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Millennials are the First Video Gamer Parents


Hi! My Name is Jase Anzo and I was born the Year 1988. I'm of course a Millennial and if you've lived here in the United States we've basically were soo bored that we had to come up with a way to describe the Different Generation of Youths born in different era's of the United State. This also makes it easier to blame why certain things are the way they are.... which is a WHOLE other typic for another time.


Before I begin I've Decided to have break this into 3 Segments... sooo...


Segment 1: Setting the Stage


First off! what are the Generations defined here in the United States?

with the quick google search of Gemini A.I. here it is...


The Greatest Generation

(Born approximately 1901–1927): Often associated with World War II.


The Silent Generation

(Born approximately 1928–1945): Experienced the Great Depression and World War II, and later the Civil Rights Movement.


Baby Boomers

(Born 1946–1964): Named for the post-World War II baby boom, this generation experienced significant social changes and the rise of mass culture.


Generation X

(Born 1965–1980): A smaller, more pragmatic "middle child" generation, coming of age during the Cold War and the rise of personal technology.


Millennials

(Born 1981–1996): Also known as Generation Y, they were the first generation to be significantly shaped by the internet and digital technology.


Generation Z

(Born 1997–2012): Known for being diverse, pragmatic, and the first generation to be truly digital natives, growing up with social media and smartphones.


Generation Alpha

(Born 2013–2024): The newest generation, currently children and toddlers, whose formative years will be shaped by technology and the ongoing developments of the 21st century.


How does this Correlate with Video Games?

Well interestingly enough!... there are Generational Families of Video Game Consoles that have come to the Home Media which similarly have been differentiated in timelines much like the youths born in the United States...


What started small in the early 80's has now become a Multi-Billion Dollar Industry and I'm here to TELL YOU Millennials have played a HUGE role in making that Possible.


To Start here's the list of different Generational Video Game Console Families using Gemini A.I.:


First Generation (1972–1983):

The era of early home video game consoles like the Magnavox Odyssey.


Second Generation (1976–1992):

Introduced handhelds and the use of cartridges, exemplified by the Atari 2600.


Third Generation (1983–2003):

Saw the arrival of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Sega Master System, marking a significant leap in home gaming.


Fourth Generation (1987–2004):

The "16-bit era" with consoles like the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).


Fifth Generation (1995–2001):

The transition to 3D gaming and optical media, featuring the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and Sega Saturn.


Sixth Generation (1998–2013):

A period of massive growth with the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and Dreamcast.


Seventh Generation (2005–2017):

Marked by the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii, which introduced new controllers and online gaming.


Eighth Generation (2012–Present):

The current generation features the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch.


Ninth Generation (2020–Present):

The most recent generation, kicked off by the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, and

most recently Nintendo Switch 2 which focuses on even higher graphical fidelity and performance.


Because I myself identify as a Millennial according to the defined standard, what I also found that Millennials are broken into 3 sections


1. Older Millennials (c. 1981–1985)

Characteristics:

This group, sometimes called Xennials or "geriatric millennials," were young enough to experience early digital technology but also remember a time before it was ubiquitous. They are often seen as a blend of Generation X and Millennials, with a unique perspective on both eras.

Key Events: They came of age during the rise of the internet but did not grow up with social media as deeply ingrained as later generations.

2. Prime/Core Millennials (c. 1986–1990)

Characteristics:

These individuals are often considered the "true" millennials who grew up with the internet and experienced the cultural shifts it brought.

Key Events: They were affected by the Great Recession in their late teens and early twenties, which influenced their financial and career paths.

3. Younger Millennials (c. 1991–1996)

Characteristics:

This group, sometimes called Zillennials or "cuspers," are the youngest of the millennial cohort and share some experiences with Generation Z.

Key Events: Their formative years included the widespread adoption of smartphones and social media, shaping their digital lives and worldviews.



Segment 2: The Breakdown



Generation 7 of Video Games consoles between the years of 2006-2012 is the most interesting era of Gaming we had all Video Game Companies having great success in with all demographics every platformed seemed to have enjoyed a healthy market share and as for us the Millennials we were eating it all up!


Lukas Mathis from Ignore the Code put together a wonderful piece Metric back in

Graph is Sales of Console units in the Millions and difference is years.


As you can see PS2 in Gen 6th stupidly cheated with a Trojan Horse way of Marketing which was introducing the Playstation 2 as part of the home media entertainment with the addition of DVD compatibility which gave an excuse to millions of Parents at the time to buy this as an alternative for their kids but also for the family entertainment to watch Blockbuster Family night Movies. However by the Gen 7 which is where I'm Targeting, my thesis is that by this time most of us Millennials started working and earning for ourselves which as you can see every Console Manufacturer was enjoying a healthy Market share. I myself was guilty I Purchased all 3 major consoles PS3, XBOX 360, Nintendo Wii, and Plenty of Nintendo DS I was that young adult the year was 2009 I was 21 years old Playing with my heart's content and spending my paychecks on every Video Game for every Console at the time... it was AWESOME!


Niccolo Conte from Visual Capitalists wrote a interesting piece for Nintendo Console unit sales and Clayton Wadsworth created this Graphic. check their blog post here https://www.visualcapitalist.com/20-years-nintendo-console-switch-sales/


Again as my thesis shows us Millennials doing Millennial things are undefeated as we handed over our hard earned cash to buy up Video Games during the peak 2009 - 2010... interestingly enough Nintendo got an edge this time that attracted None Hardcore Gamers more like the Casual Gamers... Nintendo also took a playbook from Sony and made a Trojan Move into the Home Media Entertainment by making their Wii-Mote Controller look like an actual tv remote is was Genius!!



You can see how us Millennials started to drop the Game controller for our life's responsibilities and Gen Z picked up the slack with Playstation 4 & Nintendo Switch at the tail end of 2017.


We Millennials have now entered Parenthood... well maybe not all of us but hey we are still the Parents of Video Games and we are the First Video Game Parents!!


here's an interesting Metric for us Millennials we aren't taking account of, or we are not realizing.


let's go back again where it began with Nintendo 40 years ago... 1985 the North America Launch number only of the:


- Nintendo Entertainment System sold 34 Million units

then the..

-Master System sold 2 Million units

then the..

-GameBoy/GameBoy Color Sold 43 Million units

then the..

-Sega Genesis sold 18 Million Units

then the..

-Super Nintendo Entertainment System sold 23 Million Units

then the..

-Sega Saturn sold 2 Million units

then the..

-Playstation sold 40 Million units

and finally the..

-Nintendo 64 sold 20 Million Units


I took these numbers from Google Gemini for U.S. Sales only as I focus more in the U.S. Markets.


but here's a global world wide sales from Reddit user r/gaming nicolaselhani

And Because I only took the consoles sold during our time as Millennials as youths growing up with these consoles these numbers represent United States figures only ending it with the N64 we have a total of 182 Million Total Game console units sold and that's not including other console manufacturers like Atari which sold 30 million units world wide , I could not find the exact metric for U.S. Sale but you can round that up as well... in any case in 1996 which marks the end of Millennial era the U.S. Population according to Google was nearly 270 Million which means 70% of all U.S. Citizens have experienced a video game how many of those Americans were Millennials and not Gen X? not sure.! there's no exact census for that but there is a 2024 Census that does show current age of millennials taken back in 2024 which in that census shows there's 45 Million Millennials of the age between 35 & 44 which at the time of 2024 I was 36... so guess using that metric from 2024 and applying it to the census of 1996 in theory from 270 Million U.S. Citizens there were appx. 40 Million Millennials... what does all of this mean exactly?... see for your self!!!



Starting from the AGE of Millennials and younger we've all been exposed to interactive software video games and according from this 2024 census Millennials Starting from age 45 and younger age bracket finally make up 55% the Majority of the Entire United States. which means the Video Game Industry has so much more room to Grow!!!! In another 20 years most of the U.S. around 80% will be Computer Software literate because of Video Games.


Segment 3: The Future


What will be our Millennial Future as Video Game Parents? Well the next logical step is being the First Video Game Grand Parents showing Super Mario Bros. to our Grand Kids and the Games we Grew up on, and showing the youngsters how Old School Grand Parents do it on Multiplayer when Call of Duty Black OPS 50 is out.. Yes i can see it now us getting older and still being able to pick up a controller hoping that our hand and eye coordination is still on point God Willing.


That's fun and all but what does that mean for the future of Gaming?


Lets start with XBOX.. as its been a hell of a week for them in regards to ever increasing price hikes twice in 1 year for their console hardware for the Series X and S and also for their Subscription Service of Game Pass raising the price 50% from $20 to $30... I won't pretend that all of this is in any why good... it sucks!!! lets be Honest.. everything is rising in prices especially the rising cost of components from manufacturers Ram Memory Sticks and Nand storage chips.. it all seems bleak and it seems the A.I. Demand is a driving factor, Nintendo increased their first iteration of Nintendo Switch Console and Sony Raised Prices on their Playstation 5.. what do us Millennial Gamers look forward to now? and what will consoles be like in the future?


I Love what Video Games have done for me and the experience's I've had playing with my Family Growing up and I hope these bigger companies find a solution to the mayhem of economic conditions because in the end we all just want to have fun but don't let it kill us please! life is hard enough and making us pay more just to play stings hard in the Gut for us middle class workers..!


What I can see is that Handheld Gaming will play a bigger role into the future. it wont make the Traditional Console go extinct but I do see that Handhelds will increase in Popularity smaller Companies like Anbernic, Retroid Pocket, AYN, Lenovo, Asus, OnexPlayer and many more are building Handhelds from affordable impulse buys to extremely powerful full deck pc handhelds.... there's never been a time like this where smaller companies are building awesome Machines like today and it's not stopping.! every year there's a new iteration and there is certainly something for everyone... The main point of it is that I see a future where we have all of our games in the palm of our hands.. that's what I see for the next 10 years anyways... being able to play the latest games on handheld hardware and taking it everywhere you go and interact with other hardware like Meta x Rayban Glasses which could be able to augment your gaming on the go with wearables , and everything will be gamified... Portable gaming machines will definitely blur the line of a Cell Phone and Hand Held Portable Gaming device... I don't know exactly the future but as for me and my company I'm doubling down on Portable gaming devices.



Thanks for Reading


-Jase Anzo 10-7-2025

Kid Jase Anzo 1995

 
 
 

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