Contrary to popular belief, video gaming is a growing hobby enjoyed by every demographic in our society; men and women, young and old. To illustrate this point, the BBC has done a wonderful video interview with Hilda Knott, an 85-year-old gamer who will be turning 86 next month.
During the interview Knott explains why she still loves to play video games: “Finding something new in the game. Getting on to the next stage or the next event, and then having the achievement of finishing it. Because a lot of them, as well as adventures and fighting, are puzzles, working out how to do something and when to do it.”
Knott agrees that playing video games helps to keep her mind active, and talks about playing Grand Theft Auto IV with her auntie, who is now 94. “We had a hilarious time,” she said.
The 85-year-old gamer uses a PlayStation 3 (with a PlayStation Plus subscription too) hooked up to a 65” television, and can be seen playing the incredibly tricky tactical role-playing game Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten during the video report.
It follows a similar story, published just last week, about a 68-year-old gentleman who has six – yes six – characters on World of Warcraft maxed out at level 90. In addition, he reportedly has four other characters above level 80. That’s hundreds of hours of gameplay time, and a whole lot of respect from the staff here at TNW.
That doesn’t quite beat Kathleen “Kit” Connell though, who after turning one hundred, still plays the Nintendo DS for games such as Scrabble, Family Fortunes and Art Academy.
“It’s absolutely super, I can’t speak highly enough of it. I don’t know what I would do without it,” said Kit in an interview with the Telegraph newspaper. “I’ll play it in the evening, then I’ll have a break and a cup of tea, then I’ll go back to playing my Nintendo.”
Keep playing, gamers young and old. We salute you.
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