Is Elite Dangerous a Dad's Game Played mainly by "non-gamers"?

Cmdr Snuffler

Cmdr Snuffler
Many moons ago a poll was done during the alpha stage...something silly like > 95% of alpha backers were aged between 35-45.
This was because Elite was a game they grew up with on 8bit computers...almost everyone had the same story. Played Elite, Elite 2 and 3 when they were young on a BBC, Amstrat, Amiga and then they've been waiting 15+ years for Elite 4...just waiting...
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So, essentially these "dadgamers" paid for Elite Dangerous during KickStarter ;)
Without "dadgamers" you wouldn't have ED. Just remember that.
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@OP I bet you never even played the original Elite, or played games on 8 bit machines. Non of this instant pew pew gratification back then.
 

Taranis Dekker

Taranis Dekker
Wokawidget said:
Many moons ago a poll was done during the alpha stage...something silly like > 95% of alpha backers were aged between 35-45.
This was because Elite was a game they grew up with on 8bit computers...almost everyone had the same story. Played Elite, Elite 2 and 3 when they were young on a BBC, Amstrat, Amiga and then they've been waiting 15+ years for Elite 4...just waiting...
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So, essentially these "dadgamers" paid for Elite Dangerous during KickStarter ;)
Without "dadgamers" you wouldn't have ED. Just remember that.
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@OP I bet you never even played the original Elite, or played games on 8 bit machines. Non of this instant pew pew gratification back then.
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Totally agree... At 40 and married with a child, I'm one of those guys. It was a long wait, populated by years of wing commander, simcity, command and conquer, syndicate, doom, quake, half-life, fallout and hundreds of other games I can't remember - My memory is failing. I am old, after all.... ;)
 

Cmdr Snuffler

Cmdr Snuffler
Cmdr_Prussian said:
And this is an argument...how?
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Not really an argument at all...more of an observation.
Back in the old 8bit days Elite would have been still a "dadgame", in the eyes of the OP, but played by 8+ yr olds.
Games today have much more instant gratification. Awards for this, unlocked achievements for that. Kill, kill, kill. Just silly. Yay, achievement for your character falling 50 feet *sigh*
It's VERY different from back in the 80's where most games took 5+ minutes to load from tape and you had no save game in most games. You needed dedication and the patience of a saint back then.
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This is the fourth Elite game in the series, why change the formula just because some of the younger generation "don't get it" and demand more of this instant gratification rubbish. Statements saying ED won't succeed if they don't add this are also rubbish.
 
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Monolith Preacher

Monolith Preacher
Short answer: no.

Long answer: I've got a list...

1CC RUNS:

Baldur's Gate 1->TotSC->2->ToB (Bard)
Cannon Fodder (Jools/Jops/Stoo/RJ)
Contra: Hard Corps (Browny)
Dark Souls 1 + 2, (Artorias build)
DoDonPachi (Red)
ESP. Ra. De. (Yusuke)
Guilty Gear Isuka (Chipp, Faust)
Guwange (Shishin)
Hidden and Dangerous 1 + 2
Hotline Miami (Jones Mask)
Hotline Miami 2 (Hard Mode)
Max Payne (New York Minute)
Max Payne 2 (New York Minute)
Nidhogg (Hogglike)
SFIV (Legendary Joke Champion)
Touhou 6 (Reimu)
Touhou 7 (Sakuya)
Vampire Night (Arcade Dual Wield)


FULL SERIES COMPLETIONS:

Every Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, Battletoads, Ecco, Earthworm Jim, System Shock, and Golden Axe
Every 2D Star Wars, Sonic, Mario, TMNT, CONTRA, DOOM, and Castlevania
Every Jedi Knight
Every SSX, Full Completion
Every Danmaku Touhou
Every Monkey Island
Baldur's Gate 1 + 2, Full Completion
Bushido Blade 1 + 2 (Slash Mode Complete)
Colony Wars 1 + 2, All Endings
Flashback + Fade to Black
Hotline Miami 1 + 2, (A+ / S Ranks)
All Houses of The Dead
JSR + JSRF, Full Completion ːBeatː
System Shock 1+2
All Crash Bandicoot, Full Completion
All Cool Boarders, Full Completion
All Legacies of Kain, Full Completion
All Silent Hills, All Endings
All Timesplitters, All Platinum Medals
All Pre-SE Hitmen, Full Completion

STAND ALONE NAILS:

Actraiser, Alien Soldier, Bayou Billy, Beneath a Steel Sky, Chorus of Mysteries, Ghosts And Goblins, Grim Fandango, Gun.Smoke, Hagane, The Immortal, Kung Fu Kid, MR BONES, Rayman, Rygar, Shadowrun (SNES), Silver Surfer, Smash TV, Street Fighter 2010, Terra Incognita, Zool

E.Ψ.Ǝ (All Endings,Ghost)
Final Fantasy I - IX, Full Completion
Luftrausers, Full Completion
Metal Gear Solid, "Big Boss" Rank
Metal Gear Solid 2, "Big Boss" Rank, All Dogtags
Metal Gear Solid 3, "Foxhound" Rank, All Camo
Planescape: Torment, Full Completion
STALKERSOUP (.db Version), Full Completion
Street Fighter Alpha 3, All World Tours
Suikoden, all characters max level/equip
Wu-Tang - Shaolin Style, All Characters' 36 Chambers
Zone of Alienation, Tarkovsky Challenge
Abe's Oddysee and Exodus, Full Completion


GAMES I MIGHT BOTHER COMPLETING ...or might not...

Crypt of the NecroDancer
Dishono(u)red
Max Payne 3
New 'n' Tasty : Alf's Escape
Super House of Dead Ninjas
Teleglitch
Every Danmaku by CAVE


GAMES THAT SUCK

Assassin's Creeds (except IV)
3D Castlevanias
CoDs
DayZ
DMCs
DOOM 3
DOOM 64
GoWs
Half-Lifes
Hitman: Absolution
MOBAs
Point-and-Clicks
(except Monkey Islands, Grim Fandango and BaSS)
Resident Evils
2D Runner games (think Bit.Trip)
SUDA51 Games


THE GAME THAT GOT AWAY

Prince of Persia (1989)

THE RUN THAT GOT AWAY

UT99 Godlike Campaign 1CC Run
...I mean seriously, what was I thinking?

CURRENT TARGETS

Nuclear Throne - Everything Hurts (Melting B Skin Run)

Broforce - There Can Bro Only One (no death run)

Also, I'm 29. No spring chicken, but not quite dadrock.
 
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BigDuke6ixx

BigDuke6ixx
Wokawidget said:
Not really an argument at all...more of an observation.
Back in the old 8bit days Elite would have been still a "dadgame", in the eyes of the OP, but played by 8+ yr olds.
Games today have much more instant gratification. Awards for this, unlocked achievements for that. Kill, kill, kill. Just silly. Yay, achievement for your character falling 50 feet *sigh*
It's VERY different from back in the 80's where most games took 5+ minutes to load from tape and you had no save game in most games. You needed dedication and the patience of a saint back then.
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This is the fourth Elite game in the series, why change the formula just because some of the younger generation "don't get it" and demand more of this instant gratification rubbish. Statements saying ED won't succeed if they don't add this are also rubbish.
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Well said. I mean, however are they going to control the game while sucking one thumb and having the other hand held? ;)
 

Theta Sigma

Theta Sigma
Wokawidget said:
Yup.
OP Point: This is a "DadGamers" game
My Point: "DadGamers" funded this game
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Serious enough? :)
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Back in 1984, my best mate's dad - in his late 50s - was a huge fan of Elite on the BBC Micro - he spent untold hours progressing through the game.
The guy was a legend. In his younger days an accomplished athlete, and latterly a true old-school gamer.

He passed away a few years ago, but were he still alive for the Kickstarter - and subsequent release of ED - I've no doubt whatsoever he'd have KS pledged £100+ and upgraded his PC to head off, once more, into the inky blackness of space - as an octogenarian/nonagenarian.

He'd be a GrandadBacker and a GrandadGamer.

What does/did his age matter? :S

He loved Elite and it gave him many hours of fun and enjoyment.

"There's a son of a beatch pirate out there!"
 
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OgreWookie

O
I'm a definite dadgamer I suppose, started on fps (Tacops - a UT mod that turned it into Counterstrike {before CS existed}) about 17 years ago. Played the original Elite on an Amstrad Cpc and loved it so buying ED was a no brainer.
As I've got older (matured?) being headshot by a 13 year old hiding in a bush with a sniper rifle lost its appeal somewhat so I cut back on fps gaming and moved onto tactical games (Heroes of Might+Magic, Total War etc). Unfortunately, once you've worked out the basic principles of keeping your troops alive, these games become boring repetition after a while (I gave it about 2 years).
ED/Horizons has provided a game where I get a choice of fast paced action or nice sedate money making. If I meet a "kiddie" in a supership he ain't gonna kill me with his 1337 skills, at least not without me giving him a good run for his money. The new version of the sniper in the bush is the wing mugging of the lone victim - but guess what, I can hyperspace out in 15 seconds and you ain't gonna get through my shields and armour in that time. This gives me a game I can play without the annoyance factor that comes along with most online games (i.e. other humans who have a morbid fascination with shoving "I'm better than you" down your throat).
I also have distinct advantages over a lot of dadgamers, my children have grown up and left home (oh glory be, praise to the ageing process) and my wife is disabled and spends 18 hours a day asleep. You would not believe the amount of spare time I need to use up. With ED just about anything I'm doing can be put on hold if the wife needs something - being in a CZ does get the reply of "give me a minute to get out of here" - so I can definitely see it as my game for the future. It had better be, my lovely wife paid out the lifetime subscription charge from her DLA.
Go Dads! (And Granddads if my offspring ever get around to breeding)
 

LuciusEsox

LuciusEsox
Pc/console gaming now has been around long enough for it to have true vets. The public perception about the age of games players (and the games in general) is way behind the times.

When people ask me about what I do for fun outside work I used to say I played pc games but I got tired of the glazed over look that used to come over their eyes and the (normally fruitless) 20 mins I spend trying to enlighten them that no I don't play Asteroids or Pong for 4 hours a night 5-6 nights a week.

Basically I got fed up trying to explain to people that I wasn't some overgrown kid and preferred doing what I do to watching Eastenders,,,,,,,,

Never seemed to end well ! :(
 

SeeZaa

SeeZaa
Wokawidget said:
character falling 50 feet *sigh*
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WoW had 1 of those type achievements..

you had too survive dropping x height and if i remember correctly, the simplest way to get it was dropping from the prow of a ship, parked at the flight tower outside UC.

*funny how i can remember that, but not what i had for dinner yesterday.
 
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Cmdr Snuffler

Cmdr Snuffler
SeeZaa said:
WoW had 1 of those type achievements..

you had too survive dropping x height and if i remember correctly, the simplest way to get it was dropping from the prow of a ship, parked at the flight tower outside UC.

*funny how i can remember that, but not what i had for dinner yesterday.
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I know. That's why I used that example :D
WoW has 1000's, and I mean 1000's, of pointless achievements. Eat 5 different cheeses, fall 100 feet, slap a chicken while you only have 5% health...
Although...I can remember what I had for dinner yesterday :)
 

wstephenson

wstephenson
Ian Phillips said:
Sigh...

Is there still any point to all this or is there a serious point being made somewhere?
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I'm amazed it hasn't got itself locked yet. I may have to think about wheeling out my Thermocouple Browser Extension and harvesting some energy - I'm sure this thread could usefully power a Sidewinder or two.
 

CaptainSeriousFun

CaptainSeriousFun
I'm 45, a Dad and a heavy gamer since the Telstar Ranger all the way up through my last purchases (Ronin, Rebel Galaxy, Arma) who loves E;D just the way it is. Don't down that Haterade; we're the generation that made all this possible.
 
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