how old is too old for gaming?

I think it's really close-minded to refer to things that aren't gaming as "bigger [and] better." Statements like that impose your values on others. I hold down two jobs, pay rent, and just bought a brand new car--I play games to relax after a long day of the real world. People physically NEED downtime; your choice of downtime activity might not be the same as mine, but that doesn't mean they can't both be valid

 

First played games at age of 7 with alleycat, battlezone and 4 other games on a 5 1/4 inch diskette (frankly if any of the younger forum readers know what those are I would be very impressed). Now have a job and saving up for a gaming laptop and little has changed over the last 15+ years. I've grown up with video games and will likely die retaining my connection.

If players decide to go for human relationships that's their choice, it's not my problem and I don't care since being single means absolute freedom with your time (in my case, reading up and dreaming about games).

 

I'm 35 years old tomorrow (eek!) !!!

Played games since I was oh, probably six years old, starting with Pong, Atari 2600, Intellivision, Radio Shack MC-10 "personal" computer (4KB RAM - LOL), Color Computer 1 & 2, Amiga 500, then on to PC games. Had a good 10 year love affair with combat flight sims when they were popular (Jane's for example) and still do.

I expect to be gaming forever as far as I can tell. I thought ten years ago I was too old, but now I realize ten years later, I still have a passion for it. Maybe not the same games, but still gaming.

In addition to constantly building and updating my PC for gaming, I own a PS2 and X360 which get much less use, but still get used nevertheless.

Gaming isn't what it used to be. It's a "mainstream" hobby that anyone of any age can enjoy, especially PC games with their vast variety of game genres. I may not have the twitch reaction I used to, but RTS, flight sims, and RPG games are still quite playable. I play FPS games too, just less frequently online.

Wife doesn't care that I play. Better I'm within her reach / sight than sitting at the bar. I can't complain.

I play less than I used to. I do tend to still make time for it though, as it is a way to escape from the hustle/bustle of reality. My job is very stressful, and shooting aliens, nazis, or wresting with the hand of Nod helps me escape the high stress of real life - and better than resorting to drinking, which I did too much of in the past.

 

Never... Play til my hands are and feet are worn out.

 

My brother and I started with Pong, owned just about every console since then and graduated to PC's when they came out. (Haven't ventured back to the consoles yet, though a 360 has caught my eye more than once, ended up with the Sager instead) We both game actively and I can't really see that changing anytime soon although real life demands do take up more time than I like.
Age 42

 

lol WoW was good back in the day (had a 60 decked out mage before i quit) , until i started to make Cs and Ds...so i quit and switched to less time intensive games like RTSs

 

About this "your never too old" stuff, I'm going to have to disagree (with practically everyone so far unfortunately ). Notice how everyone who was that old had to add something like "but of course im married to a supermodel etc...", well not really but 90% of you had to mention something. Now im going to ask, why did you have to add that extra snip-it? Did you think we would have had negative thoughts if you didn't? Are you trying to justify gaming just because you have other necessities of life?

Heres what I think. If after a certain age, say 24+, gaming doesn't start to get boring to you or its always in the back of your mind then something is wrong. Mind you its not painstakingly wrong like "im addicted to meth" wrong, but in some ways it is a little wierd and definitely is not the norm (i.e. bring gaming up at a 30+ year old high school reunion party). You should be focusing on other parts of your life and if your doing that correctly you shouldn't have time for or even think about gaming.

Thats my thoughts on it (I'm 18, summer-time gamer).

 

just because you're old doesn't mean games are all of a sudden a teen/young people thing. they're there to take your mind off of things. and if you're 18 how can you say anything about how 30+year olds should live their life?? i have 4 brother in laws who are all over 30 and all doctors and they still game like the whoaness. all are happily married and bring up gaming as needed.

point is...if you're old or young or just popped out the womb...if you like games then play...just don't let it ruin your life but relax and have fun.

 

To those of you that think gaming is a bad thing as you age, can you explain why? What are "okay" pastimes as you age? What makes gaming different from reading forums? Are video games worse than, say, board games?

These are serious questions--I really don't understand the thought process. In general, people feel the need to say that they also lead productive lives in addition to gaming because of the stereotypes that people hold, not because they are justifying their gaming habits to themselves.

 

Aww you took my age, labeled me, and automatically assumed I thought gaming was for teens/young people only. How...expected.
(way off on your analysis btw).

 

so no explanation? i think gaming later on in life (25+) is alright, as long as you are capable of doing otherthings. a 16 year old game addict is one thing, but a 35 year old game addict is another.

 

Some who last this long get seasoned; others just get sour.

 

ummm wrong...im 19 and what i said was to not judge beyond your age as you haven't been there. your intellectual cognitive skills need refreshing there bud...

 

I think the problem is that video games are more associated with kids and child-like behavior. It started with kids, didn't it? This generation played them as kids and the generation still plays them. People who ARE NOT gamers view it as a waste of time and a kiddie thing to do.

Tell me you can't look at a 43 year old man playing Mario or an 18 year old watching Sesame Street and think it's just ... odd.

 

ok, then what about a 40 year old playing hearts of iron, or something like that.

 

Then there's the 85 year old who just drools.

 

I'm in my 40's & additcted to strategy games. Tell her to kiss your soon-to-be-wrinkled behind.

 

I see no correlation . . .

Honestly, I think to a large extent gaming is becoming part of our popular culture. My boyfriend and I were talking about this tonight after some sitcom mentioned Guitar Hero. What USED to be the pastime of teens and the unemployed is now becoming almost mainstream. I would say the people who consider gaming harmful are quickly becoming the minority.

 

forgive me but what is hearts of iron?

 

It's a wargame, no kid off the street can pick it up and play straight away because the learning curve is steep. Never played it myself, but I've heard it of it and know a rough outline.

 

Seriously, i personally have no problem with the age for gaming, as long as you're aware that your job, family, friends and *** is more important than gaming. Its fine.

 

What's the difference between playing poker on a Saturday night until 3 am with a group of friends and getting on line and slagging a bunch of aliens or kicking the crap out of another clan?

There are times when I work 12 hours or more straight and it's relaxing to come home and kick alien butt for an hour or even do a timewaster like Bejeweled or Chains.

As I and many other here have said, it's a matter of balance and proportion. If games or drinking or gambling or tv watching or work take over too much of your life, then you have a problem.

Otherwise Laissez les bons temps rouler mes ami!:wink:

And BTW, Sesame Street is better TV than a lot of what's on.

This has become an intense thread. Philosophy on a notebook forum, who woulda thunk it? I think it's great. Keep it up.

 

How can you not see a correlation?

 

Games are here to stay and like many other things it's not going to be the age which will decide when you are done but the prefference and choice.

Sure most of us will play in future but there are more important thing than games.

 

Well I read through this whole thread so far, and a lot of interesting points were brought up. I may or may not directly respond or be talking about something, but I'm going to lay it all out like I feel.

First off how, How old is too old to do anything? Should I stop reading books because I am too old, should I stop watching movies, should I stop listening to music? Gaming is simply another medium through which we can enjoy ourselves, it may be more interactive, but not more so than sports or someone who really gets into movies or books.

Secondly, there was some talk about "Real Life" and "Fantasy Worlds", what does that even mean? Everything you do is real life, unless you consider yourself as existing outside the normal constraints of our dimension while you play something. Is it truly wrong if I find gaming more important than my job, if I still continue to go to work and do it? No more so then those people who have bumper stickers about fishing five days a week and working two.


You age does not determine much of anything, except for what laws you are bound by and how much experience you may have in something. Someone like myself who is twenty, can in theory and in practice be more mature, and more experienced, than someone who is forty. Not saying I am, simply that is possible, and does exist.


The limit is not your age, but your mind, your self control, your environment, so on and so forth. If you feel you are too old to game for six hours in a day, then you are. If you think you are just fine with gaming for six hours, and you can within whatever other time constraints you have, then do so. It's not about age, it's about who you are and what you think.

Video Games specifically were not created by children. Just as most board games were not.

 

That sounds like people who just don't understand the medium. In 20 years that would sound as silly as someone saying "You're too old to read books" or "you're too old to watch TV".

They just don't understand that it's (at least as) valid a medium as any other.

I'm 30, and obviously won't ever quit playing games. On top of being one of the most fun mediums around IMO, they've also proven in scientific studies that gaming helps prevent/reverse brain deterioration, so it's actually MORE important to keep playing, especially the older you get (since games require more brain power than passive mediums like reading, watching movies, etc.)

 

I could just as easily say that a young person should be out riding a bicycle, playing baseball, football, or some other activity. You may in fact have other activities, I don't know. Either way, if someone of any age wants to game and it does not negatively impact their life/family/work, they should go for it.

I have friends that game some, and I talk about it with them. I have other friends that do not; thus I do not talk about games with them. I have friends that I discuss politics with; others I do not. It depends on their/my interests.

If you enjoy games at age 18, you will likely enjoy them at 28, 38, 48, etc. Whether you have time for them depends on each individuals situation. I used to eat tons of ice cream; now I eat less.

I respect your opinion, but personally I think it is a bit off base.

 

I know your relatively new to this forum so you might not have known but we don't insult other people's intelligence around here (i.e. go through kernalpanic's entire post list for an idea). Telling someone their intellectual skills need refreshing "bud" is downright insulting, I'm not even going to defend myself here because I don't care what you think. Just saying to not go around the forum doing that because it makes you look incompetent.

Where are the negative reputations when I need them.

edit: OK, it seems most people interpreted my post as gaming being for those of a younger generation only, I didn't mean it to come across that way. I was more trying to refer to the length of time you have been gaming overall. The general consensus so far has been that gaming is a way to relieve stress/escape everyday life or just because its fun. I personally can relate to this, and have to agree that games are great in that aspect. With the internet revolution and recently voice over IP, games can even be considered social to a certain extent. Many of the old school gamers have grown up with this and experienced it much longer than say I have. Also you guys seem to be well-established and have accomplished many goals in life. I first tried to subtely get my point across by asking why you needed to tell us about your personal lives also, which I got one good answer to: "because of stereotypes". Ill go into more detail on that one when you guys provide a few more answers as it will prove to be quite interesting I think.

The later part of my quote people wanted to focus most heavily on and here is where I will go into more detail on the length of time different generations have been gaming overall. At a young age, say <20, most teens/pre-teens have little financial base & enough free-time on their hands to game ontop of their sporting, schooling, and other hobbies. As time moves on, >24, you are trying to find a career, start a family, and really start focusing on your life. By that time you've already spent much more time than the younger generations on games and it needs to start feeling a little boring/repetitive. Again , its not a major problem but if it is preventing you from experiencing new things in anyway it is a problem; "'Insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting the different results'". This may seem like I'm implying that games are only for young people but what im really trying to say is that when you have started at a young age and feel compelled to keep up with new games at an older age, even though you may have a perfect life, then that is what I believe is too old for gaming

 

I love how the 18-yr-old knows everything about being 30 and what is "weird" or "wrong" at that point.

I gotta ask...
Where does this sage advice come from?
Truly, what source did you pull this magical tidbit of eternal wisdom from?

Oh and while I did not go to my reunions, we frequently talk at work around the watercooler and at lunch (IT department) about games. We have ages 22-50+ in our department...

Certainly there is a time to concentrate on other things...
If you grades are failing or you cannot keep up in school, obviously refocusing is a good plan. However, if you can keep everything in check and can balance everything... (hint... 30 years of life give you plenty of opportunity to make plenty of mistakes and to learn balance) Go for whatever makes you happy.

Oh, and junior... lose the psych analysis on everyone else. Sometimes a rose is just a rose and not a trick. People are just giving their take on the OP's question, and they have no reason to justify anything to anyone. It's just simple advice.

 

I'm completely baffled. Why would someone think their interests would suddenly change after 24?

link1313, you have it backwards. If you suddenly DON'T like playing games there's something wrong. Why would they magically get boring after you hit a certain age? Are you planning on sequestering yourself in a room and quitting all forms of entertainment?

I'm being silly, but seriously, where does an idea like that come from? People's tastes can change, but not THAT much, and normally changing tastes would just mean you prefer a different TYPE of game or movie or book or whatever...but by and large people are going to like roughly the same types of entertainment at any age.

I mean heck, I basically like the exact same type of stuff as I did when I was 7. Granted I have much more experience so need better quality stuff to be impressed, and I can take much more mature content, but aside from that the 7 year old me wouldn't be remotely surprised at what the 30 year old me likes. Exact same types of books, movies, games, etc.

Some kind of drastic personality change would indicate the problem, NOT continuing to enjoy the same things! (And regarding needing better quality content-the great thing is content HAS gotten better by and large. I think there are TV shows that are 10x better than anything from 20 years ago-MUCH better writing and more creativity, games have improved just by virtue of improving technology, among other things, etc.)

 

If you asked that question to me a few years ago, I would say that anything above 25 is too old... it felt weird playing with someone that could be your dad.

Nowadays the game industry is built to appeal to a wider age group and to females as well, so it can never be too old I guess.

I'm currently in a BF2 clan and there is a guy that is 40 years old.

 

I did not go to my 30th high school reunion party... I was playing F.E.A.R.
At 18 years of age I did not have the opportunity to be a summer time gamer.
I am making up for that it now!

As for focusing on the other parts of life... relaxing is one of those things.

 

About me being only 18 and saying I'm uninformed is just absurd, I get my information from living through others. Its like a crack addict saying "you don't know what its like", ok so I have to become a crack addict before my opinion about it being a poor life choice becomes valid all of a sudden? An excuse like that instead of an actual response makes me sick.

Drop the psych analysis?
a) Im in no-way related to the field of psychology.
b) I wasn't trying to analyze anyone in particular, I was generalizing.

You completely contradicted yourself in the last paragraph; first you tell me to lose the psych analysis on everyone else and then you say people are just giving their take on the OP's question....I WAS GIVING MY TAKE ON THE OP'S QUESTION. Just because its not the same as yours doesn't mean I should stop expressing my opinion, this is the third time now i've had to address a contradiction you've made that doesn't make sense.

 

Link, you seriously need to calm down. There's no need to go into hysterics over this.

Personally I think video games are a part of this generation, and I'm sure that I'll still be playing games until I go old and wobbly.

 

just turned 21, although I admit less to people that i play counterstrike i do feel that im too old to be playing

 

Because Sesame Street is created to appeal to the intellect of young children. Video games are made to appeal to all age groups. An 18 year old watching Sesame Street isn't learning anything, but a 40 year old playing strategy games is exercising critical and logical reasoning.

Honestly, I'm not trying to argue--I want to understand this mindset that gaming is "wrong" and other activities are "better." I might think a 60 year old man has no business on a dirt bike, but I respect his decision to ride one and am not going to pass judgement on him for making that choice.

 

Older people who didn't grow up with games I can understand how they can't accept that they're just like any other medium. But people in their teens and 20s thinking that? I don't get that at all.

Well, I forbid all of you who think that from watching TV, movies, or reading books too, because you're all too old for that

 

Professional Gamers retire at the age of 23/24... but who says we're supposed to?

 

I think your first post had a condescending tone that apparently wasn't intended but still was taken as insulting by several people, including myself. I didn't need you to post your age to know that it came from someone younger as it reminded me a lot of myself when I was younger. Regardless of your intention, what I took from your original message was that there's something wrong with you if you're older than 25 and still interested in gaming. You've already stated that you can now see why this could and most likely would be taken the wrong way, so... lesson learned. Let's move on.

I see console gaming as mainstream at this point. I tend to judge social acceptability by how many dates you'd lose because of it. Funny, I know, but it seems the easiest and most relateable measuring stick. For instance, you're not going to lose any dates or turn off any women if they find out you like to play Madden with your buddies. A lot of women would prefer to play Guitar Hero with you. If you were obsessed and played Halo 3 thirty hours a week.. that might run some women off. PC gaming, in my opinion, still has a "nerdy" social stigma attached to it, although not nearly as much as even a few years ago. As usual, it depends on moderation. Still, pretty much all of my buddies play 360 on a regular basis but I'm the only one I know that games on a PC as well. There's a little bit of a hypocritical unfairness to how gaming is viewed between console and PCs.

For me, I have an addictive personality and I found myself addicted to gaming during my late teen years. I've learned the hard way how to literally prioritize a ruleset for what I can and can't do. For instance, I now will never pass up on a social activity to play a game (other than Madden with the fellas... I consider that socializing).

At 25, my priorities beyond work:

1) Friends / Girlfriend
2) Doing anything outdoors while it's nice out
3) Split between gaming and playing music (guitar, drums, etc) or other hobbies but all of these hobbies are of equal priority

As long as I stick to this priority list, gaming won't get out of hand. When I end up with some kids, I probably won't have as much time for hobbies, but the order of my priorities will stay the same with the exception of kids being #1 and everything else shifted down a notch. Although i'll have less time for it, gaming will still be one of my preferred hobbies regardless of my age.

 

Well,
I'm about to be 30.
With kids and work... playing online games with friends is my me time!

Also for those older people that play online.
Please check out.
www.2old2play.com
People over 25 that like to play games.

 

You, a person with no experience whatsoever in the topic at hand (30-yr-olds and gaming), are contradicting elders who have experience in that field.
When asked where you got your info, you responded with "I live through others".
Do I have to explain why your logic is flawed or can you put it together yourself?

If I use your example above, it would be like 3-4 crack addicts coming and saying how horrible being a crack addict was and then you coming in and saying you aren't a crack addict, but that being so is a wonderful experience...

I shouldn't even bother, but in order to teach you some logical thinking skills I'll indulge you...

You seemed to imply everyone has an agenda and needs to "justify everything".
I assumed you knew more than you do and that you were arguing something that you either don't know about or didn't follow-through with here. More than likely you simply repeated jargon you don't necessarily understand in this context. This isn't your fault... I overestimated you.

-Your take on the OP's question is not backed in anything... or at least you haven't bothered to back it up.
-Mine is backed in life experience as is the majority of the other responses which are similar. -Some of the responses are not backed in life experience, but do not contradict those responses.

Your response contradicted the majority and seeing that it was unhealthy to leave you to your illusions and allow you to push old stereotypes furthur, I called your bluff. Knowing your age I manipulated a predictable response from you proving my point.

Quite frankly and simply...
I called your bluff while you were quite literally speaking from the wrong orifice.

 

Chaz can you like ban or warn kernalpanic or something, i've told him numerous times not to yet he still insults people's intelligence in his posts...others have told him the same also.

On a side note ill respond to one part of his thread;

Yes, I would like you to explain how my logic is flawed. I'll give an example of what I mean. I may have never physically built a bridge for example, but I have learned how to from professors that have, does this mean that my logic on how to build a bridge is flawed just because i've never actually done it? (or in this case because i've never been 30)?

HOW is that ANYTHING like my example?

 

Link you are the biggest whiner in the world.

 

wow just cause your older you claim you have had your fair share more of life experiences....so what..i dont doubt you have, but his opinion is his opinion and leave it at that, he wasnt telling anyone to stop gaming or dont do this or dont do that.

and because he is 18 you automatically assume he knows nothing about life experiences(im sure youve had more), and your implying your smarter than him for this reason.

and maybe thats how he functions. maybe he likes to have things "justified". your attacking the way he interprets things, and insulting his intelligence YET AGAIN, as you frequently seem to do.

@cthulhu, im not sure what sort of accomplishment you were hoping to achieve by throwing in your jab, maybe i can bake you a cake or send you a cookie in the mail.

also as i said before i believe that there shouldnt be an age limit for something you like to do.

 

Coming back to the topic.... i don't think that there is any age limit...

 

I think everyone just needs to take a break and play a game :laugh:

I personally don't think that anyone can really live vicariously through someone else to understand an experience (such as being older); it's not like learning how to do statistics or whatever. That is not the point. Link is entitled to his own opinion; even if he disagrees with me...lol...really JK!

Let's everyone just kiss and make up. State your opinion, disagree with others; but just stop the madness!

 

From my point of view video games is just the format of the moment. My generation was the first to have them so it is a big part of who my generation is. It's also why most of the "older gamers" are at or near their 40's and not too many posts past that age. For my parents it was cards and board games. They have very little interest in video games because it was not apart of their upbringing, but they play cards and board games with their friends all the time.
If you take a step back and look at history people of all ages have been competing in games of one form or another. It's in our nature, we are competitive creatures and always have been. And I got good news for all the teens out there, you really don't feel any different at age 40 than you do at 18. (at least I don't) I'm not talking physical here but more how you look at life and those things that you enjoyed in your youth. You still enjoy them just as much. And I also agree with other posters that there has to be a balance in your life.

 

I'm going to say it again, because I think it's kind of important. Well I'm going to say more actually.


Everyone is human, and entitled to opinion or not, our humanity puts limitations on us that we may or may not be aware of. It differs obviously from your locale, to the people around, your language, so on and so forth. Using Age as any sort of measure beyond a very early point in life, is foolish.

Less than a hundred years ago, when you were 50, you were old. Today, at 50, you can't even join the AARP. When 300 Spartans held the Hot Gates, old was 40. When you got a wife by knocking her out with a club, old was 30. It's estimated that my children, MY CHILDREN, will live up to ten years longer than I will. I'm only twenty, my estimated healthy life span is about 75, of course due to my family history, I will probably live longer unless I really **** up.


Age changes dramatically in time, at first it began slowly, but now with advances, advances that continue to be made every single day in every aspect, people are living longer, people are living healthier, even when they are unhealthier. People who in past may have become blind, can see still. Age, is almost entirely unimportant. When you are younger, and depending on how and where you are brought up, it can have a larger or smaller impact, but in general at the end of life, it doesn't matter. The belief that it seriously does, is old. You see that? It's old. It's still around isn't it?


Maybe no one understands me, maybe everyone does. The important statement here is, is that your boundries, are created mostly by you. If you think it's wrong, it's wrong for you, don't force it on others. If you think it's right, it's right for you. We are all humans, and as humans we have our limits, but our limits are our own.

 

what's the big deal.. if you find them entertaining then play em! I see no difference in playing a game to watching a movie. There are intellectual games out there if that's what you're after but for me I just enjoy switching off every now and then to a few laps on DiRT or spend an hour or so to add to my list of 50 ways to leave your Lara (as in Croft not Brian).. ahem sorry.. bad play on words... (see Simon and Garfunkels discography if you don't get it!) . anyway.. for those who want think they are more mature/intellectual/grown-up/etc by not playing games then cool beans to you.. it's a free country.. it's just a form of entertainment, like TV or films.. I'd rather play a game than be stuck in front of the box watching some mindless soap opera.

 

i'll second that...this thread shouldn't even be here...pointless. if ya wanna play then play, if you don't then don't...simple as that