Getting older is nothing to fear... in fact it can be something to celebrate because with the right decisions and an early retirement it can mean the most valuable gift life has to offer - time. Time to do what you want, when you want. I'm only 47 but I retired from my career in the Human Resources field several years ago. My husband is 52 and has been home for the past couple of months on a short leave from his job, but he too will be retiring in a couple of years when he's around 55. We made early decisions in life that meant used cars instead of new, paying off our starter house instead of buying a larger more prestigious home when we could afford it, and sinking money into our retirement savings instead of taking expensive vacations.

Recently, we seem to be spending a LOT of time gaming... especially since MAG came out. It's been an interesting look at what our full retirement will be like when we're both at home all day. God bless Clockwork, Nexus, Dan and others who have gamed with us recently... because it must be difficult listening to a husband and wife squabble and disagree on open mic during games! We both tend to be a bit chatty... and with the amount of gaming we've been doing recently it's escalated into a running commentary especially in a game that relies so much on strategic "discussion". We find ourselves playing in the afternoon and having animated discussions about the game while doing other things around the house. It's been fun though, and I suspect that once my husband retires from work it will be the same, and gaming will be an obsessive hobby for us, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

5 reasons why gaming is a great retirement hobby:

1. It's cheaper than golf and you can play in any type of weather. Overall, gaming isn't an expensive retirement hobby. We both tend to enjoy online play and can get hundreds of hours of play from the cost of an online game. We'll have the time to game... and to get pretty good at it. Good enough to at least stay competitive with those 14 year olds with their good eyesight and fast reflexes. We may not have youth on our side... but we'll have determination and more importantly - time.



2. It's social and instead of yelling at each other, we get to yell at other people. We meet new people constantly, from all over the world. We get to learn swear words in new languages! There are regular friends that we can look forward to gaming with and talking with. It's better than going down to the senior's social center to discuss our retirement investment portfolio or various ailments with the other older folks.

3. It keeps the mind active. There are so many different types of games to play. With the Wii and upcoming motion controlled games for the PS3 and Xbox... we can even get a bit of physical exercise while gaming.

4. Unlike TV, we don't have to remember what happened last week (or in the case of most TV series... several months ago before the ubiquitously long breaks before the series resumes). In fact should dementia or alzheimers set in.... old games will seem like a brand new experience!

5. No Viagra needed. Yes, you can have hot group sex with a witch and an elf... or sex with an androgynous blue alien - drugs optional! We're not at that stage yet... but it's good to know it'll be there!




Now as gamers start to age, it's only natural that we can be afflicted with things like poor eyesight, bad hearing and other impairments that can actually afflict people at any age. Can gaming do anything for their aging fans? Yes, I believe that some simple things done with games can make all the difference.

* Gaming for the blind.
Audio cues could be used in some games. Games like Guitar Hero or the upcoming Heavy Rain could be playable by the blind with some simple additions. For Guitar Hero, why not use a distinct audio cue for each of the colors. This would allow someone with bad eyesight or no eyesight, to play the game based on varying tones that overlay the music. Stevie Wonder (who made a remark at the VGA awards about making games for him) would be pleased.
For Heavy Rain or games of this type, why not add an audio description of events taking place and for options that allow for either vocal input or QTE choices (though obviously the "quick" part of "quick time event" would have to slow down a bit). These options could simply be a "mode" for the visually impaired and needn't impact on the game at all for those that don't need these options. I do think that we will eventually be able to navigate the menus of the console via vocal commands... and this too would enable the sight-impaired. Singstar already has this technology and in fact Singstar is a very accessible game with vocal commands and the scoring plays an audio cue so you know how you did on the game. A vocal confirmation of your exact score would be all that would be needed to make the game entirely accessible for the blind.

* Gaming for the deaf or hard of hearing.
Bring back the option for subtitles for all games. Make the font scaleable for those wearing bifocals. A simple solution most games could quite easily incorporate.

* Gaming for the physically disabled.
Yes, arthritis and other physical impairments can afflict older people and one simple solution is to have all games allow for customized controls. A stroke can often leave someone with a weak hand that is not as responsive and the simple ability to put key functions to say the left hand and Dpad could make all the difference in being able to play a game.


Gaming can be a life-long hobby and can become increasingly important when we have time on our hands and not as much social interaction through necessities such as work. Many of you are at ages where you're in school, working at a career or starting a family - the busy stages of life. Later on in life is a time when you will likely have the time and money to do what you want - your retirement years. I'm surprised that more of the gaming industry doesn't reach out to this growing segment of the population with both the time and money to spend on the hobby. Nintendo has successfully marketed to this demographic with a lot of success, but I guess for the most part those in the gaming industry are happy to simply wait until that large demographic of 18-35 year olds age... and continue gaming into their retirement years.



... but my husband and I will be there among the first. By the time you retire at 55 or 65, we may well be in our 80's or 90's, and we'll still be gaming!