Nintendo sends 100 elder-achievers DS Lites & Brain Age

via joystiq

Nintendo has honored 100 grandparents, from 54-year-old Rubin, a professional racquetball player from Staten Island, to 104-year-old Waldo, a beekeeper and author living in Kansas. Recipients of the prestigious honor, which included a DS Lite and copy of Brain Age, were selected by the Grandparent Marketing Group on the basis of "agelessness"; that is, each honoree represents someone who defies stereotypes associated with the elderly. "They refuse to act their age. They think young, and therefore they act young. Brain Age is one more tool in their anti-aging arsenal," explained Nintendo's George Harrison.

The 'Ageless American' honor is just Nintendo's latest promotional tactic, part of the Touch Generations campaign, which seeks to tap into the 55-and-up gamer demographic (reportedly accounting for 25% of the total gaming population). This past August, Nintendo hosted a Grandparent's Day competition in New York City -- sadly, despite weeks of practice, President Bush was not eligible to compete.