In the GC forum, someone posted a very good question. They asked how old are the gamers. There were a lot of people responding with their age only, but I was hoping to learn more about them. I am especially interested in the older gamers who have either just started or have been gaming since they were kids. Here is what I mean.

I am a 42 year old Canadian male, university degree (BSc) chemistry major and computing minor, work as a coatings chemist, and has always played video games. Started with the arcades (remember Asteroids, Defender, Space Invaders...) and graduated to the computer (Commodore 64 then PCs). I never played a console game until I was 38 when my stepson showed me his GC. His mother and I got hooked on Animal Crossing. Then I bought Zelda OOT and I was really hooked. Kid moves away and I am left with no toy to play with, so my wife gets me my own GC for my 40th birthday. She buys me MP and MP2. I buy RE4. These games are awesome. By day I am a mild mannered chemist working in a lab, but at night I become an intergalactic bounty hunter or a government agent killing monsters.

Along comes a new console, the Wii. I just knew I had to have this one, so on release day I am standing in the cold at 5:30 am waiting outside the local Future Shop. I get my Wii and a copy of Zelda and I am set for months. My wife and I really enjoy Wii Sports together.

Next I get a DS Lite, you know, for travelling and stuff. I make the mistake of buying Animal Crossing Wild World so my wife can play, and I loose my DS and have to buy myself a new (black) one.

I enjoy all kinds of games. I like adventure and fantasy best of all, but also play some sports games. I enjoy violent games, but I have a few rules. First, I have to be killing monsters, aliens, vampires, demons, or something similar (not innocent people). Secondly, I have to be the good guy. I do not enjoy games where you are the bad guy and your objective is to steal, kill, rape, or otherwise commit crimes. I guess I relate it back to reading comics as a kid. I wanted to be the superhero and beat up the bad guys. I never wanted to be the bad guys. I believe gaming to be a sort of fantasy escape and I do not see why people want to imagine themselves doing horrible things. Well, that's my 2 cents. Not trying to preach or convert anyone, just describing who I am as a gamer.