How old are you?

[macsen rufus]

OK, I'll bite, seeing as you asked nicely

44 - but I'm still getting over the shock from when I turned 25

Yup, I remember the days when computer games were white dots bouncing around making "blip" noises. My, how they've grown ...

Certainly MTW has had me hooked for a few years now, and although I tried RTW that sort of went back in the box after about 2 months. What I really like about this style of game is its open-endedness, it's not just a matter of going from level to level in a repeatable predictable way, or how fast you can click a mouse. Replayability is where it's at, really, with so many factions, eras, and all the mods!

The one advantage of being "older" is that I've spent a smaller proportion of my life on it compared to someone who's still a teenager but playing as often as I do....

[cosminus]

I'm 34 and playing computer games since Sinclair Spectrum Z80.

[Whacker]

Man I feel better now, thought I was awash in a sea of youngsters!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

28

[drone]

36 here.

[Don Esteban]

33 and pleasantly suprised not to be the oldest

[General Dazza]

Yup, I remember the days when computer games were white dots bouncing around making "blip" noises. My, how they've grown ...

Just reminded me of the first time I saw a computer 'strategy' game. I think it was on a Commodore 64 - but not sure.

It was 20 white dots on a black screen. Each white dot was a planet. Next to each white dot was a number. That was your army size. The goal was to overtake the universe.

Each turn you dictated whether you'd invade another planet and, if so, how many men you'd send. The computer then gave you the result. If you won the white dot you'd invaded might be yellow.

So yes, things have changed somewhat.

And just last weekend I was explaining to a 12-year-old what Dungeons & Dragons was. He couldn't quite understand the concept of your character being written down in a book, and playing with people actually in the room with you.....

Here's a big hello to any other old D&Ders out there

[seireikhaan]

Hey, someone finally found a use for the wizard/dragon emoticon!

[jadast]

I'm 37 and MTW is the only computer game I play. My son is 16 and he also plays. Over dinner he and I discuss the best use of assasins and spies or how fun it is to watch our cavalry chase down routed enemies. My wife just gives us that look of disgust that says - "grow up." Ah but I can not resist.

[macsen rufus]

My wife just gives us that look of disgust that says - "grow up." Ah but I can not resist.

Ah, but you just tell her how important it is for fathers and teenage sons to share some interests as it makes for a happier and more communicative home

[Dragon20]

19 in less than a week. I am beginning to feel quite young here (not that I mind being so )

[axel]

35 here hehehehe young and clean lol

[Glyndwr in the Soke]

Pretty average, it seems: 36.

And 37 is still quite a while off.

[cegorach]

28.

[The Unknown Guy]

22. 23 in November. I choose to be closer to 2l or 23 depending on whom I am talking to. 20 y/o get my "closer to 2l" age, whereas 23s get my "22, almost 23" age. Social matter, mostly.

I´m actually surprised by the sheer ammount of middle-aged people. I knew that Caravel was married, and assumed Martok to be middle aged as well for some comments.

Hypothesis: maybe it's an influential factor that the game is a "bargain bin"? Namely, most of the younger (l5-20) people might have moved to "prettier" games (such as MTW2) whereas at older ages comes a reluctance to abandon the "Old Faithful" for eyecandy?

[drone]

I´m actually surprised by the sheer ammount of middle-aged people. I knew that Caravel was married, and assumed Martok to be middle aged as well for some comments.

Hypothesis: maybe it's an influential factor that the game is a "bargain bin"? Namely, most of the younger (l5-20) people might have moved to "prettier" games (such as MTW2) whereas at older ages comes a reluctance to abandon the "Old Faithful" for eyecandy?

Well, I bought the game at "normal" price, close to it's release date, not bargain bin price. Gen X (these middle-age people you are talking about) used to be known for their copious amounts of disposable income, so I don't think that is it.

For me, MTW has long-term playability, so it has remained installed on my machines for years. I'm not interested in single-player FPS games (I prefer team/deathmatch style), and I don't really have the flexible time schedule required to play online MMORGS or RTS games. Eye candy is nice, but my (limited) spare time is best spent on a quality game.

Besides, after a few beers, eye candy doesn't really matter.

[Andres]

I´m actually surprised by the sheer ammount of middle-aged people. I knew that Caravel was married, and assumed Martok to be middle aged as well for some comments.

Hey, Martok is only one year older then me.

Middle aged? Moi?



Are you talking to me?

[Don Esteban]

Hypothesis: maybe it's an influential factor that the game is a "bargain bin"? Namely, most of the younger (l5-20) people might have moved to "prettier" games (such as MTW2) whereas at older ages comes a reluctance to abandon the "Old Faithful" for eyecandy?

I think it has more to do with the fact that to an "older" player such as myself prefer longer more strategic games to arcady ones (and to my mind RTW and M2TW are exactly that, a dumbed down version of MTW).

Maybe I'm being harsh on the other games but they just don't compare
IMHO

[danfda]

Hypothesis: maybe it's an influential factor that the game is a "bargain bin"? Namely, most of the younger (l5-20) people might have moved to "prettier" games (such as MTW2) whereas at older ages comes a reluctance to abandon the "Old Faithful" for eyecandy?

I started out with RTW. I thought it was great, but medieval flavor sounded swell so I bought MTW (in a bargain bin :D). Haven't touched RTW since; okay, I did play BI a little bit...

MTW is still my favorite, and its really not a close comparison.

[seireikhaan]

I think it has more to do with the fact that to an "older" player such as myself prefer longer more strategic games to arcady ones (and to my mind RTW and M2TW are exactly that, a dumbed down version of MTW).

Maybe I'm being harsh on the other games but they just don't compare
IMHO

Hey, I'm 17, that doesn't mean that I prefer glitzy, dumbed down arcade style games to that of long, strategic games. You should see me play against my friends in civilization, I drive them nuts with the time I spend breaking down possibilities and micromanaging.

[Don Esteban]

Hey, I'm 17, that doesn't mean that I prefer glitzy, dumbed down arcade style games to that of long, strategic games. You should see me play against my friends in civilization, I drive them nuts with the time I spend breaking down possibilities and micromanaging.

Of course I wasn't saying that only older players like deep games just that I think that they are more likely to. As you say plenty of younger games players like micromanagement or strategy and I'm sure some older gamers like first person shooters.....

[Sir Evil]

Me I`m 19 and handsome, I`ve been playing strategy games for about 5 years, started out with age of empires( it seems so lousy and dull right now) mtw is my favorite so far.

[Martok]

Strategy titles have always been my first love from when I started playing video games at age 16. At first it was just a little bit of Castles 2 on the PC and Herzog Zwei on the Sega Genesis. Then when I was 18 I moved to more standard RTS's like Command & Conquer: Red Alert and Starcraft.

But it was when I was 20 that my addiction truly made itself known: I picked up an interesting-looking game called Lords of the Realm II. It was that title that made me realize I was a big fan of turn-based strategy games, and I've not really looked back since. Shogun Total War came out 3 years later....and the rest, as they say, is history.

[naut]

17.

Edit: It seems the average so far is 27.5 years old.

[Hepcat]

I'm 17

[Caerfanan]

32, 33 in november.

I bumped into gaming with roleplaying games, computer was when people were not available to sit around a table, or when we were not enough.

Way more into strategic games than action, or FPS. Playing MTW during the week, and almost finished my first RTW campaign (49 provinces plus Rome, but the Brutii are extremely dangerous), which I play a bit during the weekends.

My bro and I offered RTW with BI to my 58 years old father two or three years ago (well, maybe two and a half actually, as it was for Xmas). Him being a retired army officer, we figured out he might enjoy it... He plays several hours a day, I remember hearing him cursing a few cavalry units not obeying orders!

[I of the Storm]

I'm 33. And I must admit that I thought that people of my age or above were a minority here. Obviously I was wrong, it's very mixed up here, which is good.

[caravel]

STW/MTW attracts the maturer player that isn't solely impressed by eye candy graphics. Also for older player like myself that used to play the old two white lines and a white dot football/tennis/etc game, the graphics in MTW are ok. At the end of the day I'm playing a game not watching a movie, representational graphics are good enough for a game IMHO, and absolute visual reality is just not needed. People don't just stop playing chess because the pieces and board don't look pretty enough.

[General Dazza]

STW/MTW attracts the maturer player that isn't solely impressed by eye candy graphics. Also for older player like myself that used to play the old two white lines and a white dot football/tennis/etc game, the graphics in MTW are ok. At the end of the day I'm playing a game not watching a movie, representational graphics are good enough for a game IMHO, and absolute visual reality is just not needed. People don't just stop playing chess because the pieces and board don't look pretty enough.

Hear hear! Well said Caravel!

Gameplay is much more important than eye-popping graphics. Great graphics keep your attention for a while, but if the gameplay isn't there then it's not going to last.

[Bregil the Bowman]

42 and my wife says I should know better...

[Cleon of Sparta]

13 and 14 in November