38, married, no kids. I play games probably 20 hours a week when it's not football season (during the fall I'm in front of my big screen with Sunday Ticket and in heaven).

My wife doesn't care. When we aren't watching TV together I play games and she knits. After being married over 10 years it's great to go to your "corner" and do your own thing. Wife has no problem with me playing games, heck, we used to play Doom deathmatch against each other all the time. Plus like someone above posted, she knows where I am and it's not at the bar getting drunk and driving home or calling her at 2 am for a ride.

Oh the arcade. Man did I spend the quarters in the early/mid 80s. I'd say Defender, Missle Command and Gauntlet got the majority of my cash.

Commadore 64 with tape drive rules!!

I am 74 and a wife!!

I came to gaming late. My first game was Civ2,
I started as a way of keeping my mind active and it came to me after I became addicted to the internet.
The interest in the internet arrose so that I could keep in touch with adult children, grandchildren and soon, great grandchildren, who are scattered around the World.

I like the Empire building side of games, although I must confess a growing liking for blowing things up... Better not let the CIA hear that.

My husband first started Gal Civ, but gave it up after a while.
I believe he fell out with sombody on these forums.
Now he is back on his favourite flight simulators. He is an ex military pilot.

34.  Four Daughters and a wife.  None of them play any computer games. 

I don't make nearly enough time to game.  Other pursuits, ya know?  I haven't finished a game in forever.  I'll start a small universe and dink away for an hour and then bail.  No loss to me, I had fun playing.

Favorite game as a youth Odyssey on the Apple ][ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey:_The_Compleat_Apventure
Closely followed by Zork and Olympic Decathlon.

I was overseas through much of my youth and didn't get into the arcades much.  I do remember HATING Dragon's Lair.  I wasn't "twitchy" enough to do that one.

Vic20 with a tape drive rules!! Uh, OK, maybe not. But it was my first computer (V20) and my first way of saving/loading (tape drive).


Speaking of old arcade games where there was actually something there and not a video screen, I've visited a mountain town in Colorado where they have an enormous old arcade filled with old games (like 3 large buildings' worth!), some of them probably from the early 20th century. Some of them actually take pennies! A few of them are really fun, too. I've always liked the hockey game that had real plastic men and a plastic puck, though the damned puck would sometimes find its way into a space where none of the men could get at it. I guess that's where the idea of "tilt" comes from!

BTW, I'm 35, wifed, no kids.

Well, I’m 43, not married, but always looking for The One. I detest first person shooter games as mind numbing and twitchy and generally dislike RT game as click fests. That leaves, of course, turn based strategy games. I recall many hours behind my blinding amber monitor of my oh-so-hot XT in grad school playing Populous. Later I graduated to Civ, Moo2, and then fell out of computer games for a while – until I discovered SMAC in 1999. I was traveling on business and had lots of free time in the evening and I instantly fell in love with the story and the game, started writing SMAC fan fiction at Apolyton, and it was all over but the crying.

I didn’t like GalCiv1 and came to GalCiv2 late (October 2006, as I recall), but I’m really glad I gave it a try. This is the game that Moo3 should have been. The time I can play is dependent on RL, which right now is conspiring to suck much of my free time away between ever present work, home improvement, civic, and volunteer activities.

The community here at GalCiv2 is first rate. Some forums get caustic, which can only be cured by vigilant moderators (of where there are many here) and good natured members.

Cheers!
Hydro

Actually that's not true. I saw some stats on the subject and the average age of gamers is about 30. As for me I have all of you beat, I'll be 50 in a month's time.

I remember those threads and thought it was a real shame. Please give Vulcan a shout-out from the rest of us.

Well I'm 48 have a lovely wife four kids and three computers. I don't know what half the game styles are but I played golf when the ball was a single square pixel and I loved the Wing Commander series. Now I play with Tiger Woods 2007 PGA Tour (I know EA is an evil word, but it's the best golf game around). My wife plays Solitaire and Hearts and thats about her limit. I start work at 0700am and finish at 2.30pm which gives me 3 hours a day for GCII DA or modding before my sons get home an kick me off the computer. Then it's dinner time and after that it's Stargate. But I do get out occasionally as I am an avid fossicker and I like to go fossicking for sapphires. So as long as I can get the occasional blue sparkly gem, my wife lets me alone.

It's good to be a geezer!!!

Actually I never noticed the poll but there is a thread kicking around somewhere that asks "How old are you". Every so often it gets resurrected. I think there may be close to a couple of hundred responses in that thread. That's what I was basing my opinion on.

I also remember Vulcan and wish him well. I never did really know what the issue was. At this point I certainly have no desire to go into the why's and wherefore's, but I do want to second Marshall's emotion that Vulcan is both respected and missed.

I'm 47 divorced with 3 kids. I work 3rd shift, get an hour in the morning and about 3 at night. My daughter is the youngest and I spend most of my off time with her - she like Oblivion and always has me make game content for her. When I was married my Ex never let me game when she was home. Didn't like the competition, so it was all kids then. Now, when I'm not setting up lan parties for my boys or something similar I play GalCiv DA tiny map max everything on tough. Lately though I've just been looking at various aspects. Cut my teeth on the old Osbournes. Did my time with the TRS-80, Z-80, original Apple, Vic20, C-64, Amiga, etc. Had a relative that worked for Burroughs as a System Analyst, so I got to use a lot of different platforms. Been into computers and networking most of my adult career. I've done my own chip masks for custom processors, breadboarded my own networks, that is until a home fire wiped out everything back in 95. Once back in 82 got a little heat in the AF when I hooked a 4kw klystron to my SSB to reach stateside in the barracks. OSI kinda frowned on that   I've done a lot of college as well - have to re-cert every couple a years for my job. I surf at work - don't have internet at home. Didn't like it - too much like work.

Then you better re-read some of the replies.
I am older than you. And a few are older than me.
Embird is 74, and so far qualifies as oldest - in both male and female categories.

Nice to read your replies, I'am not 35 yet but getting close to and guys you all spread hope around. Respect to Embird, Willgamer, Cobra133 and the others who remind us: he, young also means the way you are thinking and don't stop dreaming whenever you want to. Wifes do not understand of course, it's obvious, that's why first we are keeping the houshold working, have s.., and meet friends etc., but once a week I say to her "ok, now for the next 4 hours do as I wasn't here and try not to disturb me, exceptions are fire and your mother on phone saying how much she likes me...and it works!
I'am only continuing with strategy games, love GC2, it very reminds me of a game I played like crazy in the nineties called "Ascendancy" with similar game experience at that time. Best wishes to all of you and take care.

I could tell who some of the more mature posters were by their courtesy, professionalism, attention to spelling and gramar and the writting style. I had CornhuskerMac, Mumblefratz and slabster pegged. Belanos surprised me. I did not expect that there were so many older players. I always felt that no one else my age or older liked playing computer games.

This is funny:




I'll try using those diversionary tactics to gain more game time. I always have conversations in my head with the little robot man, tempting me with his empty promises of a few more turns. "I want to play longer, but your life is in danger right now." And you always feel that inclination to play those few more turns, like a siren call. I would like to meet the twisted soul who put such a thing into the game. The first time I read it I found it very humorous.

Gramar?
You know the moral right? Don't judge a book by it's cover!

What?   It's how I always pick the club books for Oprah (she never complains), the year's Newberry award winners and literature from the maganize rack in the section where the kids can't reach.  

Spelling error aside, ahem, again... Those magazines that the kids can't reach ARE actually the only 'books' that you can judge by their covers...
And yes, I know it was probably more of a typo than a grammar error.

to chime in...40...married (1st) ...2 kids, one about to pop, all boys.

i don't play GalCIv. and hang around JU and the forums more for other types of discussions.

i don't get to play games as often as i like, but when i do, it's mostly madden, GTA or games in those genres.

1st computer i ever used was an atari 800 if i remember correctly. 1st i ever owned was an IBM 386 if memory serves me correctly. my 1st videogame owned was pong. i also owned most of the little handheld football, baseball and tank games way back then that mattel, et al made.

btw, the only stardock game i've ever played was the political machine. that's if ya don't count the games played on the JU blogs, lol.

Hi!
46 here, but inside me I never in my life felt much over 20, so I probably don't fit in the geezer category.

Or maybe I do, since I let computer gaming made such an impact on my real life. Since the DEC's PDP-11 in my faculty times I'm a gamer. Not much in nowadays MP RTSs (I can't click fast enough to do all what is needed) or FPSs (my eye-hand coordination is not good enough to compete with teenagers that rule there), and my comp is also ~6 years old P4 1.5MHz. But it's strong enough for "sit and think" games I enjoy, so one probably can't name a turn-based, active-pause or very-slow-time PC stategy game I didn't play.

BR, Iztok

Ok 63 here, wife for 38 years plays also, board gamer since 1956, started out with a timex z80, Spaceward Ho was one of my first purchased games ... never saw a thrill in quarter droppers.
Started Galactic Civ on my OS/2 box. I now have a windos box ... just for games ... but I still play Star Trek on my unix box.

Civ I through IV, Pirates, Railroads, are some I enjoy.
Aide De camp takes up a lot of my gaming hours as does Aces High.

I have a ton of computer games as the kids send me all the stuff they don't like or don't play.

Well and truly thirded!

As for me - 41, married 14 years, 2 kids. Play while good lady watches (insert latest brain-drain TV series here) - that is, when we are not both out at a gig or rock festival (which is actually a very regular occurrence).

Never got into arcade machines, always the TBS / RPG type games for me from the early days of the Vic20, onwards through the Commodore range until finally becoming beholden to Mr. Gates' Windoze in around 1996. Discovered GalCiv 1 by accident really - in a bargain bin for £5 and thought I'd give it a try for an hour or 2. Best value for money I've ever had out of a game.

I will pass on your kind comments. Thank you.

Here is a web site for all you computer addict old fogies. dullmen .com
Very funny.

I'll be 46 in August. My first computer was a Kaypro II. It was basically an aluminum suitcase with a built-in 9" green phosphor screen. (A selling point, actually). It came bundled with a game called "Ladder", which was a Donkey Kong style game. This was before the days of 'computer graphics', so it was made up of the letters, etc from the keyboard. Very clever. An entire world made up of x's, 0's, and ampersands. I spent many hours cursing at that little screen, trying to master that game. After reading this post, I did an online search and found a fellow who did a java conversion of the game. The link is here: WWW Link It's a small download; give it a try, it's simple, but amusing. Oh, and Spy Hunter was my quarter-eater of choice.

37 and as for games GC2 and DA are my first computer games. however i also have the Xbox 360,sega dreamcast and original xbox which i gave my son growing up i had a pong and that had to do till i started working. single mother 5 kids. MY wife hates video games and is threatening to unplug computer now because as a typical women she wants to talk. about what? i am lucky that i can play more often than most because my carreer which has nothing to do with spelling is very flexible and i only need 2 hrs sleep

ps spy hunter was also my choice (the new ones suck as bad as the wei) but am waiting for mass effect and halo 3 (droool)