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Xbox Live Needs a Seniors League (30+)

Posted on January 18, 2008 by Jeremy Toeman

I was playing Call of Duty 4 (COD4) last weekend during my post-CES recovery time, aka 12 hours of Xbox intermixed with buffalo wings and an hour of hockey. When I first went online to play, I pretty well expected to get a whuppin’, and a whuppin’ I received. That evening I played with my 12-year-old cousin in Montreal 1v1, and he steadily handed my ass to me over and over again. I think Xbox Live needs a “Seniors League” for people over 30.

First, the league would allow you to opt-out, so for the hardcore gamers, you can go play with whomever you like. But for the rest of us, I think it’d be a very good system. It would allow me to stop listening to the utter depravity that occurs in the chatroom (more foul, disgusting, racy language I have never heard in such a short time). Actually, on that topic for a second, parents – hello, your teenage children need some attention and by attention I don’t just mean warm hugs and telling them how they’re so great all the time.

More importantly, it might give me a way to play the game with the other stumbling buffoons like me. Those of us who are pleasantly surprised when we actually get a good shot off or two, where a dominating streak is defined as two consecutive kills, and where we don’t spend half the game looking at the Xbox controller wondering just how on Earth that guy did that!?!?!

The one game that probably doesn’t need the Seniors League is Rock Band, whose online multiplayer is about the coolest thing I’ve seen. It’s the only game I’m aware of that has no competition, nothing but fun/pride. And let me tell you, when four people are playing together, and really “jamming” (real musicians: don’t hate us, we’re just having fun), it’s a good time. Hitting star power on a song together? Priceless.

If the Senior League is too much to figure out, how about just a Rookie Zone, which works on a game-by-game basis? After anyone reaches a certain score and/or hours playing, they get bumped into the regular area. If you need an incentive, I’m pretty confident that you’d sell more games. Huh? Listening now, I see? Well, go ask your prime gamer demographic (oh wait, that’s me!) about their Xbox Live experiences. Probably a lot of frustration across the board. As a terrible player, playing online is often too annoying, rarely as fun as it should be. More fun = more Xbox Live time = more Xbox time = more interest in new games = more money for MSFT.

Oh, and to the jerk who marked me as ‘unsportsmanlike’ I’m gonna guess this refers to my frequent accidental grenading of my own teammates. Maybe if you spent more time playing as a team and helping us old fogies out, we’d play better and stop doing it. I’m just too terrible to even play unsportsmanlike! You’ll understand in 20 years, kid.

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Posted in Gaming | 10 Comments
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10 thoughts on “Xbox Live Needs a Seniors League (30+)”

  1. Sahara Storm says:
    January 18, 2008 at 9:35 am

    Amen, if you ever want to create such a league, look me up!

    Reply
  2. Ben Drawbaugh says:
    January 18, 2008 at 12:36 pm

    I couldn’t agree more, but I’m sure the little brats would just join anyways so they could laugh at us with their friends.

    Reply
  3. Pingback: Why I am not a gamer | Ed Bott’s Windows Expertise |

  4. Fogey says:
    January 18, 2008 at 5:22 pm

    http://www.2old2play.com

    Reply
  5. Dave Zatz says:
    January 18, 2008 at 5:50 pm

    This is why I always/only play lone wolf. I can shoot anything that moves and have no teammates to worry about killing (or disappointing). Halo 3 does a better job matching skill levels than CoD4, by the way. But CoD4 has the more realistic graphics and you can outfit your guy any way you like. I played it for like 3 weeks non-stop when it first came out.

    Reply
  6. sneak says:
    January 19, 2008 at 11:14 pm

    well, i’m glad it’ll take another 5 years for me to turn 31. anyways, it isn’t about age, it’s about how much of your childhood you were able to preserve. I’m playing online and there are a lot of younger players who need to learn a lot before being able to beat me.

    kind of sad if a man (!) is being defeated by his children or teenies alike 😉

    Reply
  7. Jeremy Toeman says:
    January 20, 2008 at 12:20 am

    sneak – uh… what?

    Reply
  8. Dooley says:
    April 1, 2008 at 12:14 pm

    I would subscribe in a heartbeat. At 66 yo, I have a family of 3 boys, 6 grandsons, and some of thier friends, where I am the bottom of the CoD4 scorecard, but what do I care. For me, it’s a grandpa bonding thing and I average 2 hrs/day. Most of us live in AZ, but 4 of them live in Texas, and I am in conversation with all my family at least once/day on XBOX 360. It’s too bad that the device is so frail. (mines been back to the shop 2x)

    Reply
  9. Jeremy Toeman says:
    April 1, 2008 at 2:45 pm

    btw – my xbox gamertag is bigtoesf if you ever want to play!

    Reply
  10. ed wells says:
    August 5, 2010 at 6:43 am

    I am 67 yo and wonder if it would not be beneficial to xbox live to have senior leagues for retirees and/or people over 60, my reflexes are just not fast enough to get very far in Mod warfare 2, but i still play regularly. would really like to find a clan or team that i could play with folks in their 60’s or older

    Reply

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Jeremy Toeman is a seasoned Product leader with over 20 years experience in the convergence of digital media, mobile entertainment, social entertainment, smart TV and consumer technology. Prior ventures and projects include CNET, Viggle/Dijit/Nextguide, Sling Media, VUDU, Clicker, DivX, Rovi, Mediabolic, Boxee, and many other consumer technology companies. This blog represents his personal opinion and outlook on things.

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