Demographic Similarities of Virtual Pilots

[DirtyBirdFA]

Morning, Gents!

 

I'm sure you all might have noticed this before and perhaps even discussed it among yous guys, but I've observed that the majority of virtual pilots, regardless of game preference, are in the age demographics of 25yrs and older. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but I was wondering if yous guys had any idea as to why?

[firehawkordy]

I've noticed the same thing in reviewing the ages on applications to my VA. You have a group between 13 and 18 that want to tear up the skies and cant afford the lessons to fly for real, a large gap from 19 to 25/26, and then players evenly spaced from about 27 on up.

 

I think that as the youngsters discover girls and start to drive that flight sim, for that matter almost all games go by the wayside as they start life.

 

Once you are in your late 20's and above you get secure in your future, you have a wife of significant other and maybe a kid or two. You cant go run around anymore, you have very little money for funstuff, but you have a PC and a joystick. Well you fly the world, talk via Teamspeak to many people and the wife knows where you are at at all times.

 

Flight sim becomes more social as you get into it, not a bad thing considering that unless you have wads of money or join the military this is the only way for folks to experiance the world.

 

Regarding Combat sims, where else can a grown, "mature", individual act like a kid and not have to worry about looking foolish? And it's cheaper than Air Combat USA and like operations.

[tank03]

I've noticed the same thing in reviewing the ages on applications to my VA. You have a group between 13 and 18 that want to tear up the skies and cant afford the lessons to fly for real, a large gap from 19 to 25/26, and then players evenly spaced from about 27 on up.

 

I think that as the youngsters discover girls and start to drive that flight sim, for that matter almost all games go by the wayside as they start life.

 

Once you are in your late 20's and above you get secure in your future, you have a wife of significant other and maybe a kid or two. You cant go run around anymore, you have very little money for funstuff, but you have a PC and a joystick. Well you fly the world, talk via Teamspeak to many people and the wife knows where you are at at all times.

 

Flight sim becomes more social as you get into it, not a bad thing considering that unless you have wads of money or join the military this is the only way for folks to experiance the world.

 

Regarding Combat sims, where else can a grown, "mature", individual act like a kid and not have to worry about looking foolish? And it's cheaper than Air Combat USA and like operations.

 

I agree whole heartedly. WHen I was younger the end of my workday meant that I was now going out with the guys, or trolling for girls. Now that I'm settled down and married, most of my socializing takes place on the weekends as a couple. With stuff to do around the house and time to spend with family my free time is at a premium. By ducking into the study I can get a quick mission, check out a forum, or fiddle with some add-ons without having to either leave the house or spend any money.

[+FastCargo]

I've noticed the same thing in reviewing the ages on applications to my VA. You have a group between 13 and 18 that want to tear up the skies and cant afford the lessons to fly for real, a large gap from 19 to 25/26, and then players evenly spaced from about 27 on up.

 

I think that as the youngsters discover girls and start to drive that flight sim, for that matter almost all games go by the wayside as they start life.

 

Once you are in your late 20's and above you get secure in your future, you have a wife of significant other and maybe a kid or two. You cant go run around anymore, you have very little money for funstuff, but you have a PC and a joystick. Well you fly the world, talk via Teamspeak to many people and the wife knows where you are at at all times.

 

Flight sim becomes more social as you get into it, not a bad thing considering that unless you have wads of money or join the military this is the only way for folks to experiance the world.

 

Regarding Combat sims, where else can a grown, "mature", individual act like a kid and not have to worry about looking foolish? And it's cheaper than Air Combat USA and like operations.

 

This describes me and my progression with flight sims and age almost exactly. Those college and young 20ish years are filled with wanting to experience everything out and about. I think that's where you see the big gap.

 

FastCargo

[+Gr.Viper]

*checks if he's still 21.. yup*

Girls? What's that? Nah.. an hour of crash landing bullet-ridden Fokker E.III is a great way to spend time... :yes:

[+MigBuster]

Something I have wondered about - though I must admit I didnt even touch any computer games from 17 to about 24 - had better things to do i guess

 

From 13 - 17 years I had most flight sims going like Falcon, Mig 29 etc because it was a new thing at the time - I did love fighter planes though.

I never actually played any of them like I do now im older - treated them just like any other games really - never would have known East was 90 degrees - just flew around in a circle looking for planes to shoot down from what i remember!

[+Major Lee]

Something I have wondered about - though I must admit I didnt even touch any computer games from 17 to about 24 - had better things to do i guess

 

From 13 - 17 years I had most flight sims going like Falcon, Mig 29 etc because it was a new thing at the time - I did love fighter planes though.

I never actually played any of them like I do now im older - treated them just like any other games really - never would have known East was 90 degrees - just flew around in a circle looking for planes to shoot down from what i remember!

 

Perhaps that is typical of the younger set... Just wanting action and not tactics or strategy...

[eraser_tr]

Don't be so quick to assume about demographics.

 

When I was a kid I liked strategy....actually a little too much. I always came up with elaborate strategies in games, and a friend of mine would just take the direct approach going for action and come out on top every time. The most thoughtful and prepared base defence in an RTS was just nullified in minutes by a hundred-tank assault waves. Fell out of flight sims for a while, didn't like the selection of games that were out.

 

Then started getting back into them at about 17, now I'm 21, in college and still fly sims often. Sure, I go out alot, but I need my games to unwind from all the stress of the work.

 

And I also happen to have a 59 year old father who refuses to play anything but straight shooters. nothing in which you "have to do all this other s**t" like sneak around, talk, pick locks, hack into computers etc. So stubborn about it that he's complaining about running out of games to play, but refuses to broaden his horizons. I'm trying to get him to try flight sims, SFP1 is fairly simple, but its like pulling teeth.

[+JediMaster]

LOL, I feel so old!

 

Until I was in high school there weren't any flight sims to fly at all! F-19 and Red Baron came out then. Then when I reached college came Falcon 3 and Tornado and SWOTL and such. My college years were spent hardcore simming, as were the years immediately after when I first met my wife, then moved in with her. Really, the thing that's caused me to move away from simming now as much I used to is the lack of sims! In the mid/late 90s I'd be buying a new one every couple of months, although the best ones I kept playing.

Now TK is the only one releasing new sims with any frequency at all.

I'd say the amount of time I've spent flying from 2001-present is equal to the amount of time I spent in just one year back then. Now I spend time on other things like racing sims, RTS, and FPS that just didn't take much time then.

 

So for me, 1-17 almost NO flight simming (because sublogic's FS2 is all I really had), 18-26 TONS of flight simming (the golden era of the 90's!), 27-now only a couple of times/week max, and some weeks I never fly at all!

[+Typhoid]

my teenage kids laugh at me for doing this as my "mid-life crisis'.

[triplethr3at]

hah im still a kid. R there realy no other guys under 20 here.

By the way theres nothing wrong with being old. everyone gets old eventually unless ur chuck norris

[eraser_tr]

Do you even know who chuck norris is?

[+SkippyBing]

I think in some ways it's part of the 'growing old is mandatory, growing up isn't' thing. Up to a certain point there isn't a lot you're allowed to do, and after another point there's not a lot you can do. For some reason I can't remember a lot about the bit in between, but I seemed to be enjoying myself in the photos!

[firehawkordy]

I still want a refund on my mis-spent youth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited May 3, 2007 by firehawkordy

[Guest 531_Ghost]

You're only as old as the sim you fly. Me, I'm 46 chronologically, does that make me old? I think not, the oldest sim I fly, is, Combat Flight Simulator The "newest" Falcon 4.0 Allied Force, how old am I?

[+whiteknight06604]

when i was young(10-20) the only real choice for sims was paper or miniature.I spent hours playing Avalon Hill's FLIGHT LEADER or TSR's DAWN PATROL.never really got into computer sims untill a few years8 or so) ago.now I'm 37 and play every chance I can,work and Football practice eat into playing time and something called the family intrude from time to time also.;)

[GASCAN39]

Happy Birthday to me!

 

Turning the big Four Two today, and have been playing flight sims since age 19 (MSFS on a C64!) I don't have much time these days, as I am working a contract in Iraq (7 days a week); but my laptop (such as it is) sits on my desk, and every now and then I crank up SFP1 (obsessed with the Yak-41 of late). Growing up as an air force brat, I fell in love with the smell of JP-5, and wanted to be a military pilot. I ended up in the fire service, but still love flying and aviation in general. (The day after thanksgiving, I paid to go up in a Stearman (Navy N3N actually) and did aerobatics northwest of Atlanta. Nothing beats acro in an open cockpit! If it had not been for the holiday travels, I probably could have gotten a significant number of flying lessons working toward a license. Maybe at the end of this contract year :yes: So, the only thing I can do is fly the sims on a pc, which has been curbed drastically with this job (I used to sit for a whole day flying missions, or playing other games, so I guess reality and being a responsible adult keeps me from it as much!)

[Hooah!]

I'm 15 and I started with CFS3. my squad transitioned to IL2/AEP/PF and kind of fell apart. I read a review for WoE in Flight Journal and promptly bought it. My squad does more of a RPG/FPS thing now so I still play IL2 on occasion and rarly some FS9.

[raven-1]

you guys make me feel reallllll old!when i was a kid, a computer was something S.A.C. had and it took up three buildings!i got into flying about 94,aint looked back! flown ultalites,no ga,but the pc is still the way to fly! ive always wondered about the age span of this group.