how old is too old for gaming?

Q: How old is too old for gaming?
A: Never.

Q: How old is too old to admit to women that you game?
A1: Married? Never.
A2: Not married? 20.
A3: Female? Never, unless you're talking about it to non-gaming females in which case you can never, ever admit to gaming.

Q: How old is too old to admit to men you game?
A: 24, unless you retro-game which is always cool.

After a certain age, depending on who you're talking to, it's just kind of weird and sad to talk about gaming. There is a juvenile stigma attached to it that just doesn't help you out in the "real world".

Think of it like Heavy Metal. No 35 year old is going to get to a meeting at work early and wax poetic about the new 3 Inches of Blood CD and expect to be taken seriously. Same thing for me and QW:ET. Yet for some reason there are equally childish/geeky pastimes (wine, pro-sports, Dave Mathews), that are not only accepted, but integral parts of adult interactions.

Why is it more acceptable to talk to my peers about how the Seahawks are doing instead of how my clan is doing? I don't know, but it is. There's just built-in prejudices as to what is acceptable, and gaming hasn't made the cut yet. It's still relegated to "nerds" or teenagers along with Horror Movies, piercings, pro-wrestling etc. I give it another 5 years before gaming breaks into the big leagues and becomes a topic more acceptable for conversation than not.

 

maybe you'll stop playing when you have eye problems ...

 

you get specs then.

 

When you are part of a "community" dedicated to something, that's when it becomes sad.

There's a big, big difference between someone who plays games now and then and someone who uses, "gamer" to identify themselves.

 

As long as your interested play the games,I don't think there should be an age when you say I'm to old for this.

 

As this is your "girlfriend", I would say she is saying spend time with me and not with the computer.

I do not think it is an age but a time priority issue.

 

I think I understand your sentiment, but I disagree about it being pointless. I think it may have caused a few of us to exercise our grey matter which is never a bad thing.

We may not solve anything here, but we're having a fairly good time doing it.

 

so i'm guessing that i wont be getting theorists new sager since everyone's saying it's never too old newwwwwwwwwwwwwoooooooo

 

Too old for gaming?!? NEVER!!

I'm going to be 23 soon and I feel like I'm just hitting my gaming stride now. Although I'm out of school where I would game 2-3 hours per day, I still get my video games in at least an hour a day.

And as for women, I have had a gf for 4 years, but she knows I love video games and I think if any woman tries to take it away from you then you need to find yourself a new one. I have my time to game and my time to spend with her and she understands that. GAME ON!

 

I am 29. I played a lot of games when I was around 20 (college years, u know), but find myself playing a lot less in the past 2-3 years, the only game that I've played in the last 6 months was Neverwinter Nights 2 (and its expansion pack that I just started playing a few days ago). I usually only play SLGs or RPGs, so maybe it's just because there aren't as many good RPG/SLGs as it was 5-10 years ago (I don't count those MMORPGs as RPGs).
BTW, my wife likes to play RPGs too. She likes Baldur's gate series, Icewind dale series, neverwinter nights 2 (Yah, I know, she's a Blackisle/Obsidian fan just like me). So who says that games are only for guys.
oh, I guess I will give starcraft 2 a try when it comes out.

 

wow, i love how this thread just exploded, it was made like 2 days ago (or something) and its already got like 12 pages, this has got to be the quickest spreading thread i ever seen! :O

(congrats OP )

 

I find this extremely offensive. What's wrong with identifying oneself as a "gamer?" It's just like saying, "I'm a musician," or "I'm a car enthusiast." It is neither MORE nor LESS valid than any other term one uses to identify oneself. To single someone out in a thread like this and say he is "sad" because his hobby is not your hobby is completely out of line. Open your mind a little bit and try to be more accepting of others that have beliefs that are different than yours (notice that I said "different"--not "better" or "worse"). Life would be really boring if everyone was just like you.

 

To a certain extent, I agree. However you have to admit that if you primarily identify yourself as "a gamer", a label that connotes no intrinsic social or racial value, it doesn't say anything very good about your life. A hobby is one thing, but identifying yourself based on a hobby rather than family, friends, or career can be a little sad, I'll admit.

 

LOL. Social and racial value? What are you talking about man.

 

"identifying yourself based on a hobby rather than family, friends, or career can be a little sad, I'll admit."

not to be nitpicky.. actually ok if I'm being nitpicky I'm me I'm not my career, who I am at work isn't exactly who I would like to be seen/known as, sad but true but that's the design/publishing world for ya! So in some ways my hobbies (including playing some games every now and then) reflect me better more than my career!

 

Unless you're one of the lucky few, work is work, not your avocation. Do you live to work or work to live? Work supports my ability to do the things I like, girlfriend trips, games, notebook.

 

odin is right, i would never tell anyone outside my family that i'm a "gamer". If the topic came up i'd say i play a counterstrike quite a bit Telling people that you're a gamer will make them (mostly) jump to the stereotype of a socially retarded low life... and no-body wants that... unless you're fatal1ty and raking it in

 

all my family members tell me to stop playing...i am only 18....so i can understand social pressure on u older guys....the older generation wont understand...i see a future...few years from now, digital games will be a sport...a mentally stretching sport...there will be world cups...new accesories will be made...new input devices....larger screens, better rendering.....so i think that gaming industry is very young rite now

 

and i think this stereotype image of a gamer is cast due to some irresponsible gamers...i have seen guys at cyber cafe..they come in the morning with their blanket...eat there itself, take a nap during afternoon there and wake up to resume playing..in between they go out to get a drink...and spend their entire day at the cafe...this is lil extreme...maybe coz they play WoW...and i play FPS so i wont understand .....recently a guy from china died....he was gaming for 4 days ....doctors say he died of exhaustion

 

graphical computer games are only 49(ish) years old.. so not that old really..

http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/history/higinbotham.asp <-- probably the first graphically animated computer game ever.. (not just recreation of paper based game on a screen).. Higginbotham was a genius, he'd be stunned with what has spawned from his idea in 1958..

 

I don't have any problems saying that I'm a nerdy gamer because I don't CARE what stereotypes others have. I'm secure in myself and my position in life. I don't change myself to satisfy the preconceived notions of others.

Being a "gamer" involves being a part of a social group just like being a "notebook enthusiast" or a "car enthusiast," so I would argue that it does have some social value. There is an entire culture that surrounds the gaming industry.

Still, I see what you are saying if I only identified myself as a gamer, but there are tons of other things that identify me; that's just one small aspect of my life. I have a professional life, which I choose to separate from my personal life, and I have a family life as well. Some of my friends and family share some of my hobbies; others don't. However, they all respect my interests and I like to think that I do the same for them.

Saying that you play games shouldn't be any different than saying you go dirt biking, or golfing. A hobby is a hobby.

 

I think its becoming more than hobby...i used to play CS in sixth grade..then stopped playing completely till i completed my junior college ( this year) ...i have just resumed playing games again...and am seeing the world has gone soo much ahead...games have become so cool...and with introduction of WCG etc...gaming is becoming a cybersport

P.s: opinions welcome