Conference rusure::nintendo

    Re .0:
    
    > what did we loose as adults that this little 5 year old girl had such
    > an abundance of?
    
    We lost time to practice.
    
    
    				-- edp

    I don't think it's all practice time.  When I play a new video game
    that none of us have seen before (say at Christmas with the family),
    there is a definite reverse correlation between age and initial score. 
    This can't be practice - none of us have seen the game before.
    
    My guess is that it's intrinsic reflex speed.  Kids are simply quicker
    than adults once they are old enough to have developed their fine motor
    control - if nothing else, the nerve signals have a shorter distance to
    travel.
    
    I think this also tends to change the way that various ages of people
    approach video games.  Older players tend to out-think the bad guys. 
    Young players simply out-quick them.
    
    - Chris                                                       

   Not only do you need practice to become proficient at a particular
   game (whatever age you are), but practice in general will let you pick
   up a new game faster.  Kids just play more so they're better in general.

                               Just my 2 cents,

                                       - Dave

Might it also be that an adult tries to think about where he/she wants to
'jump'.  The child is already in mid-air.  Maybe it's not what we've lost;
it's what we've gained.  For good or ill -- caution.

Betty

    I think by the replies we come full circle, to losing something as
    adults, to kids having more practice time, to kids just having
    quicker reflexes, to Betty saying that we have gained something
    as adults, caution.
    
    I was trying to see what makes kids seem to be just more "natural" 
    at playing. Some of it is practice, but the mind of kid seems to
    have a certain talent....that we as adults seem to loose. Granted,
    caution is a good attribute to possess, but if caution gets in the
    way of a free flowing method of play, it seems Nintendo game playing
    goes stop/start/stop/start...and doesn't have the flow if you know
    what I mean.
    
    well...keep playing folks, and if you are near the Burlington Mall
    in Burlington, MA...they have this Nintendo shop where you can 
    preview at least 36 new games...if you can get your hands on a 
    controller.
    
    Have Fun!
    -Arthur
    

It's not only that adults are more cautious, but that the kids seem to
identify more with the protagonist.  When I watch my son play Mario Bros.,
for example, he's yelling, "Whhheeeeee!" when he jumps and his jumps have
a flying quality to them.  In his mind, it is my son who's jumping, not
Mario.  That's the impression I get when I observe him.  And he takes
defeat very personally as well.  I'd say this ability to lose oneself in the
game probably contributes to children's prowess.  (Neither are they distracted
by aching limbs and thumb joints.)

    re.6
    
    I have a 6month old boy and when I am on duty we play either Dragon
    warrior or Silent service.  I let him have the B controler when playing
    D.W. (unpluged of course) and he loves the game ( andto put the
    controler is his mouth.  Every time I make a dum move he gives me this
    look like "we can't be related" hehas gotttin to the point were he
    tries to punch the buttons onthe controler but his coordination is
    still off.
    
    I tell my wife when she comes home and catches both clued to the toob
    that Ray is in training for the olympics because I'm sure by the time
    he is old enough nentindo will be a copmitition.
    
    The proud POPA
    jerry.
    

Straight from my son's mouth is the primary reason(MOST) adults have trouble
with easily playing Nintendo's games. It's as easy as right vs left.

That's right boys and girls, the NINTENDO controller was designed by and for 
lefties.. Kids are more easily swayed away from the right/left dominance
but as adults, we are set in out ways. 

I am going to check this out soon by modifying a controller to put the
up/down/right/left control on the right side. I will let you know the
results once I have had a little time to get used to it.



Has anyone else tried this before?


STRETCH

    RE: .8
    
    I don't know if it's true or not, but if it is...
    
    
       IT'S ABOUT TIME somebody thought of us when designing something.
    
    John D. (who's sick of right-handed scissors, mugs, cars, books, etc.)

    I don't know if this is true .... but I play better w/ the controller
    upside down (thus right/left switched).  My husband - left handed - can
    outplay anyone at almost anything - maybe just a coincidence.
    
    Anyone else?
    Patty