why not have fun?[/QUOTE]
I want to teach my grandma how to play games like DNF.
[QUOTE=Murkrow;34618939]I wonder how things will be once our generation gets to that age
We'll probably have clan wars in counter strike between retirement homes or something awesome like that[/QUOTE]
[video=youtube;JVfVqfIN8_c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVfVqfIN8_c[/video]
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.