The toe is still a bit dis-colored and swollen, but the double meds yesterday (still within prescribed levels) helped I think. This morning I talked about a new article that shows success in first-person shooter games is positively correlated with age. That means the older you are, the more successful you’re likely to be. I talk a lot about why that’s important.
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Interesting study, weird results. Did it address outside, life experience? I’m wondering if they have enough people with police or military backgrounds (skills thereby increasing with age) to confound the results.
Though I have to agree that “you have to be born to it” is just an (aggrivating) excuse. (The one exception I’d make here might be text messages. I saw a teenager the other day, and I swear her thumbs looked like they were on fast forward!)
Very interesting study. I think its more proven out in my own personal gaming experience on the MMO Eve Online (a science fiction world were you play as an immortal spaceship captain against others of your ilk) where the most powerful players in the game are the older folks. The game-play is built more on experience, political savvy, and an understanding of how market economics work. Just like you, I’ve been annoyed at the idea that older people “can’t” play FPS or technically complex games when my experience has been the opposite. Common wisdom isn’t very wise!
My personal experience has been that younger people are better at FPS games most of the time, but older are better at other types of games.
Oh I do so hate the age as ignorance thing. Oh my goodness, you’re 35 ? Ok then off to the home with you! Nope, you can’t possibly master all those buttons and nobs. I mean, you can learn guitar, or how to paint, or how to knit… but you’re right WASD is just wayyy beyond you 😀
I’ve never thought there would be any real reason why young people would be naturally better at FPS or any other genre of game. In practice, they usually have more time to devote to developing the skill sets required but other than that, why would there be a difference?
Sure you might have young people who are more nimble fingered or have better reaction speeds than their elders. That might decide who pulls the trigger first but it doesn’t have input into how you move around the map, how you move in combat, weapon choice, etc etc etc. Once you learn the basic mechanics of the given game, then it’s all experience and repetition. I’ve played a good few FPS games over the years and I’m pretty sure I’ve gotten better. It’s all about putting the hours in 🙂
In other news, oh how I miss Eve… damn you Adam… now I have the itch 🙂
For those who want to read more about the study (and it was a HUGE sample size), I put a link on my teaching blog.
I looked at it – I wasn’t too sure of their bin selections, though. If I recall correctly, the big one everyone’s posting about was binned into three categories – Under 18, 18-24, and Over 24. That seemed rather weak to me..
That top bin needs to be split out a bit I think. That puts me, my second brother and my parents in the same bin, youngest bro is in the middle bin.
Well Stephen if you ever rejoin look for the corp I’m a member of corp The Graduates…we’re good at getting returning players back into the thick of things!
Oh, dear.
EVE Online is one of those games I’ve always wanted to try.
I don’t have time for another game – especially not right now.
Cheers Adam. If I’m ever back in the world, I’ll luck you guys up.
Hehe. I actually used to haul ore about in a Badger MkII called ‘The Nathan Lowell’ 🙂
All very interesting.
It got me thinking about technology and age. In my family I’m the oldest of 3, I think that I’m probably more aboriginal than native… I was paying attention to the evolving net from a fairly young age. I think my middle brother would be similar.
However I think my youngest is probably a native, he interacts ‘natively’ with modern tech in ways that Vince and I do not.
Unlike you I think my parents (about your vintage) are probably digital immigrants, they are both adapting very well to the modern tech (they were talking about using Siri the other morning) but the weren’t in at the low level during its development like you, due to their career paths.
Really interesting. A lot of it probably comes down to age relative to the point of development of technology… a FidoNet… 😉
Probably a blog post in here… hmm….
boy was I wordy… and failed in my proofread… sigh, need more coffee.
Like you – I’d have to say I’m a digital aboriginal. Maybe second generation of digital aboriginal, as I didn’t actually get into the online part of the computing revolution until about 1990. However, I started off typing in programs from magazines on my TRS-80 Model I, and developing programs based on things presented in Scientific American’s Mathematical Games, <Metamagical Themas, and Computer Recreations columns. When I did go online, it wasn’t to the vast Internet, but to BBSes and FidoNet echos, where in I learned Netiquette as a basic requirement of simply staying online.