A Seasoned Video Game Player

My Worldwide Online Gaming Crew
I play online video games: Mafia Wars mostly, but also Cafe World... and I love playing the farmer on FARMVILLE. For those of you of my generation who know only video solitaire or other computer based games you play by yourself, the games I play are called "Social Games." You work them with teams, people of all ages from all over the world.

Instant messaging is an integral part of online Social gaming game, mostly with Mafia Wars when someone needs your help to take out a rival family; but sometimes people just want to say hi. I get of IMs from young people who assume I'm young too, perhaps because no older women in their family plays games like I do. Or perhaps because young people are just self-centered that way. The conversations start out simply enough, "Hello:" "Will you send me an AK-47?" "Can you help me with my war?" But it almost always winds down when they ask, "How old are you?"

A Gamer of a Certain Age
I once told a young man in some Middle Eastern country that women in America don't discuss age. I think he believed he'd insulted me after that. He apologized, made a little sad face ... you know a colon and a bracket, and signed off. A young man in Croatia wanted to know my age; so I told him I was old-er. He let it go only because he had to go to bed to get up for school the next day. All he had to do was check my profile page on Facebook to see my kids and grandson; but I can see how easy it is for some old pervert to get away with pretending to be a teenager when they start asking questions.


I have no problem with my age, it's other people who judge a woman based on her number of years on the earth. Deep inside I am a little child. I suppose that's why I play online games. I am .... we'll say, a woman of a certain age... Isn't that the catch phrase these days?  I have grown, married children and a two year old grandson... thus the name, Video Game Grandma.

I have a passion for video games neither of my husbands (my ex-husbands) could have ever understood; and I love the new Social element of sharing the play with a worldwide crew. It's better than going out on Saturday night.

PONG
My video game love is nothing new. It started with PONG  in the 70s and 80s, then Breakout, Zelda and Galaga. I remember playing ZELDA until my fingers hurt because I had to solve it. Yes, I played PONG in the 70s, but don't start counting backwards trying to figure out my age. I am a seasoned video game player. Let's just keep it at that.

My point is, the video game craze started with women like me who bought those new-fangled games for our kids a few decades ago, played them ourselves and maintained the habit until this very day. I love my online games and I will not hide my habit!