Poll: The Future of Gaming in Retirement Homes?
By maryvarn on August 19th, 2010Posted In: NPC Blog,Polls,Random Geekiness
I find it hard to believe I’ll be content to play bingo and watch Jeopardy reruns when I’m well into my retirement. If arthritis or other ailments don’t prevent me from using a computer or playing video games, then I hope I can fill the hours doing something I truly enjoy.
Since the kids these days practically grew up on computers and the internet, I have to wonder…won’t retirement homes become more tech- and gaming-friendly? Sure, some of them are already sporting Nintendo Wii’s. But I’m talking Xboxes, computers, Playstation 9′s, etc. Undoubtedly all that costs a lot, but what if seniors bring their own? I can’t imagine moving anywhere without at least a laptop.
What do you think? Obviously the poll below doesn’t anticipate all the possibilities, so feel free to comment.
I think it’s closer than you might think. After my Dad had a nearly fatal brain injury, the skilled nursing facility already had older game consoles and PCs for the residents to play with. And when his doctor found out that he was a WoW player (the doc didn’t even bat an eye at a 64 year old Level 70 Orc hunter with an attitude), he PRESCRIBED playing the game as cognitive therapy. Two years later, my Dad’s good as new (and L80, of course).
Think about how much has changed in the past 10 years – forget 50 – and the RATE of change is increasing as well. I suspect we’ll be doing things we haven’t even thought of yet. How about visiting the grandkids via telepresence? Taking that to gaming, how about full sense VR? Won’t need a holodeck if you can just log in via the port over your ear…
We’ve created a monster and it’s going to take us farther that we can imagine.
In 50 years I expected to be able to “jack in” to the internet/games like described in William Gibsons “Neuromancer”. Or for those who have not read that book, like they do in “Ghost in the Shell”. Mind you 50 years ago they said we would be living on the moon, have flying cars and rocket packs.
I want my flying car and rocket pack d-mn it! lol
Other – We’ll be Holodecking, but it will only have the processing power to simulate Bingo.
I’ve already told my son not to put me in any nursing home without high speed internet, and at 53, I’m a lot closer to it than most or your readers, I suspect. Tkrain, your dad’s experience gives me hope. LOL, Adam, I think that only describes the medicare facilities . . . start saving NOW folks.
I think it’s already trending towards more technology in nursing homes, but at the moment it still depends largely on the income level of the residents.
When my great grandmother went into a medicare subsidized nursing home in the mid ’90s there wasn’t anything in the way of technology. It was still largely the same ten years later when my other great-grandmother had to go into a medicare funded home.
My great aunt, on the other hand, was loaded and able to afford a more upper scale private nursing home where they were fitted out with a full computer lab. They didn’t have anything approaching a gaming machine, but it was still there.
As time goes on and the tech-savvy population ages there will be more technology provided, but the quality and newness of that technology will depend a lot on how much people are paying to be there.
I’m in my 50s. I’ve already told my kids, if I start to go physically, and I can’t be uploaded (my first choice), don’t put me anywhere where I can’t game & get online.
RTS people will be fine. The twitch reflex’s on monking a team is not too strenuous. The real adjustment will be FPS multiplayers and (Starcraft 4!) players who will find it tough to keep up. Halo 10 will lead to many former FPS gods to weep quietly after their 2:00am bedtimes.
P.S. Unless they get Biotics.
Pfffftttt, really?
They’ll be WAY past PS9 by then.
XD
At 68 I don’t feel any less enthusiastic about gaming than any of my online friends. I’m retired so I get to play all day if I like. And often do. I think it’s impossible to predict 50 years away, but wireless everything should be ubiquitous. Gaming will have become an integral part of our culture. Maybe more dominant in older people since we have time for it, and by then, massive experience and uber gaming systems. It just makes more sense for old folks than for kids. And Ajax, yes, it is hard to keep up, but just as much fun.
With the assumption that technology is still in computers and handheld devices I wouls suspect that nursing homes would be like what university or schools are now, as aa norm. A lcomputer lab with moderate computers for that day. I would supsect as well that each room would have a jack or wireless output that each resident could use their own devices.
I wouldn’t be suprised to see specified “gaming” retirement homes or communities that instead of having bingo or trips to casino’s they would hold massive LAN parties instead.
Why stop there?
GEEZER RAID ON ORGRIMMAR! Woo!
We’ll sign up for retirement homes based on WoW Guild stats!
Oh gawd… “LFM Shady Acres, PST with GS and achievement.
Voted for “not the latest tech trends”, as I see that as most likely. But I really, really want the holodeck option
I will be so already dead in 50 years it doesn’t matter. You young pups can worry about it.
I remember being in my 20s and joking about retirement homes of the future having Metallica blasting at social events
In 50 years we’ll all be sent off the the processing plant and reduced to kibble.
I seriously foresee the “not the latest trends” option, more for myself in 50 years than anything else. For reasons I won’t go into, the only systems I have to play games on are my PS2, my DS, and my PC. Hopefully when I get a job soon I’ll be able to bolster my library a bit, but regardless, I’m around 4-5 years behind in the gaming world and counting! I’m only 23, so I’m sure as hell not going to just move onto the next-next gen without enjoying all the games I didn’t get to play for the current next-gen. I figure I’ll be all caught up by the time I’m in my late 60′s early 70′s, maybe sooner if I can retire early somehow.
By my retirement age I’m sure the government will be harvesting organs and draining all useful fluids from those bodies unfit to work.
I don’t worry about that, the world is going to end in 2012.
I sure as hell hope they bring in holodecks. That way i’ll have something to look forward to when i reach retirement age!
one world, graveyards, there are way to many old people in stores, i just wanna elbow them all.
word* my brain stops functioning after 2am.