I am an older video gamer who has recently been confronted by questions about gaming from his 88 year old father who wanted to know what else was available to him besides the Microsoft supplied solitaire and hearts games that came with his computer. I also have a better half who likes play computer games but has problems manipulating and using different keys to accomplish various things in more complex games.
Why computer games?
As we grow older, we realize we can no longer do many of the things we used to do; the saying “youth is wasted on the young,” is all too true. We slow down and become more aware of aches and pains. And we forget that which we learned a long time ago, that playing games is fun. North Carolina State University in its gains through gaming laboratory (http://www.gainsthroughgaming.org ) report that playing video games can improve our cognitive abilities, reduce levels of pain, increase imagination and perseverance, and increase hand eye coordination. Playing video games may actually help us; imagine that!
The Entertainment Software Association reports that over 24 billion dollars was spent on video games and hardware in 2011. (http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2012.pdf) This is double what the movie industry took in 2012. The gaming industry is large and filled with some very talented people. Even “old fashioned” games such as chess are not immune to changing technology. Not too long ago, chess was a game between humans; sometimes played by mail- the postcard type of mail called snail mail, not email. Now, there are many computer chess games available that can beat most of us handily. There is even a mobile phone that won a tournament with a rating of 2898; the average player is rated about 1500.
Recently, I attended a gaming convention in Boston. The Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) is a series of gaming gatherings held annually in Seattle, Boston, and, as of 2013, in Melbourne, Australia. PAX is a gathering of 70,000 friends you did not know you had. It is one of the few places where the public can visit an exhibition hall of 184,000 square feet where all the latest and soon to be released games are on display. There is also an entire section of the floor featuring independent game producers called indie games. I arrived early on Thursday, and saw the AbleGamers Foundation booth being assembled (www.ablegamers.org) in the main lobby. Let me show you what I saw on their wall:
Please don’t focus on the word disabled. If you do, then you are missing the main message of what I am trying to convey: That it is possible, through games, to empower people to do the impossible; to run, to jump, to soar once again. To become anyone, to do anything through the freedom and power of video games. I had a chance to talk with the nice folks at AbleGamers, and told them one of the problems older folks face is the usual way in many games is to use the WASD keys to move. Some folks, because of arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome can’t readily use those movement keys. My wife is one of these people. They showed me a way that allows a device to track your eye movements which are transferred to actual movement on the computer screen. There are ways to change the default movement keys in most games or how about using jellybeans. Yes, I said jellybeans. Take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_a0NMKilyc
I think there is something to be said for staying young at heart, and computer games hopefully will help us do just that. As we venture out into the world of computer games, allow me to guide you through the multitude, in fact endless, possibilities.
A Brief Introduction to the Different Types of Video Games
Where, in a roundabout way, I answer my father “What else is available besides to basic Windows games that come with my computer”.
Now let me turn things over to my bride.
According to all of the labels, I am a “casual gamer” and I play one-on-one with the computer/game client/software portal. I was an educator and began computer games in college in the 1970s with a mainframe dial-up/cradle version of Star Trek. Once computers were being bought by schools, the Apple 2E and 2C were our playboards and the games were all text, and were basically a means to teach the use of the keyboard, joy stick and hard drives. We did drill-and-practice games for educational enrichment or to try to teach students to focus on the screen and think more than write. Next came the IBM clones and graphics for games before the internet became the playing field and then it was open season on gaming.
I bought games that were single player or for taking turns and when the major search engines branched out into games I was happy to try the new kinds they offered beyond solitaire and hearts. First was Yahoo (http://games.yahoo.com/) for me and the games were fun but the levels never change and they are abbreviated versions so the game experience is somewhat limited. Then I discovered MSN (http://zone.msn.com/en-us/home) and their games at the time were different and a little more exciting to me so I stayed there a long time even downloading the free hour-long playing offers for a lot of games but that too was limited. I liked the next discovery so well I am a many-year member – Big Fish Games (http://www.bigfishgames.com/) is a client-based gaming site which offers the free hour-long “to see if you like it” option but it also offers digital downloads you can buy and it offers a guaranteed new game every day so your choices multiply geometrically. I enjoy many match-three games, strategy games and sometimes time management games but my true love is hidden-object games and Big Fish is literally swimming in them – sorry! Another nice thing about Big Fish is its cheaper cost – most store-bought PC games are above $25 but most of Big Fish’s games are $6.99 (+ tax) and you own the game outright – no limits and no restrictions. Some games are $13.99 but those include a strategy guide for those who want or need extra help with the game or the type of game.
I do play the larger online games occasionally but many times I just want to see the “colors change in the kaleidoscope” so I play a game that offers me a chance to see what happens if… I also play casual games online at Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/appcenter/category/games/) and enjoy the artificial game community atmosphere – you cannot directly connect in most games to another player and share the gaming module but you can assist before or after the fact with gifts, assistance in meeting a goal, inviting others to join the group and accepting invitations where you can share the spoils. I like variety and these many options usually satisfy that need and if they do not – there’s always somewhere else to look for games – Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=5267605011) does game downloads, the choices are many and prices can be really inexpensive to the occasional free game offered to draw you into the fold. Some of these games are staggeringly simple and some are heavily into trivia, eclectic knowledge, cultural iconography and sometimes really quick answers you do or do not know – it is a mental barometer and you choose your games and levels to play.
I’m back now to briefly summarize for you.
As you can see, there are a multitude of casual games available to us. Some mimic the hidden object game from the magazine many of us read when we were younger called ‘Highlights’. Often times, the hidden objects were not so hidden if someone had circled them. Others have you playing a café owner serving people, with more choices and number of people to be served increasing with each round. There are maze games, card games, pinball games, strategy games, shooting games, role playing games, the list is almost endless. There are websites available, where for a monthly fee you can play a variety of simple games that will keep your mind active (http://www.lumosity.com/). AARP (http://games.aarp.org/) has a variety of free online games. Whatever your choice, keeping an active mind will help you prevent boredom, or even have the possibility of staving off the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Pick a game that you enjoy and play on! You and I have something in common. Babies, toddlers, youngsters, young adults and seniors all have 24 hours in a day and it is up to each of us how we spend the time given to us. Spend some of that time playing games and having fun.
Until next time, stay cool.
Elder Mael 