Too Old to play

[mad-bax]

Originally posted by wilbill
Glad I didn't rely on google to pass Latin. LOL.
Actually, a native Latin speaker might not agree, but it's "don't let the b*st*rds" get you down."

I think the quote should be "Noli Illegitemi Carborundum" in which case it translates as "Don't let the bast$%@s grind you down. I believe this is a direct quotation from an old Wilbur Smith novel about an armoured car called Priscilla the Pig.

Anyways at 39 I have converted from doom-Duke3d-Quake-UT to Civ3 as I am now fed up with getting beat at those games by people too young to buy me a drink. However I do miss standing right behind a spotty teenager with a rail gun in hand and just squeezing...moving on

The CIV community is far more varied than the 1st person "reflex" games communities that I grew up with. Much less agressive, and more healthy and dare I say more cerebral.

See, the line was right there and I just had to step over it.

 

[EMan]

.....when they're older than YOU!

Well, let me think...........I was playing senior-level Bridge & Chess for my home county of Surrey (London)'s team a mere 35 years ago!

Now, 5 kids, $XM and 2+ wives (the + is my fiance!) later, I'm still playing games BUT the difference is we're playing on a Global level now against all ages.

53 years young (in 9 days).

My request to all the teenagers and tightwads: Ask your parents or employers to buy you PTW so that poor cracker and his team don't have to mod Civ3v1.29f every month to be available for use in GOTM.

If you still can't get a copy of PTW, drop by my place in Miami Beach and I'll give you one. (No, I have no connection to Firaxis......but I am in favor of them making a few more $$$$ off PTW to maybe apply to Civ 4.)

EMan

 

[bru]

I am 55. Started playing civ when it was first introduced. Many games have come and gone but none have compared with any of the civ's

 

[JMac]

15 here

 

[th0mas]

I just turned 32 a couple of weeks ago, so still young for my catagory (30-40)

 

[cromagnon]

@Wilbil: With all these whippersnappers around, you sometimes feel the joints ache.

 

[Cursed_Wolf]

16

 

[Coffee]

50, just. Wow what a great thread. Umm, maybe a seniors tournament. Na; just kidding.

 

[AgedOne]

At 46, I evidently need to change my nickname. Chose this on another site long ago when it seemed I was about the oldest one there. Probably wasn't true then, and certainly isnt now on CFC amongst the truly venerable ones.
I'm another vet of civ, civ2, tot, smac and, yes, I remember paper tape and cards.

 

[Dark Yoda]

15, almost 16. played civ2 a few years back, got hooked, bought civ3 and ptw and now trash my 12 year old bro. life is good

 

[kryszcztov]

I wish I could have voted in the 10-20 section because I started to play Civ when I was 13, and then became a great Civ maniac. But now I'm 22 (it sucks !), but I find it reassuring to see "less younger" people still occupying their processor units and their neurons on this addictive game.

This reminded me of my very first Civ1 game. I received the game for Christmas (on our Atari ST = four floppy disks to change every three minutes !) and had barely heard of it. So I would see that settler unit on the map (well, I did not know what this American-cowboy-caravan-looking unit stood for), and say "Let's go explore !" And I moved it for some turns before finding another tribe, and next turn I got killed... End of game #1 !!!

Enough nostalgia. I have to prepare myself for another 5 years of Civ3 gaming !

 

[Gothmog]

34 and too little time for gaming (IMO, not according to the wife). Started playing on my parents Deck Digital, Hammurabi (damn rats eating my grain again) and Star Treck - both ASCII based graphics. Then the Atari 2600, Combat and Adventure. Apple II+, Wizardry, Castle of Wolfenstien, and crush crumble and chomp. Played D&D, Axis&Alies. Picked up civ in college, civ2 in grad school along with first person shooters. I can't wait until I can play civ IV multiplayer on a LAN with my two sons (3 mo. and 2.5 yrs). When I retire I plan to make the GOTM rankings.

 

[sealman]

I am right with you gothmog. 32 and too little time to play and my wife also says I play too much. I mean "give me my hour while you are cooking dinner "

Wife also said that she may loosen the purse strings to upgrade our system if I could give up Civ 3 (and my other games) for Lent. Wish me luck... 40 days with no civ playing... better get my fix in tonight and tomorrow.

 

[andvruss]

I'm 13, and I've been playing Civ 3 for one year now. I still like Civ 2 better, though, becuase I played that when I was 8. So addictive.....................I must be off and play some more

 

[tctatheel7]

jeez, i always thought that everyone here was about my age, 13!

when i was about 7 i was introduced to civ by my dad. been playin ever since.

 

[planetfall]

Originally posted by Praetorian
Just kinda wondering what age groups live in the CIV III realm. My wife says I'm too old to play. ( 38+ )

So you need to explain it to her, then she'll understand. It's not about age it about understanding the attraction of the game.

"It's not really about playing a computer game by myself and being isolated from the world. Playing the computer game is my access badge to the daily discussion with my friends as we share experiences and work to sharpen our minds. Hundreds of us share our results in a common game called GOTM.

So instead of going to a bar, boozing with the guys and oogling the girls, we just go online and shoot some breeze about our experiences. Sometimes we get pats on the back and sometimes we get the riot act. And thru it all we learn how to think more clearly and approach problems with a more open mind. ... Here is an example of how I used what I learned in the forum in real life..."

If nothing else, your successes and goofs are not related to the whim of a boss or some uncontrollable job experience.

Isn't doing something active with my mind than dumbing down my mind by watching the boob tube?

Bottom line, you are great. Maybe I need to set a limit of time for playing/talking and also set time for you, but I need to keep on playing so I can keep on talking with my friends.

Good luck.

== PF

 

[planetfall]

On the forums, we all talk about civs being about equal. Isn't it also good to keep discrimation about ages off the forum? Who gives a d*** if you are 12 or 82? Just as we can't expect teenages to be unable to play civ 3, shouldn't we also not expect that 82 year old to be unable to play civ. My guess the only cut-off point is the learning of computers. Most 70-80 year olds today did not learn computers and for some, it is too hard to learn. But what about the younger players. If you have been playing the game for a long time, what makes you think you will stop just because there are a few more rings around your trunk?

I was taught chess in sixth grade, and still play that game every month. I
am afraid civ may be a game like chess that keeps interest for years and keep
on going, and going, and going. Like most things in life after 28, the frequency may drop off, the pure joy of victory and agony of defeat may be less of an upper or downer, but many can keep on stroking.

Think about it. Put another 4 years around your belt and ask "Could I still be playing this game in 4 years?" Isn't that like asking, will I still be able to enjoy sports?

== PF

 

[china444]

0-10?
Ive never seen any 4 year old Civ players.
But, I am a youngn' so I really should be talking.
I am 13. (My profile is wrong)

 

[DiamondzAndGunz]

Originally posted by china444
0-10?
Ive never seen any 4 year old Civ players.

Hmm, well, notice that no one voted for that option...
I'm pretty sure that I did see someone in MP say that they were 8 yrs old, though. Was pretty wierd... They sure sounded like they were 8, though. Typed slow, bad spelling, etc.

 

[planetfall]

This is a very interesting thread and poll, unfortunately it was not tought out as carefully as it could have been. I also have had a tendency to shot out a poll, without first thinking of poll questions.

A more informational poll would have asked:

00 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 50
51 - 60
61 - 70
five feet under, but still with fingers on the key board and mouse

been playing so long I've lost track of my birthdays




First, the absence of 50+, 60+, 70+ coupled with the inclusion of the 0-10, seems like agism.

Secondly, if the groups were even we could see the parallel results more easily.

Original data
10-15 28 5.82%
15-20 87 18.09%
20-30 170 35.34%
30-40 115 23.91%
40+ 72 14.97%

Organized data
10-20 115 23.91%
20-30 170 35.34%
30-40 115 23.91%
40+ 71 14.97%

Without catching the agism, I never would have reexamined the numbers. The same numbers of 30-40's are playing as 10-20's.
very interesting.

Now if I am 20 or 30 or 40, which box am I supposed to check?

Finally, don't get me wrong. Very interesting survey. But if we all take a moment longer to think about our polls, they could be even more interesting.

== PF