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Calling all Geezer Gamers :)

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Calling all Geezer Gamers :)

(Everyone over 35)

from GalCiv2 Forums
A while back, SD conducted a "how old are you" poll. I noticed that there were very few of us who selected over 35. (I’m 40 BTW)

So, for the five of you who are over 35, I was wondering how often you can play GC2, and under what circumstances. What do your wives think of your time on the computer playing games? Do you prefer TBS or RTS games? What was your favorite of the original quarter munchers? Anything else?

If I’m lucky, I get about an hour a day in. Usually it’s later in the evening after I get my son to bed. My wife doesn’t understand my attraction to games, but she says "I always know where you are, and at least you’re not watching football. I’ve always liked TBS over RT. Shoot’em up gets boring after a while for me, and with the modern RTS, I get massacred three dozen times before I learn all of the game functions that the AI is already an expert at. My favorite quarter muncher was asteroids (black screen, white lines) and donkey kong (although that came out a bit later).

B.
41,830 views 99 replies
Reply #51 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I'll be 39 in july. My 1st computer was a C-VIC20 back in grade 9 and I have had just about every type of computer since. I have been working for computer stores as a technician for nearly 20yrs now. I have never married (still looking in the wrong places I guess) and no kids. I have played all kinds of games but turn based ones are my favorite type.
Reply #52 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hello!

41 years and counting ... married with one son.

Wifey plays games a little but mostly spends her time browsing on her laptop or watching "trash TV"! So I get no hassle with my game time, usually a few hours a night. I argue I'd rather spend time playing a game which makes your brain work than vegging out in front of rubbish TV programmes.

Son is an up and coming gamer using all my old stuff, Sega, PS1, PS2, Xbox and my first PC. I'm training him to appreciate the finer points of gaming.

I've always been a gamer and always will. Favourite arcade games were probably Defender, Galaxian and Asteroids. Started my home-gaming on the ZX81 and Spectrum 48k. Jet Set Willy anyone?
Mostly play RTS or TBS on the PC; Civ4, Medieval Total War, Stronghold and the like (I'm a reasonably big fish in the Stronghold community). Though I did run through Half Life 2 a couple of times and loved it.
Currently downloading GalCiv2 Gold edition, I played the demo yesterday and I think I'm going to love this game!
Ashes of the Singularity II
Reply #53 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
It is clear that the demographic of TBS games is much older than RTS games and you'll find that 40 probably puts you closer to the mean than the top end


That's because our reflexes are going. I can't play the twitchy shooter games anymore. The over-caffeined teenagers are too fast for me! Now, let me move my walker and adjust my bifocals...it's hell getting old!
Reply #54 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
let me move my walker and adjust my bifocals


You sure you didn't mean trifocals there old fella?
Sorry Oz, I had to.
Reply #55 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Although I think getting to beat on little kids with a cane is a definite perk to getting old. But this is just my opinion of course...
Reply #58 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I'm looking forward to going to my kids' houses, eating their snacks, and soiling their furniture!

I have such big plans for them...


STOP THAT!!! I just chucked a mouthful of Coca Cola through my nose over this one! Damn you Oz...
Reply #59 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I'm 47 and my first computer was a Tandy with no hard drive and 2 floppys. My favorite game back then was "Red Storm Rising", a sub simulation. I too remember the day my Dad brought Pong home...we played for hours. That hooked my on gaming. In the arcade Asteroids was my game. I spent way too much money on that, but usually had high score whereever I played. I usually only play strategy games, and love the 4X games. MOO was my favorite until GalCiv2. I get an hour or two in each day, but only because I get up at 4:00 AM and can play until the kids get up. Some great posts above, thanks for posting!
Reply #60 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well, I'm 36 on June 9th, so I guess I qualify.

First game was a text base game on a hospital mainframe where my dad worked. My first home computer was a KayPro II, so I know all about playing Donkey Kong on 9 inch green monitors! I never did do too much arcade stuff, but Battlezone was the first one I looked for when I went into an arcade. I have played pretty much all the TBS games on the PC.

I always favored TBS games, but Civilization really cemented it. I played it forty hours a week for about two years while answering telephone support calls. I had the program I supported (ACT! for DOS) memorized and could walk people through the program command by command, screen by screen and line by line without seeing the program - I just used the virtual one in my head. So I played Civ hard core...I remember spending forty minutes editing exotic templates (think all special codes and almost no words and giving directions like look down four lines and in five characters and you will see X) with a guy one time and he finally asked something I didn't know from memory. I accidentally let slip that I needed to load up the program to check that one, instead of just stalling for a few seconds while I loaded it. He was the most impressed caller I had in the three years, total, I did tech support! He couldn't believe I hadn't had the program up the whole time.

Right now my wife and I are due to have a baby on the 27th. She generally sleeps more than me anyway, and, with the baby, she's sleeping around ten hours. Since I'm a five or six hour a night guy, that gets me some decent game time. She also has a thing for antique focused TV shows (Antique Roadshow, Cash in the Attic, etc.), so that gets me some more time that I don't feel guilty about. I think she's happy that books and this game are my two main draws; She doesn't have to worry about me being out and about at any of the other bad things out there.

Reply #61 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
As of last Sunday I am 45 and have been playing games of one sort or another my whole life. I never really liked the arcade games much spending my money on pinball machines. In college I was in a frat that had both a Donkey Kong and Defender game in the basement that was rigged so we got unlimited play for a quarter so I got pretty good at those two. College was also when I got first computer, TRS-80 where I learned the pain of loading games off of an audio tape.

I pretty much only play TBS games on the PC using my PS2 for other game types. I got tired of having to upgrade my PC just so I could play the latest game. I purchased GalCivII when it first came out and played several times a week for about six months. Then life got in the way and I put it aside. I purchased DA two weeks ago and am hooked again. Currently I am slogging through the campaign and get to play about four or five hours a week.

My wife doesn't understand gaming of any kind but she realizes that sometimes you just need to blow stuff up so she accepts my obsession and only complains if I spend all day playing. I have two kids a son and a daughter. My son can be beat me at most games but just because he games the game instead of playing it. For example, when we play FPS I use sound military tactics; look for cover, shoot from concealment, flanking maneuvers etc., whereas he rushes out into the middle of a group of enemy soldiers and just starts blasting away.
Reply #62 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
As for me I have all of you beat, I'll be 50 in a month's time.

Then you better re-read some of the replies.




Yeah well, my eyes aren't what they used to be I guess.   
Reply #63 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Right now my wife and I are due to have a baby on the 27th. She generally sleeps more than me anyway, and, with the baby, she's sleeping around ten hours. Since I'm a five or six hour a night guy, that gets me some decent game time. She also has a thing for antique focused TV shows (Antique Roadshow, Cash in the Attic, etc.), so that gets me some more time that I don't feel guilty about. I think she's happy that books and this game are my two main draws; She doesn't have to worry about me being out and about at any of the other bad things out there.


Er...you DO realize that pretty much all of your game time is about to disappear for the next 6 mo, minimum. And she will still sleep more than you...she'll get about 5 hours a day, you'll get about 4. (grin)

drrider
Reply #64 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Yeap! I figure I better get my gaming in now!

Although I have warned my wife I will be killing aliens while rocking Penny(Penelope). "See the pretty colors the aliens make while blowing up? Yesss, that makes me happy too!"
Reply #65 from Stardock Forums Top
I'm 52 and play at least an hour most every day.
The significant other (girlfriend) doesn't mind - she likes to play boardgames.
I play all types of games - PC (TBS & RTS), boargames & miniatures.
I'm also beta testing the new SoaSE from Ironclad/Stardock (RTS).
Currently playing GCII DA; Combat Mission by email; Civ IV be email.
Reply #66 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
50, married almost 30 years, two adult daughters. Wife has never minded the gaming side of me.

Started out with the Intellivision when it first came out, also had ColecoVision, Sega Genesis, NES and Super NES.
Never got into the Xbox or Playstation stuff.
First computer was the C64 then moved on to Amiga 500, PC 386, PC 486, Pentium, P2, and now a P4.
Don't play too many games these days, GC2 and NHL Eastside Hockey Manager 2007 are about the only ones, probably average an hour a day, maybe two hours on my days off.



Reply #67 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hey all,
I am 37 married with 4 kids. I am a stay at home dad due to disability. I'll get 20 hours a week in on GC2 while my wife is at work unless she finds out (she doesn't understand gaming at all!) The first computer I used was an Apple II original at school which played the original Oregon Trails and a wierd Star Trek game called Apple Trek. My first computer I owned was an Apple IIGS. I loved the Ultima series back in the day. My favorite quarter pumpers were Galaga when I was young and then Double Dragon. I have always loved turn based strategy and my favorite game of all time was the table top Star Fleet Battles (The computer version of it was such a letdown!) Now I Play GC2 on the computer and Pokemon games with my 8 year old son on the Gameboy and Gamecube. I never did well on FPS or other twitch games because I am very uncoordinated. I played the original RTS Dune and Dune II which is the only RTS game in which the rescource system makes any sense and have never been interested in any of the others.
I love the online community here and the responsiveness of Stardock to player feedback.
It is nice that I am finally being admitted into the Geezer ranks because one of my life's goals has always been to be and old fart.

Scincerely,
Scintor@aol
Reply #68 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Nice to see an accidental offspring of the How Old Are You thread.

I'm almost 42 and a half. My first memory of playing with computers was when I was around 8 and some family or school thing gave me a chance one afternoon to play with a copy of ELIZA (early language-faking app).

Somewhere between falling in love with Heinlein's household AIs and getting a copy of SimEarth, I managed to master the quarter-muncher Time Pilot, but I've almost always preferred watching friends play shooters rather than bothering with all that furious clicking. My obssession with TBS started in '91 or '92 with Civ. Master of Magic and Master of Orion enabled me to survive grad school without harming myself or others (well, my wrists might have taken some damage). Gal Civ 1 was somehow "over my head," but GC2, well, I brag to loved ones when I can go a week or three without playing...
Reply #69 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I am 51, disabled, somewhat reclusive, never married, never had a significant other, only 2 friends (strict requirements for Friendship: IF I can trust you with my life, you are a friend).

I liked the old SSI AD&D Gold Box games, since they are Turn Based (as they should be). I also fell in love with Fallout and Fallout 2. Only recently learned of GC2 and it got my interest.
Reply #70 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hi there, a very enjoyable thread to read. Me, I'm 36 no kids, no wife but work keeps me pretty busy most of the year.

When I was younger, spent hours at the arcade. But, I was a game hopper, never really mastered any of them. StarWars was my favorite. At home had an Atari 2600, Riverraid was the bomb, played for hours w/ my Dad, it was a blast!

On the computer side, started w/ a Tandy 1000. My favorite games there were Rogue, I forget who made it, and a game called Star Command from SSI, both games played off the diskette. Rogue was a dungeon game, 26 levels w/ 26 monsters. Could only have 26 monsters because they were represented by letters (B = Bat, D = Dragon, G = Griffin, etc). Game had copy protection too! If you made a copy, it got harder on the copied disk! Star Command had you battle Insects, Lizards, Robots and Pirates, you flew around in 1 of 4 different classes of ships w/ a crew of 8. Those were great games.

Then it was on to the Civs, MoO 1 & 2 and the Sim Cities. Gal Civ & Gal Civ2 have held my attention longer then any other game w/ maybe the exception of the above mentioned Star Command. I'll have to go looking for those floppy disks before they are completely unusable...
Reply #71 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I liked the old SSI AD&D Gold Box games, since they are Turn Based (as they should be).


Ah yes, I've played all the way through from Pool of Radiance to Secrets of the Silver Blades several times on my Commodore 64. I never got into Pool of Darkness though, I didn't think it was all that good.
Reply #72 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I started with a TRS-80 PC-1 Pocket Computer, then graduated to the Model 100. My first MS-DOS computer was the Tandy 200 dual floppy (80186 at 8 Mhz, and 16 bit). My first PC compatible was the Tandy 1400LT dual fdd laptop, then I had the hdd version of that. I accidentally won Pool of Radiance on the 1400HD. I remember playing the original Shareware DOS DOOM on my 386DX/40, with barely enough RAM to run it (5 MB). I sold that box and did not have a computer for several years, until 1998 when I got a CTX notebook at Circuit City in Columbus, Ohio.

Actually, the first computers I have used and programmed, are the NCR Century Systems Model 100 Small Systems Mainframe, and the Venerable Digiac 3080 (it is a Desk folks!).

I can remember drooling over the IMSAI Altair 8080 (think War Games, with Matthew Broderick) in Kit form.

I think I qualify as a Geezer. hehehe
Reply #73 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
GW Swicord - I LOVED SimEarth! Watching evolution and getting a condensed version of billions of years of Earth's history was wonderful (I'm a geologist - go figure.). I particularly liked the terraforming Mars scenario.

I've tried to get it to run on my newer PCs via various emulations, but no joy. It is still sitting in its box...waiting.

Hydro
Reply #74 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Someone should start an empire for just us old guys (and girls, if applicable). I'm 36, for what it's worth.
Reply #75 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
ghostwes - LOL!

The Geritol Dominion - Yelling At Kids To Get Off Our Nebula Since... Well, For A Very Long Time!



Spore. When you absolutely, positively got to kill every motherfrakker in the galaxy. Accept no substitutes.