How about a "Senior Grid"?

Last night my mother - who is not yet a "senior" in US parlance - asked me if the computer that she is considering was sufficiently equipped to play SL. Can LL make a grid to segregate the AARP readers for their own protection?

Actually there is nothing I do or that exists in SL that I would fear her seeing. It nevertheless would be weird.

Apologia: I'm sorry that people thought I was serious or was disparaging to AARP or persons of extensive life experience. My mother did ask, and I thought it an amusing riff on the Teen Grid discussions. And it still would be weird. And one could safely conclude from the above that I'm likely significantly older than the mean SL player age.

I tell you, you young whippersnappers you ain't sending me to no old folks home. Kids nowadays.. no respect for their elders I tell you.

Well, I'm nearing the AARP age, does that mean I can't continue to play?

Also, and don't be too shocked, I know of at least 4 other people who are ALREADY AARP members (or would be if they all lived in US) and they seem to get along quite well in the world.

Second Life appeals to the older player because there isn't any ridiculous ideas about having to stand in a certain spot for 8 hours and hit the K key over and over to "Level Up". Instead, in Second Life, you can, if you apply yourself, learn the system in very short order, and become a productive citizen of the world.

Now, I'm not slamming on MMORPG's or any other games that require someone to react quickly to shoot down the bad guy or cast a healing spell to live, I once enjoyed playing those games myself, BUT, Second Life is the game I've been asking for ever since Ultima Online came out. I begged the OSI developers to come out with a world that had NOTHING in it, no towns I mean, and allow the players to build their own communities, but alas they decided that was too much of a risk. When I found Second Life, it was like finding a dream! I so enjoy the ability to create, build, relax, et al.

Us old folk like Second Life, because we can play the game without worrying about reaching a goal setup by a system that is not very appealing. Us Old Folk like to be able to do things like Build Communities, Host Dinner Parties, Take a nice relaxing ride in the boat, etc. The best thing is, we don't have to constantly be on the watch for some damn ICE GOLEM trying to kill us


Just my 2 Cents

This is an interesting topic ..

Could lead to some seriously embarassing situations for some people, I imagine.

For example if someone were an exotic dancer at one of the clubs, and their RL parent (neither knows the other plays SL) watches them and tips them.

Or worse a casual one night stand ... etc.

Still same could be said for meeting your neighbor , boss, dentist in SL.

If you simply use your Second Life as an extention of your first then isnt anything that would be problematice.

However the people who live a bit more on the wild side in SL ..

Oh well ^^

Heh Bob. Ex-EQer? I too, arrived after over ten years of MMO gaming and have happily settled into 'OMG, no leveling required!' bliss.

I can't imagine a senior sim unless there were significant interest IN or reason FOR having it outside the nod to age itself.

Oh one more thing ..

I dont think we should segregate on Age for one very important reason.

The online worlds in general get much much better over time .. in 20 years imaigine what they will be like.

I certainly think many of us will want to keep playing them.

I want to still play when im in my 50's with everyone else ^^

So im sure the people who are a bit more mature now feel that way NOW .. and we should respect that.

Eh? What was that?

Who is this Senor Squid fella you all are goin' on about?

/me goes looking for his hearing aide

Malachi I loved your thread, haven't laughed so much for a long time. I would really like to be around when you reach that age and some young thing suggests a segregated area for your protection lol. However, I am 60 this year so that's unlikely.

I would love to know what you want to protect us from? I have done and seen more in my life than you could ever dream about. Maybe we should have segregated areas for the protection of those under 50 lol.

Alexa

<-------- Card carrying AARP member.


I'd hate to be segragated either in RL and in SL. The worse place that I can imagine having to live would be in a gated community where everyone has to be over 50 in order to live there. Yikes! I'd get Alzheimers from the boredom alone.

Not to say that because someone is over 50 that they are boring but to say that I enjoy seeing different perspectives from people of all ages and I also enjoy being surrounded by varying degrees of energy.

I love having the opportunity to hear the ideas and opinions formed by people younger than I am. I also love seeing their creations and Avatars. Also, oddly enough, most of my SL friends are young.

People tend to gravitate toward what is familiar and in doing so often find themselves surrounded by people in the same age group. One of the things I loved about SL was the freedom to break out of that tendancy.

.

I don't know Alexa, this am I was dreaming I was driving an 18 wheeler in a heavy downpour along a 12-lane highway. Recently I dreamed my heart could easily be removed from my chest for all to see, what a bloody mess.

Lol Merwan

You need protecting, I am sure there will be a segregated area just right for you.

Alexa

My mother has an account and occationally comes into SL, i dont think its weird at all .

She often sits next to me and watches while i build or play with a texture, i actually think its kind of cosy.

Oh and btw i passed the insurance expiration date myself .

Is this what the hub malls will look like in SSL ?

The wierd part would come in is if someone somehow virtually recreated the Oedipus story.

guess its in everyone's best interest to tell their parents or grown children if they play second life.


you wouldnt want this discussion to happen to you ..

(pillowtalk 9:00 pm linden time, some mature sim)
younger: =) wow its been great getting to know you these last 3 weeks
older: *snugs* i think so too, for some reason we really seem to connect
younger: so where do you live anyhow?
older: Fiction, USA
younger: wow my dad lives there , what a coincidene he is the exact same age as you.
Older: really? wow this is a small town.
younger: yeah my dad's name is Mike
Older: wow thats my name, this is a coincidence
younger: DAD?!!!?????!?!!
((younger is offline ..))

................................................

that all being said (mainly for humor reasons)

My best online friend for many years was 50 ish .. and shes a wonderful preson. Id never have met her in an age discrimated game.

^ That was cute until it all went Pete Tong. I especially liked the *snugs* part.

Nice try, but I've read The Enquirer.

The family goes out to look, and you give them a "tour" of your little venus flytrap, and it's all Disco Night and shuffleboard in your "model" unit.

But they drop me off, the ingrates, after all I've done for them, and even as they're pulling out of the telehub, you and your orderlies have me face-down in the back room, drilling into my medulla oblongata so you can use my rack-mounted twitching body to generate surplus script cycles for sale on the Main Grid's black market.

And of course, you'll be collecting my stipend.

Hmm....how's the Sunday Buffet?

== danny d, face-to-face with The Big Five-Oh

You owe me one box of Depends for this one Schwan, 'cause I just laughed so hard I peed.

.

Bob, I swear if you "OUT" me for my age, I will "kill you a million times"...
Oh wait, I think I did it myself...

Best Regards, Baccara
(52 and proud of it)

You're never truely old till your dreams are dry and your farts are wet...

Or you sit around talking about the 'good ole days' because no one else remembers them.

As for me - a spry whippersnapper of 38 - I wouldn't be able to talk to my 'old fart' friends much , but on the upside I'd make a killing on scripted walkers and adult diapers on SL Boutique.

Siggy.

Oh yeah--- 50's... those were great years... (sigh)

well, as some of you know, I'm 64. And its a little strange here sometimes. I've been in a few discussion groups where age is clearly an issue for some residents. Oh well.

I added an apology to the the thread start but threads take on a life of their own and it appears that some may have missed it. Thus I repeat:
And, if you were joking in response and I didn't get it then I guess the joke is on me.

Sigh...My warrenty expired today.

Actually.... How about senior discounts?

I mean, it's tough fitting your land tier onto a social security retirement budget. And the expense of keeping your AV youthful so you can chase or be chased by all those half-naked twenty-something-year-old-wannabes... hootchie hair, skins, "minimalist" clothing, bling accessories, etc.

Or.... Senior sims. Only for those who publicly admit they're over 50 or 60 or whatever. And maybe a few guests. Sort of a.... No, I won't say it.

Of course, I'm barely 18 and I don't understand many of the social concepts in SL, so I wouldn't know anything about any of this.