I’m an older gamer and the coolest teacher at my school – Reader’s Feature

A reader writes in to explain why all his students are so impressed with his gaming skills, and why you don’t have to give up playing video games as you get older.

This article is a respectful tribute to an article published a few weeks ago that I enjoyed reading. However, I wanted to highlight an alternative experience for some of us older gamers.

“Sir, are you the teacher who made Elden Ring platinum?”

I was asked this question a few months ago by a student whose name I did not know because I had been asked to supervise an absent teacher’s class. I usually hesitate to provide personal information to classes and students unless I have built a good relationship with them over time, but since there were only a few minutes left in the period, I decided to deviate from my normal practice. There was also something authentic in the enthusiastic way the unknown student asked this question.

“Yes, I would be,” I smiled. “I’ve also platinized many other FromSoftware games.”

The student, who was about 16 years old, literally stared at me with his mouth open for a few seconds before blurting out, “That’s so great, sir!”

In the short time remaining until the period bell, we shared experiences playing Elden Ring, which the student still had not been able to complete. I also learned that he had heard about my gaming activities from his friends in my regular classes, and that I was therefore considered something of a “legend” among his peers.

For some background, I am 53 years old and have been a chemistry teacher for over 30 years. In all that time, I have enjoyed the work, but I have learned to find a balance between a good relationship with the students and at the same time keeping a distance from my personal life. But once I get to know a class well, and it becomes clear that they have an appropriate level of maturity and respect, I begin to reveal more about myself.

This inevitably leads to conversations about gaming. While many teens enjoy the familiar free live service games, there are also a significant number who talk to me about their enjoyment of single-player games. Other conversations I’ve had include how great God Of War Ragnarök is, the lore of the Assassin’s Creed games, and the challenges of the DLC for XCOM 2.

On the other end of the spectrum, I also have conversations and exchange games with the principal of the school, who is even a few years older than me. He also enjoys single-player games and playing on the easiest difficulty setting, which he finds to be a great way to relax after work.

In short, we can all enjoy games in our own way, regardless of our age. There are many young gamers who have the same tastes as the older gamers, and adult gamers can still give a good account of themselves when it comes to conquering difficult gaming challenges. I often play local versus multiplayer with my 12 year old son, and for now at least we are very evenly matched, much to his good-natured frustration!

I recently revealed to a trusted class that I had just reached my 50th Platinum Trophy and have been updating them every week throughout the school year on my progress in completing Ragnarök on the Give Me God Of War difficulty. As a result, they have assured me that my legendary status is now in the stratosphere!

By reader ameisa (PSN ID)

Reader characteristics do not necessarily represent the opinions of GameCentral or Metro.

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