Is KSP for Older Users?

[BeefTenderloin]

IIRC, the users are mainly between the ages of 12 and 30.

[Tank Buddy]

I wouldn't say so, I'd say almost anyone could play it, but to be successful and play KSP to it's fullest extent, you definitely have to know what you're doing. So it just requires the maturity of intelligence that comes with age. I mean, to me, most of the equations that you would have to use are easy because I have taken some advanced math and engineering courses, but I'm sure you could manage with just a basic knowledge of algebra. But I am going to admit players do need some brains to comprehend all of this rocket science.

[rasheed]

Short Answer: Yes.

Long Answer: KSP is the kind of game which appeals to a mature fanbase, mainly due to the fact that the ordinary 12 year old would never have the patience to learn to even orbit, even less so interplanetary travel.

im 12 and i have reaches all the way to jool :3

[SRV Ron]

I wouldn't say so, I'd say almost anyone could play it, but to be successful and play KSP to it's fullest extent, you definitely have to know what you're doing. So it just requires the maturity of intelligence that comes with age. I mean, to me, most of the equations that you would have to use are easy because I have taken some advanced math and engineering courses, but I'm sure you could manage with just a basic knowledge of algebra. But I am going to admit players do need some brains to comprehend all of this rocket science.

The beauty of this game is that an extensive knowledge of math is not required, not even basic algebra, only an understanding of how to design rockets with sufficient thrust and fuel capacity to get from point a to b. Then, it is off to learn how to efficiently do a gravity turn and to set up maneuvers in order to get from point a to b. Finally, you learn that nothing gets accomplished in traveling from point a to b in a straight line. You quickly learn that all travel is going to be on an intercept curve.

[MachXXV]

35 now, but I would have loved this game when I was twelve. I spent a lot of time building model rockets from scratch back then, as well as seriously studying the science behind it all to refine my designs (it's no fun watching weeks worth of real effort explode). The best simulators I had at the time were calculators and some number crunching written in BASIC. It's all about attitude, not age.

[bancika]

Im 11 , and i even landed on Laythe. (On land, not on water)

[Scorpi15]

im 12 and i have reaches all the way to jool :3

I'm also twelve (but turning 13 at an unspecified date this year) so I guess that we're not the ordinary 12-year-old

[MickG]

I bought a second copy of KSP for my 9-year old son and he can orbit pretty good. Using MechJeb he can even land on Mun.

[IndieDev3D]

Yes and no, I've been playing KSP since I was 12 and have loved it since! I'm currently 14, I guess it just takes patience to learn all this stuff but once I got it done it was smooth sailing for me.

[Vedexent]

IQ has been steadily going up for decades.

IQ has been indeed going up. Average scores in a test which measures arbitrary problem rational problem solving, has been going up steadily as Western civilization has becoming more and more technologically oriented. Go figure.

That doesn't make someone born in 1800 a moron compared to someone was born in 2000.

There are other kinds of intelligence scores which have been going down. That doesn't makes someone born in 2000 dumber than someone born in 1800, either.

It just means that the cultural focus of intelligence and learning has been changing over time, in the Western world.

I also highly doubt that there are noticeable IQ changes within a span of 10 years.

[Vedexent]

As for the OP - I don't think it's an age thing; I think it's a personality thing.

I'm sure there are teenagers and some pre-teens with the patience and focus to deal with the details of some of the more complex aspects of KSP.

I suspect there are adults in their 40s or over which don't.

I suspect that older player are more likely to have the patience and focus - but as I have no data, I'm not going to make a claim on that front.

[Robbii6]

I am 16 years old and i enjoy the messing around side of KSP but i also love the science part of the game. I completely understand everything that is going on scientifically. Physics is my passion and i hopefully will one day be an astrophysicist. I do not this this game is for just older users and in fact i think that even a youngster would like this game. i would dout they get anywhere but i bet they would enjoy it.

Rob

[Nicbudd]

the ordinary 12 year old would never have the patience to learn to even orbit, even less so interplanetary travel.

Hey, I am 12 and I have made it to Mün and Minmus. Although to be fair my IQ is 133.

[iDan122]

I started off when I was 13, now I am 15 and constructing a space station around Laythe is no problem for me

Though I had 'training' in Orbiter 2010 when I was 12, I could dock and land a space shuttle pretty much

Edited May 12, 2014 by iDan122

[ZodiaK]

this kind of thing always depends on the skill level of the player, which cannot necessarily be linked to age.

[HafCoJoe]

Heh. I'm 17. KSP is meant for everyone with the attention span . I started playing when I was around 13-14 with the demo v0.13 and stopped for maybe 2 years after barely landing on the mun (without landing gear at this point). Again the game is for anyone who has the patience.

[Albert VDS]

It has nothing to do with age, but all with how interesting the game seems to you.

Also the difficulty, at the moment, is how high you set the bar.

[HafCoJoe]

It has nothing to do with age, but all with how interesting the game seems to you.

Also the difficulty, at the moment, is how high you set the bar.

The way KSP is currently set, there isn't any statement of achievement. You get more science and unlock more pieces but it doesn't give a statement like "Congratulations! You just made your first orbit. Now do some science!" like other sandbox games such as spore does. That's one reason I've seen that new users are so confused. I mean, you get points for doing something but it doesn't announce with any certainty that that's whats supposed to happen or what to do next.

Anyways back on topic... Yeah age has no relation. Only interest.

[KvickFlygarn87]

I'm 13, I play KSP. Then again, in all modesty, I am quite smart. I still enjoy everything from Kirby and LoL to BF4 and MineCraft (watch out for the later 2's fanbases though, moron alert)

[Sof]

Hey, I am 12 and I have made it to Mün and Minmus. Although to be fair my IQ is 133.

Apparently 133 isn't high enough to realise this thread was a year old

[EvilotionCR2]

Hey, I am 12 and I have made it to Mün and Minmus. Although to be fair my IQ is 133.

Im 11 and my IQ is 143. I have made it to the Jool multiple times, Eeloo once or twice, also built supersonic aircraft. Everything sleek and aesthetically pleasing. I also built multiple computers.

EDIT: Proof

http://imgur.com/a/7NeAE

Edited May 12, 2014 by EvilotionCR2

[Jas1126]

As with everything, it's the individuals brain functionality that matters. Age is just a number.

[_Aramchek_]

IQ has been steadily going up for decades.

I assert that it's a misleading statistic.

I would say that the level of human intelligence has remained consistent for at least a few thousand years or so now, perhaps quite a bit more.

BUT what does happen is that what one generation had to learn to do on it's own or created, it passes on and each successive generation has an easier and easier time doing, and improves upon the idea. Eventually there is some or other breakthrough that advances...etc...etc..etc...

This is a social mechanism, not necessarily a sign that the ability of the average person to solve problems/make associations/develop novel behaviors/whatever is increasing.

The effect is similar enough..and there is some crossover. But..anyway.

I'm actually more impressed at how many older people have adapted very well to modern technology.

To things that would have seemed almost literally like magic when they were young.

But I'd say if we could take a time machine and abduct a baby from the roman era, and brought it to the future..it'd learn how to use a phone/pc as well as any "modern" child.

There are a lot of kids/people younger than me that are very comfortable with using phones/etc, but they haven't the slightest idea how any of it works, and..it may as well be a magic box to them too. lol

Anyway..I'd have loved this game..even at my earliest level of consciousness, I've been in love with physics and mechanical engineering since then, and..moar boosters.

[notfruit]

Oh god, I have to say it. I'm so sorry...

I'm 12 and what is this?

[Tex]

I'm not sure if it's the age of the player that makes the difference, but I believe it has to do with the player's ability to think, solve problems, and deal with (constant and spectacular) failures.

I suppose these skills become more pronounced with age, but perhaps people get these skills from KSP.