According to the Entertainment Software Association, the average gamer is 37 years old. Kids born the day the original Nintendo was released are entering their late 20s, while geeks who whiled away the days with a Pong machine are storming past 40.
Umeji Narisawa (Japanprobe)But compared to Umeji Narisawa, we're all just a bunch of babies.
Japanprobe caught up with the 99-year-old gamer, who got hooked on the hobby at the tender age of 73 when her grandkids brought home a copy of the action/puzzle classic Bomberman for the NES (technically the Famicon, the Japanese version of the system.) Narisawa was intrigued, gave it a shot, and has been playing it for several hours a day since.
So what does playing Bomberman every day for 26 years get you? Other than the ability to beat it with your eyes closed and the undying respect of anyone who's every picked up a gamepad, it gets you a few nifty health benefits. Narisawa credits her daily Bomberman sessions with helping keep her mind sharp and her fingers strong enough to still thread needles.
While Narisawa needn't fear competition from too many other 99 year-olds, she might want to keep an eye on John Bates. The Wisconsin gamer is the current Guinness World Record holder for the Most Perfect Games of Wii Sports Bowling (2,850), though he's a regular spring chicken at a mere 85.
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