I proudly admit that I am an old school gamer, not an older gamer that plays current gen games, nor a gamer that plays old school games but one that does all of the above. I am 38 years old and I have more than 20 years of gaming experience under my belt. I have owned and played on more than 20 different consoles, portables, and computer systems since 1982. I have watched gaming go from black and white images on television to full high definition. I have also watched as gaming evolved from a vocation where one guy or gal could program a game by themselves (graphics, sound, and music) in matter of days or weeks to a full-blown enterprise on par with producing a major motion picture. During that time video games changed from being a kid's toy to an essential part of a home entertainment system like the DVD player or surround sound system. It's like watching a plant grow and blossom.

One doesn't get any points just for having a few years under his or her belt. So, what's so special about the old school gamer? The answer is legitimacy. While no one will argue that gaming could be profitable, that profitability would never have achieved the levels it has if it were not for gaming being made a legitimate pastime. For that, the gaming industry owes a mountain of gratitude to the old school gamer. When educators and parents were screaming about NES's ruining their children's academic careers it was then college gamers that stepped up to let the world know that you can make the dean's list as an engineering major and kick major ass in Tecmo Bowl. When Congress threatened government regulation because of Mortal Kombat and parents were worried that gaming was producing a nation of psychopaths and serial killers, it was the old school gamer that stepped up to show that you could play these games and still be a normal person with a normal job. After the Columbine shootings, many wanted to blame video games but it was old school gamers who happened to be teachers themselves that showed that gaming was never the problem. Lastly, when Wall Street recognized that gaming was making more than both the music and movie industries, that increase in money was not due to the 9 year old dragging mommy or daddy to the game store. That increase was due to the old school gamer. You see, the old school gamer will by games throughout the year not just at Christmas, the summer, or a birthday. The old school gamer has more money than a kid. So, they can afford a monthly budget for gaming. Finally, console loyalty is so middle school to the old school gamer. The old school gamer will buy as many consoles and games as he/she can afford. That's where the money comes from. Because, the old school gamer has a real job making real money he/she also shows that gaming can be a normal part of someone's life just as watching college basketball or the NFL on weekends has become. For that, the old school gamer deserves a medal for carrying an industry forward in ways it could never do on its own.