When they first came out, video games were the almost exclusive purview of the young. You wouldn't find a middle aged individual tucked away in his basement playing Pong, but the first generation of gamers have long since grown up and systems are being designed to be more and more friendly to new users, so gaming really is for everyone. Gaming is a fun way to relax, relieve stress, and have fun, either alone or with friends. If you're thinking of getting a gaming system, here are some you might want to consider.

Nintendo

Nintendo's Wii gaming system and its handheld partner, the DS, are probably the best game consoles to buy if you're just starting out with gaming. They come in a variety of colors that you can get to match and there are games available for almost every skill level and interest group, from shooting to cooking to golf. Learning to play on the Wii is much more intuitive for newbies than other button-based control systems because of the Wii's motion controls, which often approximate real-life movements. The WiiU is priced around $200 and comes with two games.

Xbox

Microsoft's latest game console, the Xbox One, is one of the most popular gaming systems out there. In addition to playing packaged games can also play and download movies and arcade games and connect users to play with one another via the internet. Almost every house with child or youth between ten and forty will have one of these in it. There are a wide variety of games for the Xbox, but they tend to cater more to serious gamers who are already very good than new gamers and kids who are just learning. Depending on the hard drive size and whether games are included, the Xbox costs between $300 and $500.

The Playstation is the third console put out by the Sony Corporation. The Playstations are similar in design and available game type to the Xbox, but has the additional ability to play Blu-Ray discs. There are fewer games available for the Playstation, which is why fewer owners have one, but there are several exclusive title series games, such as Final Fantasy, that draw in players. The base price for the unit is about $300.

Retro Consoles

There were many generations of game consoles before the current ones, and each still has games available in used shops and online. If you remember the NES or Sega fondly, you might want to save one of these old systems. Working systems can be hard to find, but 3rd party emulators like the Retro Duo are often available for $100 to $150 if you look online