Gaming is for the Young and Old

I had to share this video. This 93-year-old Japanese man named Ryuji Urabe is probably the oldest video gamer that I’ve heard of or seen. He is a former taxi driver, which probably explains why he has more interest in racing games than anything else. Kudos to his grandson for getting his grandfather set up for some post-retirement gaming. What’s even better is that Urabe even races online against other players. I think this story is really cool.

This is the side of gaming that should bring a smile to people’s faces. And it also represents a way a grandson and his grandfather can share a bond. I expect that my generation will probably have more gaming grandparents and great-grandparents who are gamers than any other generation before it. If you were born in the 70s or later, then you have a strong likelihood of having a video game background that goes all the way back to your childhood like me. So I wouldn’t be surprised to see senior living facilities, senior centers, and other elderly related places have video game consoles set up for us when we become the next batch of senior citizens.

But wait, there’s more! I had to also look on YouTube and get some female representation on here as well. In my thirty-plus years of gaming, it makes me thrilled to see more and more young girls and women getting into gaming. My mother had just as much of an impact on me getting into gaming as my father did. To this day, if I were to invite my mom to Dave and Buster’s, she would have no problem finding games to play. I’m fortunate to have a mom like that and I can still clearly remember her playing Ms. Pac-Man in both the arcade and on our old Atari 2600 back in the day.

What are your thoughts on these videos? I find them heartwarming and inspiring. Seeing older people play video games naturally brings a smile to my face. Maybe it is because even at that age, they are doing something fun. No matter how old they are, they never outgrow the desire to have fun and embrace it. What a great lesson to the rest of us.

-TVGA
admin@videogamersadvocate.com

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