I’ve been telling people forever that I’ll be playing videogames until the day I die. Of course, we all make promises to ourselves -- things we’re absolutely sure of at the time -- only to break them years later. I always thought I’d keep watching The Simpsons until it went off the air, but the quality of the average Simpsons episode has dropped so precipitously that I stopped tuning in to the show regularly years ago.

But one man, someone who’s much older and wiser than me, intends to keep such a promise. The MaddenMania forums can be found over at Operation Sports, and one of the forumites there, user Poundtherock, isn’t your typical gamer. He partakes in high-level online Madden leagues at the ripe old age of 66, and he believes that videogames have improved his life in a number of ways:

“Most importantly, when I bought the PS2, I knew that it would help keep the mind alert and hands and fingers nimble, although reaction time diminishes regardless,” poundtherock said.... “My stick skills will never be like a kid’s, but I can hold my own most of the time and get lucky and win some.”

“Spending a lot of time at home, video games and game forums was an avenueto [sic] travel without leaving the house,” said poundtherock. “You may never actually meet that person you encounter, but many become ‘cyber’ friends for life that would take your back in a second.”

It’s great to see someone who’s not relatively young and/or in the games industry actually coming out and discussing the positive aspects of videogames, and specifically, the online communities that form around them. I especially love his version of the promise I discussed earlier: “My wife has orders that she is to have me buried with the controller in my hand and the PS3 by my side.” *Raises glass* Not yet, Poundtherock. Here’s to many more years of Madden for you, sir.

[Via Operation Sports -- thanks, Matt!]