Hi Eleanor, No problem. As it is I really think your white paper hit the mark when it comes down to putting out the facts of the situation, and unfortunately I'm afraid the aging gamers out there are going to be ignored by the big mainstream companies anyway. For example, my grandma is in her mid 80's, and does like some simple computer games such as Monopoly, Solitaire, Hearts, Uno, things like that. Unfortunately, she really can't see well enough to see the card faces and things like that. Fortunately, Jim Kitchen and Spoonbill Software just happen to have games that she would like and that are completely self-voicing. I put them on a computer I picked up at the Goodwill and fixed up for her, and every now and then when I drop buy she is playing Solitaire, Monopoly, Uno, Yatzi, etc with Sapi speech output. If it weren't for developers like Jim Kitchen, Spoonbill Games, GMA Games, and all the rest my grandma would be completely locked out of even relatively simple accessible games like Solitaire and Yatzi which is really rediculous considering it wouldn't cost mainstream developers much to make games like that accessible with a little Sapi support and perhaps large print graphics. Yet they continually don't even do that much. My dad happens to be a member of the Baby Boomer generation, and now is in his early 60's. Over the past couple of years he has taken to using glasses for driving and reading. Plus needs them when playing some games on the computer which certainly counts as a visual impairment even if it isn't quite as bad as my own. Still he is the one that worked for several years for Rubber Made, worked 8 and 12 hours shifts Monday-Friday, and was the person in my family who purchased my Ataris, Nintendos, Sega, and all the games that went with those consoles when I was growing up. He was the guy with all the buying power, and even though he is semi-retired now he has a pretty healthy retirement check coming in each month. As you pointed out the Baby Boomers still have most of the buying power, most of it is in 401's, social security, and other retirement plans, but they still have a majority of the currency out there. Yet somehow I don't think the mainstream game companies seam to care about that, and are focused on aiming their products for the preteen to young adult market who really doesn't have the buying power their grandparents do. Yet that's where the game companies are heading anyway. It is like I said in another message on list the problem realy isn't just specific to game companies. Most companies don't have a realistic polacy for handling elderly and disabled customers. If they happen to have one it usually is expensive and costs more than a similar product or service for their mainstream customers. In my opinion it is really a form of victimization on part of the companies who make those products or offers those services. All that would change if the shoe was on the other foot.
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