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View Full Version : Guard your Game Boys kids, here comes Grandma!

RobertoOrtiz
09-11-2006, 12:11 PM
Quote:
"Unbeknownst to many of her peers, 70-year-old Barbara Sainte-Hilaire, MTV's "senior" video game correspondent and star of the blog "Old Grandma Hardcore," is a sensation in video game circles.

A video gamer for three decades, the foul-mouthed granny who favors role-playing games and admittedly stinks at sports titles, says she indulges her habit for about 10 hours a day -- significantly more than her 23-year-old grandson, Timothy.
She has an extensive collection of game consoles that would turn many teenaged boys green with envy, and has just finished playing a pair of zombie-slaying titles -- "Dead Rising" on Microsoft's Xbox 360 and "Resident Evil" on Nintendo's GameCube.

"This is my form of relaxation ... I'm not hurting anyone by swearing at our television," said Sainte-Hilaire.

While not all senior citizens possess Sainte-Hilaire's grit and gusto, many are discovering that video games are more than just entertainment. They reinforce what a variety of scientific studies suggest: that video games can help keep aging brains nimble, encourage social interaction and quicken reaction times.

According to the Entertainment Software Association, 25 percent of U.S. gamers are 50 and older -- the same group that is eligible to join the American Association of Retired Persons, whose own Web site (www.aarp.org (http://www.aarp.org)) offers video games and articles about the benefits derived from playing them."

>>LINK<< (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060908/tc_nm/column_pluggedin_dc;_ylt=AgHxb2e8ZskpFRgV9_OXzf.s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3cjE0b2MwBHNlYwM3Mzg)

-R
DrFx
09-11-2006, 12:51 PM
Hey, that's cool, and it actually makes sense, as retired people have much free time and little mobility. The downside is that it can keep them from going outside and actually meet other people in real life!
My mother is not quite old (53), but she adores to play Brain Age sudoku on her DS lite. I'm thinking of buying her Tetris DS, too! :)
Asgorath
09-11-2006, 01:08 PM
So Video games are bad for young because it's too violent, and dissipate their attention.

But it's good for old people because it helps keep the brain responsive, and with violent games keep their heart in better shape, and express their frustation.... ? :D
danshewan
09-11-2006, 01:13 PM
Rock on, grandma - I hope I'll still be gaming when I'm her age.

Good point though, Asgorath - I guess that by that age you end up becoming de-sensitized to video game violence. Either that or the whole 'video games make good, normal people do bad things' argument doesn't have that much credibility anymore. Did it ever?

Great stuff - I've been wondering what to get my (58 year-old) mother for Christmas - trouble is, I've only got a Gameboy Micro, and I'd be loathe to give away a DS as a gift....

What a bad son I am.
RuinedMessiah
09-11-2006, 01:14 PM
I think the only problem here is that a senior citizen has yet to try and blow up her retirement home while leaving video diaries stating "it'll be just like mother ******* Doom 2 and stuff."

Cookies for whoever gets the reference.
PhilWesson
09-11-2006, 01:27 PM
I saw a video of this woman playing something a few months back. It was incredible to see her go at it.
And yes, she can make sailors blush.
PhantomDesign
09-11-2006, 04:09 PM
Go granny! Go Granny! Go Go Go, Go Granny!

My grandpa used to play video games, mostly those star-trek games that were on grids, I remember you had to watch for black-holes which were merely a missing dot. Don't remember what it was called, but it was a fun game, now we have games like Galactic Civilizations 2.
pnoland
09-12-2006, 01:58 AM
Hell, I don't know why more older people are into gaming. Gotta do something at that age right? I'm going to buy my grandparents an xbox... :D
hiphopcr
09-12-2006, 04:39 PM
So Video games are bad for young because it's too violent, and dissipate their attention.

But it's good for old people because it helps keep the brain responsive, and with violent games keep their heart in better shape, and express their frustation.... ? :D
Haha, I can't wait til I'm old then
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