Growing through video games

For me, video games have been a way of life ever since I was 3 years old.  It all started with the intellivision back in 1982.  That one console spawned a love of video games that continues to this day.  While normal kids have memories of playing catch with their dads, I have memories of us playing Utopia together.  My childhood was centered around games and our family game night often included sitting around the TV playing Nintendo.  My mother, brother and I even played co-op through Secret of Mana (we rented it every week until we actually beat the game).  I don't assume I had a normal childhood, but I did have an enjoyable one that I wouldn't trade for anything else.

In highschool and college, I still played video games.  It was more of something I'd do between homework and it had less of an impact on my life.  But every now and then a game would come along and just consume me.  Final Fantasy 7 was the reason my grades were so low in the fall of 1997. Everquest in college started a MMO addiction that ended in WoW.  I would often go through periods of my life where I wouldn't play as much.  These periods usually occured the same time as other factors of my life were more important...dating, socializing, school.. etc. But still, like an old friend, I'd come running back to games as a way to escape the stressful reality.  I went to college, pledged a fraternity, met my wife, and did my homework.  I still played games through all of those life defining moments.

Now, I'm 29 years old and I have been playing video games for the majority of my life.  I have been married for 5 years and have a 2 year old daughter and still I play games.  Life, I believe has a pattern and is cyclical in nature. So, I am still playing video games and once again, I am finding their hold over me to be fading.  However, this time it is different.  There isn't a life definiing moment to take my attention away.  It is as if games today are just not as exciting to me as the games of my youth.  I look at all the AAA titles released this year and I simply have no interest to many of them.  Of the AAA titles released this year, I played Fallout 3 and GTA 4.  Both games are follow ups of my favorite games when I was younger.  There are very little "new" game franchises that are exciting to me.

I still play games in my spare time, when I get some.  My old friend is still there to distract me from the stress of reality; but it has less hold of me anymore.  Mostly because there's rarely any new games that I am interested in.  Look at Gears 2 for example.  It's got good action, good graphics, good story; basically everything I would and should love; but I'm indifferent.  I'm in a unique position to question my life with video games and I'm afraid I don't know the answer. 

Am I just growing out of video games?  Am I "too old for this shit"?  I honestly don't think so.  I just got a collection of point-and-click adventures that are far more interesting to me than the of  latest graphical marvels released today.  Or maybe games in general are getting too stale, repetive, and generic.  I've discovered a love for older PC games, a genre that I neglected when I grew up.  Games like Full Throttle, Monkey Island, and Broken Sword are the gems of my collection.  Maybe I am just trying to relive the memories of my childhood by playing these games.  I don't know. 

There is one thing I know for sure.  Video games have always been a part of my life and I will make sure they will be a part of my child's life.  I look foward to sitting down and playing whatever Nintendo (probably) game with my daughter and letting her have the same fond memories as I had.  But I don't see myself buying a new gaming system after this current generation.  I might get a PS3 when the PS4 comes out.  But for the most part, I'd be getting games and systems for my kids and not for me.  I guess in the end, I would've turned into my father and finally grown out of video games.

For me, video games have been a way of life ever since I was 3 years old.  It all started with the intellivision back in 1982.  That one console spawned a love of video games that continues to this day.  While normal kids have memories of playing catch with their dads, I have memories of us playing Utopia together.  My childhood was centered around games and our family game night often included sitting around the TV playing Nintendo.  My mother, brother and I even played co-op through Secret of Mana (we rented it every week until we actually beat the game).  I don't assume I had a normal childhood, but I did have an enjoyable one that I wouldn't trade for anything else.

In highschool and college, I still played video games.  It was more of something I'd do between homework and it had less of an impact on my life.  But every now and then a game would come along and just consume me.  Final Fantasy 7 was the reason my grades were so low in the fall of 1997. Everquest in college started a MMO addiction that ended in WoW.  I would often go through periods of my life where I wouldn't play as much.  These periods usually occured the same time as other factors of my life were more important...dating, socializing, school.. etc. But still, like an old friend, I'd come running back to games as a way to escape the stressful reality.  I went to college, pledged a fraternity, met my wife, and did my homework.  I still played games through all of those life defining moments.

Now, I'm 29 years old and I have been playing video games for the majority of my life.  I have been married for 5 years and have a 2 year old daughter and still I play games.  Life, I believe has a pattern and is cyclical in nature. So, I am still playing video games and once again, I am finding their hold over me to be fading.  However, this time it is different.  There isn't a life definiing moment to take my attention away.  It is as if games today are just not as exciting to me as the games of my youth.  I look at all the AAA titles released this year and I simply have no interest to many of them.  Of the AAA titles released this year, I played Fallout 3 and GTA 4.  Both games are follow ups of my favorite games when I was younger.  There are very little "new" game franchises that are exciting to me.

I still play games in my spare time, when I get some.  My old friend is still there to distract me from the stress of reality; but it has less hold of me anymore.  Mostly because there's rarely any new games that I am interested in.  Look at Gears 2 for example.  It's got good action, good graphics, good story; basically everything I would and should love; but I'm indifferent.  I'm in a unique position to question my life with video games and I'm afraid I don't know the answer. 

Am I just growing out of video games?  Am I "too old for this shit"?  I honestly don't think so.  I just got a collection of point-and-click adventures that are far more interesting to me than the of  latest graphical marvels released today.  Or maybe games in general are getting too stale, repetive, and generic.  I've discovered a love for older PC games, a genre that I neglected when I grew up.  Games like Full Throttle, Monkey Island, and Broken Sword are the gems of my collection.  Maybe I am just trying to relive the memories of my childhood by playing these games.  I don't know. 

There is one thing I know for sure.  Video games have always been a part of my life and I will make sure they will be a part of my child's life.  I look foward to sitting down and playing whatever Nintendo (probably) game with my daughter and letting her have the same fond memories as I had.  But I don't see myself buying a new gaming system after this current generation.  I might get a PS3 when the PS4 comes out.  But for the most part, I'd be getting games and systems for my kids and not for me.  I guess in the end, I would've turned into my father and finally grown out of video games.

I don't think you outgrew them per se... they just moved beyond your personal taste, and what you consider to be the essential ingredients of a great game (at the moment). Maybe you just need a break from them for a while.  Something tells me that the fire that video games lit inside of you as a kid, will return in due time.

My wife went through this phase as games changed from 2D side-scrolling, to go anywhere do anything 3D worlds. It became tougher to find games that resemble Super Mario 3, but they do exist... especially on the DS.  Our gaming life is back in balance now :-)

If your daughter travels down the path of a gamer -- and as the years pass -- you could very well be drawn back to the hobby by virtue of watching her play them. And thus, the cycle continues.

Wow what a graceful read ! , well you might be right , getting married and having a beautiful child is so elegant that may have affected your taste .  many of the gamers (NOT All ) love and adore Video games so much becasue they want to escape the reality , maybe your reality is not that bad after all considering your family and everything , maybe you'd rather to spend your spare time talking with your child and wife rather than unlocking an achievement . 
if you find your reality desirable or at least not so stressful then you gotta be very happy  . 

Maybe you arent outgrowing video games, it's just that you need a break? Take some time off, enjoy life...games will always be there whenever you feel like playing them.

Looking back at my previous blogs, I came across this one I posted back in 2008.  Amazingly, I am still questioning gaming in my life.  My latest blog touched on a few of these issues, especially the differences between this age of gaming and 1995-2001.   
 
I figure the solution to my question is getting into PC gaming.  That way, I can replay all the PC classics from when I was a kid through Gog.com, and focus on one or two titles at a time on a system that is not attached to the TV.  It seems that gaming at a slower pace and quality over quantity might be the answer.  I just need to get that monster of a gaming rig that will last me for the next few years.

This is an interesting post.  My wife and I are expecting or first child and I am curious as to what my gaming habit will change to once our child arrives. 
 
@TekZero said:

 It seems that gaming at a slower pace and quality over quantity might be the answer.