FIGHTING SPACE ALIENS HELPS SENIORS STAY SHARP
Fifteen years ago, when I lived in Silicon Valley, my oldest son and I decided to get into auto racing video games. We bought a console and the newest auto-racing game and proceeded to begin the long learning curve. We took turns with the controller and started to gain achievements and newer cars and modifications. He didn’t think he was going to be a good gamer, but I continued on with the game and became hooked.
Fast forward to today. I own four different consoles and have played hundreds of games, from golf to the most popular games for single players as well as co-op games with two or three other people. I met a lot of great people along the way, from New York and England to American Samoa. We helped and learned from each other and enjoyed sharing cultures.
Whether I was fighting space aliens, dragons or sorcerers, the goal was the same: Defeat the underlings and defeat the bosses, to get better loot — weapons, shields, armor — on maps of planets, medieval countries or strange lands.
Regardless of the genre, there was one common thread.
In order to succeed, one needed to develop skills of strategy, planning, outfitting yourself with the best earned loot to stay alive, and persistence against odds that sometimes got you killed while learning new approaches to beating the enemy. Most games have their own flavor of building different characters, using myriad rules of engagement and learning various character traits that are different but just as fun.
The phrase “video games” encompasses an infinite variety of choices, many of which rely mostly on luck, or use cartoon characters to provide various challenges, from horror games with zombies to games of solving puzzles or others that teach children to use their minds to complete a variety of tasks. Bottom line, most require you to use your mind in different ways to solve problems and win the prize.
Now I’m almost 77 years old, and since losing my mother and older brother to Alzheimer’s disease, I have been on the lookout for small clues that might make me the next victim. I have always heard that seniors should do crossword puzzles or Sudoku or other pursuits that might be able to help with memory retention. As complicated as many high-budget games are, my brain always benefits from learning a new game, finding the best strategies to win it and getting some personal satisfaction with completing a game, which for me can take weeks or months. I often wonder if the video games exercise my mind so much on a daily basis that I might have been bypassed by the terrible disease that is Alzheimer’s.
I believe that there is now some interest in trying to determine if video games are a viable tool for cognitive challenges. I do think that video games are good for people of all ages, and I have been impressed with young people I have played with who have reached a great degree of game knowledge and the intelligence that goes with it.
It would be wonderful if a study could be funded and started so that more seniors could learn and play video games of their chosen genre. That outlet might then replace some bingo parlors. There is a certain camaraderie among video gamers who can brag of their victories or discuss their favorite games. I would bet that there are a lot of people who would love to be able to play video games with faraway relatives, especially seniors who live alone or don’t get many visitors.
A word of advice for anyone thinking about getting into video gaming on a console, personal computer or hand-held device: Many of the “free” games will entice you to spend money on upgrading your character or buying “tokens” to use in-game once they hook you on the fun factor. If you want to be competitive, these can cost actual money. Also, if you want to start out on a console, there are many used games available for low prices at your local video game store or online.
I have to confess that I get a little thrill when I tell players I meet online my age and I tell them I hope that they will still be playing when they get older. I have a lot of respect for younger players who can play much better than I can, and I think they will be thankful for using their brains in different ways to help solve some of life’s challenges down the line.
I started surfing at age 15 in Southern California, then moved to what was to become Silicon Valley in 1962, and I can count IBM, Charles Schwab and Ford Motor Co. as former employers. I relocated to Oceanside eight years ago and became a member of the California Surf Museum, where I can mingle with my “peeps,” but it’s gamers worldwide who have really provided me with a community.
I have to confess I get a little thrill when I tell players I meet online my age. I hope that they will still be playing when they get older.