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Not Only Do They Have Youth, But Young Gamers Have Skills, Too

by JP Mangalindan on February 10, 2010 at 08:25 AM

If you grew up playing 'Pac-Man,' 'Space Invaders,' and 'Pole Position,' you'd think that, with all those years of gameplay under your belt, you'd have a leg up on younger gamers. That is, until you get your ass shredded in 'Modern Warfare 2' by the mortar fire of a pipsqueak young enough to be your son.

According to Wired, there's a reason for that. "The younger guys have much more refined motor skills, [having grown up] with more-advanced systems," David Walsh told the mag. At the ripe old age of 25, Walsh is the oldest member of Major League Gaming, and does bring up a valid point. While some of us grew up playing simplistic games like 'Pong,' kids these days are routinely exposed to games with intricate 3-D graphics, complex physics, and gameplay that requires sharp reflexes and multiple key or button presses. The result is that the current crop of kids develop better gaming skills at a younger age. Of course, it also doesn't hurt that they have more spare time than the older set.

To get around that, some "mature" gamers stick to playing against their own peers or try to stay competitive by forming teams of grown-ups. The rationale behind the latter tack is that adults' abilities to communicate and cooperate will beat out those selfish, trigger-happy kids who are more concerned with their individual kill ratios than with their team's performance. To which we can only say, happy hunting, gentlemen. [From: Wired]

Tags: age, gaming, modern-warfare-2, motor skills, MotorSkills, pac-man, top, VideoGames, youth

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