Video games aren’t just for kids, blogger says

Video games are written off by many as simply being for children and teenagers, but it may surprise some that the average age of gamers is actually 35 years old.

Indeed, gaming is actually dominated by those well past their teenage years.

John Loch, a 42-year-old Ohio resident, publishes a blog called Middle-Aged Gamer.

He uses the blog to post game reviews and articles on the state of gaming in general.

In a phone interview, Loch said that he’s been a gamer “since games have been around, really” and remembers when Pong was released in the ’70s.

He dismissed the idea that games are just for kids.

“That’s an old one that’s still in a lot of people’s minds,” Loch said. “There are a lot of video games that are for kids but there are also many games today that are made specifically for adults. I think that the stereotype breaks down year after year as more people see different kinds of games.”

He said that it’s not uncommon for “older” people to play games.

“Almost everyone I know and work with—those in their 40s, 30s, and 20s—they play games in one form or another. Today’s fathers played games when they were kids themselves, and now they play games with their own kids.”

In retrospect, the 35-year-olds of today were the 10-year-olds of the mid ’80s, a time when home video gaming became an overnight sensation with the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System.

They are the first generation to have had access to video games for most of their lives.

“For my dad’s generation, he would go to the fox club and play cards with his friends or go golfing. For my generation and younger ones too, I think it’ll be on-line gaming and things like that as a pastime,” Loch said.

Having been a follower of video games pretty much since the beginning, Loch has seen it all go down.

“It’s definitely an evolving hobby. The games over the years have definitely gotten better, there’s no question,” said Loch. “ As much as I’m nostalgic for older games, the new ones coming out each year keep getting better.”

Despite the average age of gamers being 35—according to the Entertainment Software Association—the expansion of the video-game market has seen an influx of consumers spanning more age groups than just those 35 and below.

“There’s definitely more of a community,” Loch said. “Even my mother-in-law who’s 72 plays Wii Sports bowling. It’s definitely a multi-generational thing now and it’s definitely in our culture.”

As for how aging affects one’s video gaming, Loch said, “It slows down. When you’re younger and you’re single, you play a lot of games with your friends. You can play all night. As you get older, it slows down with the family life and all that, but I think to some degree I’ll always be playing games even if it’s just for 10 minutes here or there.”

So, while video games may still be thought of by many as child’s play, the growing market ensures that gaming will continue to break down the boundaries of age.