When one thinks of an average gamer, the image that comes to mind is not usually that of an elderly person.
Nor is it a person who plays with 64 devices at the same time.
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And, least of all, someone who uses all those mobile phones to play while cycling around the city.
As unbelievable as it sounds, it's real: he's Chen San-Yuan, a 74-year-old Taiwanese man who spends his days playing "Pokémon Go," the 2016 augmented reality mobile game, part of the Pokémon franchise, developed and published by Niantic -whose parent company is Google GOOGL- in collaboration with Nintendo NTDOY and The Pokémon Company for Apple AAPL's iOS and Android devices.
After its release, "Pokémon Go" quickly became one of the most popular mobile games in the world, with over 1 billion downloads as of 2019. It’s also worth noting that the game has been downloaded in over 200 countries and territories and that "Pokémon Go" players have walked over 16 billion kilometers while playing the game.
It is clear that Chen San Yuan also succumbed to the fever sparked by the augmented reality video game. After he was first introduced to the game by his grandson in 2016, San Yuan became a local celebrity known as the “'Pokemon Go' Grandpa,” as per Times Now.
But beware: Chen San Yuan believes firmly in fair play, as he refuses to battle other Pokémon Masters because of his “unfair advantage.”
Good-Bye Stereotypes: Elderly Gaming Is Now A Thing
A recent study from Samsung Electronics Co. SSNLF showed that a significant proportion of older adults in the UK are embracing the world of video gaming, with over 85% of grandparents playing at least once a week.
See also: Pokémon: The End Of Ash And Pikachu's Story? 11 Final Episodes Will Air On January 13th
The survey indicates that many seniors are using gaming to bond with family members, with 42% of the interviewees stating that they play to spend quality time with loved ones.
Moreover, the global market for video games targeted at older adults is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of more than 6% from 2020 to 2025.
Image by Mika Baumeister via Unsplash
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