The Great Grandma Gamer
Whether it’s true or not isn’t the point (it’s the holidays, a time for fanciful musings). The site dedicated to the Grandma Gamer is worth the read.
Two years ago, my writing partner and I wrote a book called Dungeons & Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture from Geek to Chic. [Ed. note: If you click this link, please ignore the awesome design of my first website.] Our book chronicled the thirty-year growth of online communities through the lens of the computer game world, with its genesis with the paper game Dungeons & Dragons. We had a blast writing the book; but, more importantly, we discovered a wide network of people (vastly different than John and I) who’d found a second home online.
Still, as we did the book promotions (television, radio, readings, etc.) we’d consistently hear from people who said that we’d vastly overstated the broad demographics of players, despite the mounting evidence that supported our story (not to mention the hundreds of interviews and conversations we had with real people).
So imagine my joy at coming across this: Old Grandma Hardcore. I have no idea if this is real or not – we, the media, get fooled all the time. There are parts of it that smell funny to a news nose. Yet, I don’t find it out of the realm of possibility – which is maybe the best testament to the idea that, indeed, gaming demographics are changing. (And, anyway, the videos on the site are must-see Web TV for me.)