Which Generation are Better gamers ?

[fire_of_avalon]

Most Gamers are Adults
The myth that most gamers are children also seems to defy the changing gaming demographics. In reality, nearly three quarters of PC gamers are adults, with only 30% under the age of 18. In fact, 38.5% of the people using PCs to run entertainment software are age 36 and over, 31% are between the ages of 18 and 35, and 30% are under 18 (1). A mere 2% of online gamers is under the age of 18 (7). In the realm of console gaming, a higher percentage of gamers are underage (44%). Thirty-six percent of console gamers are 18 to 35 years old, and 20% are age 36 and older. This means that over half of all console gamers are adults (1). Evidently, many adults, including adult women, choose video gaming as a viable entertainment option. While some concessions towards the female gaming market have been made in the form of "girls games"-- games designed and marketed for preadolescent girls-- adult women gamers have been virtually ignored by the gaming industry.

http://www.womengamers.com/doctork/myths.php

Just clearing up some misconceptions.

[Dreddz]

Thanks for that
I guess this topic went a little away from the question

[Amarant Odinson]

I would have to go with the older generation. I can't count the number of times when some friend of mine or myself have had to shut some teenager for talking a bunch of smack that he can't possibly back up. There have been plenty of times when some kid has been trash talking the "old folks" and then I'd have to kill him in Soul Caliber II, Tekken Tag or even Dance Dance Revolution. My buddies and I are all in our mid to late 20's. I'm 26 myself. The main reason why I think people my age are better is because we've grown up on video games. We've seen the evolution of arcades and home consoles over the years. You put a guy my age in front of any video game and within five to 10 mintues he knows exactly what to do and how to do it. I have yet to see a 14 year old get pass the first 5 levels in Pac Man.

[Cz]

I'll have to go with the majority of people in this thread and say the older generation. Most kids today would have trouble beating the average 16-bit platformer, simply because gaming is something you become better at with experience. Tricks you learn from one title can carry over into another, and having had years of practice means that the older gamers are generally superior.

The simplicity of many modern titles doesn't help. Metal Gear Solid is a reasonably tough game when played on Extreme difficulty, but your average kid is going to opt for Very Easy mode and finish the game in a couple of days. We need more games like Viewtiful Joe which challenge the player even on the normal setting, and actually demand that the player be skilled to complete them.

[Spammerman]

The younger gamers havn't had time to study the predictable stratagies you are expected to use to beat games. Plus you can always say things to them lke "Hey, jump in that pit and you get 1500 points! Oh...you died..... well, guess its my turn." Cruel yes but its how you get a turn when playing with 6 people.


Older people like 40+ have this problem too, although they will kick your ass at pinball and other retro-based games. FPS are usualy another like of this agegroup and they will be fairly decent at it, but still no comparrison to a 17 year old and his/her controler.

thats untrue. Ive nvr met my match in puzzling games.

[Dreddz]

The older gamers were good at 16-bit platformers but Games have changed and no 16-bit platformer is goin to come out soon are they.
People who have played games all there life might be good but I hate it when someone thinking there better cause they used to like the old games. They get thrashed cause they dont know how to use a controller 'oh know this pad has four buttons arrrgghhh'

[Cless]

I feel that the people who have more experience will probably be better. If that happens to be a ten year old, fair enough but it is highly unlikely that they will have more than an adult who would actually call himself a gamer.

Example:
Let's take a something that is heavily skill based, like...darts! It's a good one because the only advantage that an adult has over a child would be experience. Just like gaming. What if I then asked the question:
Who are the better darts players? Children or adults?
I think the answer seems pretty obvious, and I feel the same applies to the question you ask.

It would have been a harder decision for me, if you'd have classed young as 0-20 and old as 20+. I don't think I could call that one...

[Lionx]

That doesnt mean that they arent better. The older gamers IMO know what works, they know why a game failed before and know what makes a great game. They also arent lured by the graphics and hype. Like WoW, everyone was into that, but after a while many people left...most people went because of the hype too. But who are you more willing to trust? Some 13 year old? Or maybe a 26 year old who was there from the dawn of video gaming and seen it evolve and know alot of stuff about it? Old games werent all platformers :P Try FF1 and tell me if you can beat it or breeze through it like the most recent FFs without some hardcore leveling time?

[square_is_the_best]

I'm not going to take a side because I will become "old" on Monday.

[MecaKane]

People who have played games all there life might be good but I hate it when someone thinking there better cause they used to like the old games. They get thrashed cause they dont know how to use a controller 'oh know this pad has four buttons arrrgghhh'

People who've played video games their whole life are no older than, maybe 27. And if they played video games they would know about the older systems. You're treating 20 year olds like friggen 80 year olds.
I've got knews for you, kid, every god damned 14 year old thinks his whole age group is some sort of new breed of human, 100% better than everyone older than them. You're not special.

I'm better at video games than when I was 10, and in a few years I'll be better still.

And more adults do play video games than kids. The average age for buying new games is at least over 20.

[Agent Proto]

haha. So toddlers and newborns are considered gamers? xD

Anyway, the older generation.

Though, I think you should probably define your generations better, because there are several generations.

[Rinen]

The older gamers were good at 16-bit platformers but Games have changed and no 16-bit platformer is goin to come out soon are they.
People who have played games all there life might be good but I hate it when someone thinking there better cause they used to like the old games. They get thrashed cause they dont know how to use a controller 'oh know this pad has four buttons arrrgghhh'

Really. I'm a part of that 'older generation', and I went perfectly with the change. Same with my friends and their parents. You should stop generalizing statements. Assumptions can lead to misunderstandings as well as unwanted arguements and debates. Generations now some sociologists say that they vary every 4 years now. What would be better for defining your generations is cut them down to every 4-5 years.

0-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15-19, and so forth. I believe that would settle more things down. I was considered a gamer as a toddler. Sure it was Atari 2600, and I beat my parents at frogger at the age of 2. That takes difficulty. That was when there was difficulty in games.

[Dreddz]

With equal amount of experience a younger gamer is just as good as an older gamer. If they have played the same game for equal amount of time they will be just as good as each other. And dont say that crap that older gamers respect the game more. No one gets better with games when there older. Only when you go above 50 and thats when you really lose it

[Lionx]

Doubtful, people play better and learn at different rates. You might need more time on fractions while your classmate besides you is like "PFFTT!! Easy!" and show you how its done.

Why wouldnt we respect the game more? We grew up with them and seen first hand how games evolved? Not saying younger gamers dont respect older games, but its much more easier to know what time frame the game was in, how the feeling of the game nestled with others. I mean you look at Mortal Kombat the Original one. That stirred so much controversy. I mean you see Doom and RE nowadays and thats like Pfft comical even. But you would never REALLY know the controversy and how it impacted us since we experieneced nothing like that until that particular time. You can know that it impacted us but you never really will know how much MK stirred up back in those times unless you actually were there. Just like how i can not think how would Pac-Man be so great from when i was born. I never will and it will always be an endless maze game for me, but to those that seen it and how it changed video gaming, its truly something i would bet. But i wouldnt know for sure and i cannot have the same level of respect for Pac-Man as i would like them. All i know is that this game was a craze, but i would not know how good that craze is.

And i might as well stop practicing my moves for fighting games @_@ i will only get worst day by day. Everyone should. Yup..

[Dreddz]

It will be over all balanced. Not all of the older generation will pick up on the game straight away but a few will. And the same goes to the younger generation.
I hate it when people say the older generation grew up on harder consoles. Ive got a perfectly good Genesis in my room and a SNES. I mainly grew up on the playstation though.