I'm just a couple of years younger than you, but I still enjoy gaming. I don't play everyday nor do I feel compelled to since I don't define myself solely by my enthusiasm for video games. Conversely, I don't feel any guilt over the time I do spend gaming. This is entertainment and, yes I could be doing something better with my free time, but who am I kidding? If I wasn't gaming, I'd be doing something else equally valueless to society. It doesn't matter though because I've never walked out of movie and wondered if I my time would have been better spent elsewhere. Entertainment is selfish and that's okay. If you don't feel like it anymore that's perfectly fine, too. People change overtime. It doesn't have anything to do with growing up, because there is no correct path appropriate for everyone equally. It's preposterous to believe that you reach a certain age and specific forms of entertainment are no longer available to you. If you want to play games, then game on. If you'd rather go play a round of golf, then go do that. If you want to grind some rails on your son's skateboard, well...don't break a hip.
Games are like books, movies or music. There's all sorts of types, genre and platforms to game on. You don't hear people say I'm too old to watch movies or listen to music. So why should anyone be too old to play games? Not counting physical ability and responsibility towards family and work, I'll game till I'm sick of it or I can't hold a controller anymore.
@Clandestine1966: I get that feeling (I'm 30) that I can be doing anything more productive than playing games; writing, recording music, exercising, etc. I think playing games can still be done in moderation though.
I typically just spend one night out of my week (Fridays) and play games all night while my wife goes out with friends and such. The rest of the week, I devote to other things. It's nice to have just one day a week to relax and have a little fun.
Gaming is good for aging, it keeps the mind active. If you do the motion control thing, it's great exercise for those who really have a hard time getting around.
there is never an old age to stop playing video games. i plan on playing video games until i die. yep, your going to be hearing me yell damn kids.
i sometimes think that adults are more immature online than a few other kids are- black ops heard a guy yell to a kid shut the fuck up , i am old enough to be your father. got me thinking some people are more immature than kids.
I'm close to crossing into the 30's, and I've noticed that my gaming habits have changed a lot in the last couple of years.
Gaming isn't a big priority anymore, and I'm a lot more selective about which games I actually care to spend time with. There are maybe two or something games each year which I actually do bother playing through, but I still really enjoy it once I play.
I don't think you'll grow out of gaming, but it becomes just one of several things to fill your free time with.
I think it's all a matter of current priorities. If you have a job and a family that keeps you busy, chances are those will be more important than sitting down and playing a video game. That's not to say there aren't people out there who feel all three of those things are priorities, but I think people losing interest in completing games as other things take up more of their time is fairly common. To give an example, my father was into gaming as a young adult, having bought an Atari, Commodore 64, and Intellivision (all of which I got to play at an incredibly early age), but as I and my brother grew, games fell off of his radar as he was busy with work and raising us (he'd often show an interest in watching us play, but never cared to play himself no matter how much we asked). But now that we're both adults ourselves, and he's retired, he's gotten back into gaming quite heavily, playing nearly every RPG I throw at him like Dragon Age, Skyrim, Fable 3, Mass Effect, Final Fantasy XIII, etc.
Hell, even my mother, also now in her 60s, has begun taking an interest in casual games like Bejeweled, Peggle, etc. and she was never really interested in gaming in the past at all.
@Clandestine1966: At 36 I've been going through the worst slump I can recall to date.
I mean I've gone through longer periods of playing less games when I had other things I've wanted to do, but I've never gone through such a long period where I want to play a game but can't get myself interested anything. It's been months of popping things in and out trying to find something to dig it's claws into me. Skyrim came close, I spent a number of nights playing it for hours on end but considering what that game should've done to me I can barely count it. Everything else (and the list is long) has been in and out.
I currently attribute it to how close my three year old's bedroom is to my gaming area, I'm nervous about him lying in bed listening to hours of Dead Space 2 dismemberment shreeks - and headphones mean I can't hear if he gets up behind me to watch. Either it's too violent, too vulgar, or it looks too fun and he gets upset that dad's having fun while he has to go to boring bed. I'm telling myself that the passion will come back when I finish the basement (hopefully by the end of summer...ish) and move my gaming area to the opposite end of the house, but there is still part of me that wonders if this really is the full extent of the problem.
On the brightside, Assassin's Creed Revelations has had me by the sack for the last week or so. Not enough for me to declare victory, and it might be just because it's such a quiet, subdued game, but it's something.
Do you get that same "I should be doing something more important" feeling when you're watching TV or a movie, or anything entertaining for that matter? it's all under the same lines of "stuff you do when you could be doing more important things" Maybe it's more of a loss of interest in playing more than feeling like you're wasting your time. I play games in lieu of watching TV or movies or other entertaining things, and still put in my 40+ hours at work and take care of my house work and other duties. I feel like I'll always look at gaming in that capacity. My great grandfather listened to the radio, my grandfather watches tv, my dad is streaming through netflix, and I'll be playing video games until well after I'm retired. It's just another formo f entertainment. If you're pulling away from it, then that's fine. Gravitate towards whatever entertainment floats your boat.
You're never too old. But how you prioritize games in your life will change depending on your job, family, etc. If I have the free time I don't feel ashamed about playing games all day, because it's something I love to do. I remember times during college when I was so swamped with work, I didn't have the time or the mental focus I needed to sit down with a game, and I might not play games for a month, because I couldn't split my energies that way. I'd read instead. Then I'd pick back up when there was less required of me every day.
When are you too old for music or movies? Never ever...I pledge to be the 80 year old with the state of the art home theater and game setup. My grandchildren will love me.
I like many of the replies in this thread - "never," "1 day after I die," and "when are you too old to do something you like?" Keep doing what makes you smile.
Actually one of my biggest fears is that i'm going to get arthritis in my hands and fingers when I'm older. I just hope that publishers/developers continue to really push and explore their accessibility options for people who are unable to use traditional controllers.
No such thing as "too old." It's simply a matter of whenever you stop enjoying it as much as something else you'd rather spend your time doing. If you feel that video games are the most enjoyable way to spend your time, you're good. Obviously obligations may get in the way but then it's a matter of the comparisons being relative to your free time.
@clandestine1966 Just dropping by to say, i don't think there is ever a cut off age but i do often find myself in the same problem. I've just learnt to respect my free time, if thats doing Assassins Creed for just an hour and not touching it for 2 months thats fine. Personally i work as a software engineer so always get that "I should be doing freelance" vibe whenever i boot up a game, now i've learnt to be like. Nah chill but i guess its what suits you!
Also that rework of the GB podcast theme is awesome stuff, very west coooooooooast 90's vibes!
Actually one of my biggest fears is that i'm going to get arthritis in my hands and fingers when I'm older. I just hope that publishers/developers continue to really push and explore their accessibility options for people who are unable to use traditional controllers.
This is a video from an older lady who has a hand condition (not just arthritis) and she explains how it limits her.
Loading Video...
The truth is that none of us are going to be great at twitchy games as we get older not just because of potential hand pain but because of slowed reflexes and eyesight etc... It will eventually limit some of the games we can play (and it's one of the reasons that the "git gud" mantra is so frustrating; it's incredibly ableist.) But unless you really become seriously disabled there will always be a large number of games you can play, especially if you enjoy turn based games.
This woman doesn't only play RPGs, but they are by far her favorite genre and so her condition doesn't limit her that much even though it does reduce the flexibility of her hands.
I do think that developers need to get better at accessibility. The new Ghost and Goblins is a terrible example. If you play on the easiest difficulty you can't see the whole game. Funk that noise. It's a garbage design decision. It's fine to have special rewards for completing the game at the highest difficulty (though really I think that if you need to reward people to play your game at a high difficulty then it's not as inherently enjoyable as it should be) but to gate off a big chunk of the game just sucks. People with disabilities are paying customers too!
He used to play stuff like Zelda and other adventure games but they got to be too complex. So I don't think it's that you get too old for games, you just change the types of games you play.
Like you said you have a problem playing games through, heck I'm 30 and I already have a hard time with that haha, but just finding shorter or not story oriented games you enjoy could be a good direction.
I go through periods where I don't play games for a bit and do something else but at 30 (still fairly young) I still look forward to playing games I'm interested in and play to completion long AAA stuff. I don't plan on having kids so maybe I'll always have pockets of time to enjoy that stuff, maybe not.
Log in to comment