by Matt Remley

Created on: March 24, 2009

For most people growing up playing video games was a real horror. Parents often yelled at us and told us that video games would rot our brain or damage the television. These days some of us that grew up in the early or late 1980's with video games have children and wives of our own.

For myself, being 21 years of age and still playing video games is no problem. I may not be an old man, but I've seen almost every video game system ever to be released. Video games have been a major part of my life since the first time I picked up an Atari controler.

At times playing video games at even 21 years old can get people talking, but as gaming is more widely accepted then so does the people and many age groups playing them. These days a five year old could pick up a video game and that be fine depending on the game they're playing, and an old man could play Nintendo Wii and it be good for his mental health.

Of course there are times when playing video games are a major problem, such as in relationships. Some people still view gaming as being the nerdy or loser thing to do, and then look down on it. Growing up with video games being around has taught me tons of things, and I owe the person that I am today to video games.

Games like Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda improved my hand-eye corrdination, and helped me start thinking on the fly when it was needed. When looking at other people and they're life styles, I know that I wouldn't give up how I was raised for anything, additionally there's nothing anyone could do to make me regret playing video games as a child.

People that grow up playing video games will tell you, they owe parts of their personality and who they are to gaming. When and if they quit, it is usually because they grew out of it, or start to view it from the view point of society and start to believe that gaming is the nerdy thing to do with their lives.

The fact is, there are thousands if not millions of people that make a strong living off of video gaming. From competitive gamers to the people that actually design or make the video games come to life, there are many different ways a person can make serious cash from gaming.

If you're a video gamer and growing old, then continue doing what you love. Older gamers are a major part of the video gaming community just like younger ones. The people that keep our traditions going, and those that make the video games, are the most important, so keep on gaming.

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