The average Atari gamer/AA member: Age Poll (2015)

[NeoGeoNinja]

I only frequent the Atari Jaguar forums myself, with my only Atari console being a Jaguar (I'm more of a 32-bit and up gamer nowadays, with my "roots" firmly embedded in the 8-bit and then 16-bit era).

 

In short, that's why this poll is in here.

 

So yeah, I'm just genuinely interested/curious of the age of the average Atari gamer/Atari Age member; Jaguar and otherwise.

 

I've left the poll private, as some people may not be comfortable with other members knowing their age.

 

As for me, I'm a child of the early-mid 80's and my first ever console, was in fact, a 2600. Therefore, my vote falls within the 30-39 criteria.

 

Plenty of time before the arthritis kicks in!

[Atlantis]

My first video game was 2600 as well. Me and my elder brother borrowed it from my cousin's father who got it from somewhere. I was like 6, 7 years old and I remember Pacman, Mousetrap, some Soccer game and Combat, must have been 1985, 1986.

[bender3455]

My first Atari was the 5200. Heck, that was my first console. I'm definitely an 80's kid.

[Lost Dragon]

2600 was my 1st console and how i loved it so...

[R.Bear]

24 here. I grew up playing Sega systems (Master System, Mega Drive and Saturn) and discovered Atari when somebody gave me an 800XL as a gift. ^^

Edited April 26, 2015 by R.Bear

[Hyperboy]

I'm 46, I am in better condition than my early 30's but I act like a kid most of the time. I guess young in mind and in heart. My first setup was pong then an Odyssey 2 and then anything I could get my hands on (Consoles, Computers and Girls)!

Funny thing is nothing has really changed except I added arcade machines.

[+MacRorie]

I'm 47, my first console was an Atari 2600. My first computer, however, was a TI 99/4a. I bought it for $50 when TI cleared out of the home computer business. Just a couple of years after that, I bought an 800XL second hand for more than that. I have been an addicted Atarian ever since.

[+madman]

I figured 30s would be the dominant range on the Jag forum. My first console was an Intellivision, I still remember my mom trying to explain to me what it was. I must've been around 4 years old at the time. My best friend across the street had both a 2600 and Coleco so I had the best of all 3 worlds.

[Sapicco]

I'm 35. My first console was a 2600' then a 7800. Then got an nes and it was bye bye Atari. Today I am a proud owner of 7800, lynx and jaguar as far as atari goes.

Edited April 26, 2015 by Sapicco

[phoenixdownita]

I believe we will be surprised by the result especially wrt some of the behaviors we see sometime.

[+save2600]

30's-40's is what I would have guessed. Can't imagine too many teens-20's would care for or tolerate much of the Jaguar's library.

Wonder if many or any of us will still be playing into our 60's+.

Btw: will be 44 this year. Funny seeing people of similar age without hair and/or gray, but oh shit... here they come. One hair at a time - leaving or going gray. I'd be perfectly happy if they would just stay and turn gray vs. exiting stage left.

[racerx]

I'm 43, first actual console was the 2600. My folks had some sort of Pong clone before that.

 

Get off my lawn.

[JaguarBrett]

I'll be 35 in June, born in 1980.

My first system was a 2600 with Pitfall and Combat as my first games =)

 

From there I owned an NES, followed by the Genesis. I was late in purchasing a snes years later.

 

Purchased a Saturn first, followed by the ps1 in the 32 bit era.

 

Owned an N64 at launch, dreamcast as well.

 

The rest is too modern to list!

(Didn't include portables)

[SuperDork3000]

30 here. The first Atari console I ever played was my older brothers 2600, never really got into it though. The NES was the 1st console that got me into videogames. I knew about the Jaguar back in the SNES days and thought the games looked amazing for their time, seeing 3D games during a time when 2D ruled the world was just mind blowing. I never asked my parents to buy me one because it was so expensive and many of the reviews I read in magazines were rather poor. It wasn't till years later, when the Jaguar was discontinued that I finally picked up one. I got it at KB Toys for around $30, I believe.That was also the very first console I bought with my own money At the time I knew how bad the Jaguar was and the only reason I bought it was to finally play AVP because I was a huge Aliens/Predator movie fan. The game wasn't available when I bought the console, so I was stuck with getting Club Drive instead, but eventually I knew that one day I was going to buy AVP for it. The console came packed with Cybermorph and that was the first Jaguar game I ever played. I played that game for about 15 minutes and thought it was absolute garbage, then I popped in Club Drive and played that for a bit and thought it was a little better than Cybermorph, but still pretty bad. I really felt ripped off after playing those few games and contemplated returning the console back to KB, but instead boxed up the Jaguar and put it into storage, then went back to playing the N64.

 

Years later I discovered a little known site called eBay and started searching for used videogames. I searched for Atari Jaguar stuff and couldn't believe what was out their, many unreleased Jaguar games and hardware were for sale and all kinds of other stuff. The Jaguar just had so many interesting hardware and games that never got released that made it's way onto ebay, stuff like the Jaguar VR, Alpine dev boards, flash carts, kiosks, beta games ect. Jay Smith bought up most of the good stuff but I was right there bidding against him The release of Battlesphere was also another reason why I became so into the Jaguar and collecting for it, I was just so fascinated at the time seeing a new game come out for a dead console and it just looked absolutely amazing. I was just blow away by the graphics of Battlesphere and couldn't believe that it was running on the Jaguar. Later joined AtarAge.com and the rest is history

Edited April 27, 2015 by SuperDork3000

[hookem]

44 years old here. First video game console was the 2600, of course. Then 5200, TI 99/4a, Commodore 64, Amiga, and finally pulled into the mainstream.

 

For us 40-somethings, it's simply a shared life experience... like Saturday morning cartoons, Schoolhouse Rock, and Soul Train... there were only 3 networks and and VCRs were in their infancy, so if you grew up in that era you ALL watched the same shows, at the same time (live, when they were happening), listened to the same music (whatever the radio was playing), and if you played video games it was only the 2600 (or rarely the Odyssey or Intellivision). Everyone our age had the same experience. In retrospect, it wasn't far from what we thought only happened in communist Russia -- everyone had it the same. Some of us may have held on to the past and became collectors, but all of us remember. Very different from those who grew up even a few years later.

 

So while we on this forum all share a passion for an era of classic video gaming, it comes from different places IMO. I admire the younger collectors, perhaps exploring the mysterious time before they were born (or can remember anything). And I totally understand that, too -- I was the same way with music. Still am. Infatuated by the music from right around (or shortly before) I was born. Love the songs, and love the idea of the era they represent.

[+xucaen]

45 and lovin every minute of it.

[AtariBorn]

I'm 37. My first system was the 2600, then Coleco, then Commodore 64. I have 3 sons and own 9 arcade cabinets. My boys avoid the cabs like the plague...not proud of that.

[BigO]

At 50, I was expecting to be in the category with the most votes as I was there for the beginning of the 2600.

But, not so. It looks like too many of us have died off.

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

Will be 34 this Summer. Born in the golden age of Atari (1981). I still have my first 2600. A Light Sixer. That and the NES were the first 2 systems I have ever played and are always and forever the ones I cherish the most.

[Atlantis]

At 50, I was expecting to be in the category with the most votes as I was there for the beginning of the 2600.

But, not so. It looks like too many of us have died off.

That is the sad part about life: you can't sit there playing your games on your own forever... but you can sure die trying!

[twoquickcapri]

Born in 82 and first console was an Odyssey², then the NES, then the SNES, and then my first Atari console the Jaguar. As a kid I had a friend with a 2600 but he would never let me play it. Did watch him play pitfall once. As for Atari console I went in order Jaguar, Lynx, 2600, 5200, Falcon/ST, 7800, XE/XL. I seem to like the Atari Corp stuff the most (Jag and ST).

[Willard]

nobody on here is 19 or under

 

I signed up when I was 15 and had been visiting AA for about 2 years prior, just didn't really know what forums were back then

 

30's-40's is what I would have guessed. Can't imagine too many teens-20's would care for or tolerate much of the Jaguar's library.

 

ha, I think there are a lot of people who can't stand the majority of the Jaguar's library, not just in their teens or 20's. There are some good games on it that I like to think will remain well regarded as new generations of gamers learn of the system though (but maybe that's just because im getting older too).

Edited April 28, 2015 by Willard

[Clay]

60 here, not see too many of us here.

My first console was the Fairchild Channel F. Then Atari 2600 then Colecovision then Atari Jaguar. Had a Sega Game Gear somewhere at same time with Colecovision and Jaguar. Also a PSP same time with Jaguar.

[Bill Loguidice]

I'm 42 (October 11, 1972). My first console was technically a Sears Pong console that my parents had, but the first real console I had was an Atari 2600 I bought when I was 7. My first computer was a VIC-20 when I was age 10, which was soon sold to get a C-64. A non-stop series of consoles and computers followed thereafter (I was collecting even then without realizing what it was).

[doctorclu]

I think I accidentally voted under 19.

 

In my 40's, first computer of my dad's was the Sol Terminal 20. Lots of Trek80, Targ, good stuff. Then got a Atari 2600.

 

MY first computer was the Atari 400 which I used primarily from 1982-1989 when I got a Mac Plus. Used Mac pretty much ever since.

 

Jaguar gamer since 1999.