The Age Gap

[LivingInThePast 364]

One of the things I've noticed that there's this "gap" in ST members. There's a bunch of people (including me) that joined a few years ago when they were early-mid teens and now are approaching/in the college-age bracket. I can list a bunch of people who roughly fit into the demographic, including myself, ilikehotdogsalot, Jasoncw (he's on the older side, though, but he still fits), SWAT-MEDIC, and many others.

Then there's the "other side". These people remember when SimCity (original) was released, and are now in their 30s and 40s. Most have spouses and kids, but still manage to squeeze in a bit of SC4 time.

But there's not a lot between that, and after around 40 or so, the numbers drop off.

To my knowledge, there's no senior citizens on ST (though I could be wrong...) but I was wondering why there's only these two groups of age groups on ST and not much else.

[Cockatoo 2,257]

Originally posted by: LivingInThePast

To my knowledge, there's no senior citizens on ST (though I could be wrong...) but I was wondering why there's only these two groups of age groups on ST and not much else.quote>

Vandy, Meg...

You're right though, most people here are in the 14-25 bracket, with a few older members thrown in the mix - but they are there if you look for them.

[Meg 368]

:::: waves hand ::::

I am retired and a member of AARP.  Is that senior enough?  (My mom is 89 years old if that counts for anything.)

As to why there are fewer people over 40 (and I know you weren't implying that "over 40" is the same as "senior citizen") there are several factors involved:

-   Most people in that age bracket simply do not have the time.  There were many years of my working life when I could not even think of spending this amount of time playing a game, much less joining a website to talk about it.

-  Many people in that age bracket are not familar with the concept of "a website that is a fan site for a computer game".  When I tell people my age that I am an administrator on such a place, I get this blank look and I have to back up.  ("There is this computer game.  It's a fansite about that computer game.")  Many of them do not know that such things exist.

My mom's take:  "Oh it's that place where you pretend to build cities."   I tell her, no, it's a place where we talk about pretending to build cities.   She looks at me like that is something totally idiotic. (You have to admit that it sounds a little strange.)  When I told her some details about the Trixie season, she was stunned.   "You mean people actually do things like that online?  I thought the only thing online was pornography."

Many people my age find it rather mind boggling that I regularly communicate with people regardless of what country or time zone they are in.  You guys are growing up, taking it for granted but it's rather new to people of my generation.

But, more importantly, I think it has something to do with the nature of gaming when we were kids.  For a long time, all there was were pinball machines.   Pong, where you could interact with something on the TV screen was a startling new idea.  Space Invaders and Centipede each cost a quarter at the arcade.  There was only so many times you could play them.

I was well into adulthood before the original Nintendo was available.  It was surprising to watch toddlers know which button to push to answer a question and make Big Bird nod his head yes or shake it no.   I do remember borrowing a nintendo so I could get good enough to beat a 10 year old at Super Mario Brothers.  That was considered a highly odd thing for me to do.  but then, I always did have a bit of a gaming addiction even when pinball was the only choice.

Where is where I made a leap that most of my generation did not.  I was happy to find games that I didn't have pay a quarter to play.  Most of them were never addicted in the first place.  Most of them are not aware of everything that can be done with computer gaming these days.   It is "after their time".

As to where all of the twenty-somethings are, I suspect they are busy trying to figure out how to make RL work and are taking a step away from their teenage gaming years.  But they would know better than I would.

[timcravey 169]

I'm guessing the more mature Sim City players hang out at SC4D but I haven't done a survey over there; certainly the quality of work is more professional in general and it's my theory that once people have learned to BAT and mod well enough here at Simtropolis, they go over there so they aren't bothered by as many newbie questions and juvenile personality conflicts.

The 40+ demographic did not typically grow up with computers and many still feel intimidated by the complexity and technical language of 3d modeling and game mechanics. They may also have grown out of the essentially anti-social 'gaming' mindset and moved on to more interpersonal entertainments.

The 'missing' demographic of 25 - 40 year olds are probably engaged in experimentation with drugs and alcohol, competing for mates or career opportunities and other similar Real Life distractions.

[LE0 5]

I think you should make a poll to really see peoples ages like 10-19. 20-29 or maybe 10-14, 15-19, 20-24, etc. Then maybe itll be easyer to see the age gap. just a suggestion ;-)

[Duke87 1,070]

I'm one of those guys in the first group. I was 15 when I joined. Now I'm 21.

It is kind of strange. My baby sister just turned 15. She seems rather young and immature to be interacting on the internet to me, though I don't think I was any more mature at that age than she is now. Perspective is funky like that.

As for the "over 40" thing, well... yes, people in that demographic grew up before video games and certainly before the internet. My father knows very little about computers beyond how to oppen and run programs he routinely uses. My mother knows a lot about computers but she spends most oh her time on the computer fixing up people's pictures in photoshop, and the time she spends online is mostly playing Bejewelled or Zuma.

My mother used to play SimCity, actually, but swore it off years ago because it was too addicting and ended up takinfg up too much of her time. My father played Simcity 2000 somewhat, but immediately decided that Simcity 3000 was too complicated. He likes Duke Nukem.

It's mixed with my grandparents. Both my father's parents are dead. The grandfather died in 1974 not knowing what a "computer was, and the grandmother died in 2004 still not comfortable using an ATM and never having learned how to drive a car. Very old country Italain sort of folks.

My mother's parents are both alive and are actually quite modern for their age. My grandfather's always been into technical gadgets and gizmos and still is. My grandmother plays online poker and other such things a lot.

Oh, and I'm friends with my grandmother on Facebook. How many people can say that?

[kellydale2003 2,276]

Very interesting conversation - But demographics fall within who is usually familiar with the game. People in the early Sims Classic stage didn't necessarily know of Sim games then. Computers were still pretty much emerging in the game system then. But when it comes to Simtropolis members most members are in the STEX area and very few participate in the forums.

I've done that for a a couple of months before actually finding out there were forums on the site.

I think your only seeing the tip of the iceberg and are considering the demographics in forums.

I believe Dedgren (most likely) or Jplumbley is one of the older ones too.

[LE0 5]

LivingInThePast, can you please consider adding a poll to this? to see what age people are

[Kryptowhite 9]

It's somewhat funny because I remember when the people my age were new [ I was 12 when i was first here, now i am 16] We were talking about middle school and going on our first dates and stuff, and now I see some of the youngest members going through the same stuff. And believe me, when you are 13 on this site you feel incredibly young haha.

[simcity4fan12 13]

I joined when I was 14. Now I'm older. This site was started about 6(or 7?) years ago, that is a long time. So those who were mid-teens are now just starting college. Most of the members who are over 14-25 grew up playing the first game that came out. I don't know the exact year, maybe the early 90s or late 80s. So then, they were in that age group. But that was before Simcity4 and Simtropolis came. So they still played the game because it was a great game for them back then and it has gotten better with most re-leases(excluding Simcity Societies). So they found a website for the newest game, Simcity4, and joined.

Not sure, but I think that's a good way to respond to the "Age Gap".

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

Yup, those of us who bought music on vinyl are fewer here. It boggles my mind that even my wife's age group never experienced a time without CDs, or heard radio before rap/hiphop and over-commercialization by corporate giants. There have always been home video game consoles, and MTV has always been irrelevant, for you whippersnappers.

LOL for us 'old' people here, remember when making a phone call to Europe was a major hassle and expense?

I don't think the Gen Y-ers and later truly appreciate the power at their fingertips, whether it's communication, or the high level of complexity and capability in even an old game like SC4. Things that are commonplace and everyday abilities now, were not available to the richest and most powerful people on Earth just 15-20 years ago.

[Simbourgeois 139]

Originally posted by: timcravey

 

The 'missing' demographic of 25 - 40 year olds are probably engaged in experimentation with drugs and alcohol, competing for mates or career opportunities and other similar Real Life distractions.

quote>

Hey, I'm 26, but I'm still here

But I'm married... therefore I can find some spare time, because I don't need to worry about "competing for mates" lol

Best regards,

Simbourgeois

Mayor of Belleville

[redrummage 9]

Well I'm 29 and I believe the first Sim City came out on mac when I was in (wow) like fifth grade! That's what I started on biding my time between that and Oregon Trail.

When your 29 you don't experiment with drugs and alcohol, you either do them or you don't the experimentation phase has passed. 

[Fluffyvito 40]

I'm still a bit of a lurker, reading CJ's , show your... threads and what not but, I have full intentions to become more active in the community as soon as Photoshop arrives in the mail... Anywho, I remember when I first joined Simtropolis at like 14, 15 and now I'm off to a tech school at 19. Wow, I never realized that there were soo many people here that were my own age. I kinda thought that most of them were much older. SC4 is still my #1 fav hobby, #2 being airsoft!

~Ciao

[threeswept 12]

hahaha...funny topic. I remember playing Pong in the 70's on our tv and tv programming ended around midnight and then went to static until about 5am. I had an Apple computer in the 80's...with floppy discs; bought vinyl 7" and 12" records like crazy and Kirstie Alley (of 'Cheers' fame) was the first person I saw in person with a mobile phone - ENORMOUS with a power-pack the size of a Louis Vuitton suitcase. And, I honestly have to say that I know more people in my age range playing on the computer than I do people who are younger - mostly cause I think the younger people I know are more mobile and on-the-go, rather than sitting in front of a computer. That's my experience.

[Barbarossa 51]

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  Edited September 8, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[your_adress_here 11]

I joined here when I was 13, quite a while back now. Back then I'd spend most if not all of my spare time playing video games. These days I barely play them at all (SC4 isn't even installed on my computer). I wonder how many people hit their mid twenties and start to lose interest in online communities?

[LivingInThePast 364]

Originally posted by: Meg

:::: waves hand ::::

I am retired and a member of AARP.  Is that senior enough?  (My mom is 89 years old if that counts for anything.)

As to why there are fewer people over 40 (and I know you weren't implying that "over 40" is the same as "senior citizen") t

quote>

Oh, of course. What I meant was that if you graphed people on ST (age vs. people), the graph would sharply drop after 40, leaving no people around in their 70s, 80s, and 90s. 

People in their 70s and 80s probably play SimCity but certainly don't join websites on the subject.

[Meg 368]

Originally posted by: LivingInThePast

Oh, of course. What I meant was that if you graphed people on ST (age vs. people), the graph would sharply drop after 40, leaving no people around in their 70s, 80s, and 90s. 

People in their 70s and 80s probably play SimCity but certainly don't join websites on the subject.

quote>

I agree that is probably what the graph would look like.

But I doubt of there are many people in their 80s playing SimCity.   My mom is a very bright woman but she has always had a problem with mouse control.  Back in the DOS days, she could design and execute her own dBase reports (not bad for a 75 year old) but the leap to GUI has, for the most part, eluded her.  She is a spider and free cell addict but those cards are fairly large.  She just can't see, and guide the mouse point to, "those tiny little squares", which is how she refers to Minesweeper.   The detail in SC4 would be beyond the capacity of her eyeballs.

But then, she is pushing 90.  Maybe the younger 80-somethings would have a better time of it.

[DCMetro34 577]

Umm, well I know alot of 13-14 year olds here......

[Eastwinn 6]

I was actually underage when I joined (I'm not afraid to admit this -- the admins probably inferred it anyway.). Looking at people the age I was when I joined, I have the same feeling Duke87 does. I think some kids are just a different person altogether on the internet, like I am now. Come to think of it, most people would have guessed that I was underage easily anyway.. it showed through my posts just enough. However, now my age has become pretty ambiguous, I like to think. More than once on another forum I invited other people to guess my age based on my posts. The wide range of ages I got was pretty interesting.

[Duke87 1,070]

Originally posted by: Meg

She is a spider and free cell addict but those cards are fairly large.  She just can't see, and guide the mouse point to, "those tiny little squares", which is how she refers to Minesweeper.   The detail in SC4 would be beyond the capacity of her eyeballs.quote>

She just needs a larger monitor.

You should see my grandparents' computer monitor. It's a 42" flatscreen TV. Literally - a push of a button on the remote and the feed switches from the computer to the HD cable box.

Think she could use that?

[MC6Ash 4]

You know. Looking back, I cannot believe how much things have changed.

When I joined the site I was a 24 year old, 2 years out of college, married to a lady in her 3rd year of Medical Schooling, and mourning the recent loss of a child.

Now i'm 30, in my 4th year of being a ph.D student, married to a Resident MD at Mercy St. Edward Hospital in Fort Smith with two happily healthy children.

and looking back, I'm 99% sure people thought 24/25/26 year old me was still under 13

[Barbarossa 51]

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  Edited September 8, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[Liberater444 11]

I dont think that its the physical age that defines you online, its your ideas and contribuition, as well as how long you've been at the site/playing the game.

I have been playing SC4 almost since it came out, but have played off and on after switching pc's. I just recently joined ST, but i've been active on the Xbox.com forums, among others, for some time.

So in real life i may be in my later teens, but on the internet i could be older depending on how people view me and my posts.

Liberater

[kj3400 178]

I joined when I was 15, not really knowing what this site was about. Now I'm 19 (as of today), but  I now have to divide my time between schoolwork, other sites for games I like, and SC4. I really hope college doesn't tear me away from Sim City, but if it does, I'll be back...

For some reason, I really feel like I'm in the middle here, with the experienced players ahead of me, and the new players behind me, just like my childhood (I was a middle child). But here, it doesn't really matter. What unites us all is our love of Sim City.

[SC4BOY 21]

Doing a Poll as some suggest says far more about people who want to bother to answer than to who actually is a member.. There was a graph done of the SC4D members by someone following a thread along these lines.. .. there was considerable spread from roughtly 12 to 65 or more.. I expect there is someone who can access and graph the members of ST too ...if its in the data base AND if they told the truth.. Personally I rarely give true data on web sites I sign up on.. my approach is generally that its simply nobody's business but mine. But the bottom line to me is .. WHO CARES??? what does their age have to do with anything?

[Barbarossa 51]

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  Edited September 8, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[hamsterTK 93]

my guess the graph would be less of a diagonal line going downward with more young than old, but rather a U where there's a contigent of teens and college students as well as a number of older adults and retirees, with little in between

A thought is that people in their 30's have less free time. Except forums don't take up that much time, its the whole point of being able to read conversations posted bulletin style. I suppose it has to do with the content, a forum focused on a game which does take time to play wouldn't be popular with people who are more focused on their small children. However a forum on sports or local issues could bring in, and does(based on my experience) that middle aged demographic. Who knows.

[The Baptist 1]

Hi all!

Thought I should contribute to the statistics.

I am 39 years old, from Norway.

Played SimCity several years ago (SC3000?). Was that on an early stage of Nintendo? Can`t remember.

Bought my copy of SC4 RH on an impulse when I saw it.

Playing the game when I have some spare time. And enjoying it! Tired of other games like 1. person shooters and stuff like that.

Not very rewarding anymore. Too old for that now. Its getting boring with age I guess.

Working from home now. Free to organize my own time. Always got time for some citybuilding :-)

Another game I enjoy is the Football Manager (FM09), (used to be Championship Manager). Played every season since it came on Amiga in 91/92.

Keep it up guys!

Best regards

The Baptist (Mayor)