Ageing and Gaming

[HappyBarbarian]

First post ever!

So I turned 30 a while ago and though I feel like I've gotten better in my life, I'm much different than I was as teenager, at 20, or even just a few years ago.

My question to you is how do you feel about ageing? Has it changed your taste in games, music, or movies? Do you spend more or less time on things than you used to? Do you feel that ageing has made you nostalgic for a particular time period or are you excited about new things in the world?
Also, considering that we now have multiple generations of gamers, how do you think things will change in the future? For those of you who have kids, what did that change for you?

For me, I've noticed that I play games and watch TV less than I used to, but strangely enough, I think I enjoy them more. Coming home from a long day at work and unwinding with some game time and a beer is so much more satisfying. Generally, I feel I've been getting better at most things (sports, relationships, understanding drama, PlayStation controllers), maybe that also helps me appreciate them more rather than just being frustrated all the time. So ageing has been pretty awesome I guess.

Thoughts?

 

[Pink Gregory]

I reckon, just from what I've seen, that the older types are the ones more excited for developments in gaming - especially independents and kickstarter - than the young ones, who seem to be the one beating the 'everything was better yesterday' drum.

There are exceptions, of course.

 

[Vault101]

I reckon, just from what I've seen, that the older types are the ones more excited for developments in gaming - especially independents and kickstarter - than the young ones, who seem to be the one beating the 'everything was better yesterday' drum.

There are exceptions, of course.

thats funny

I am looking forward ot what the future holds...even if the current state has its fair share of problems...I sitll say its better than the "3D teething" days

I'm 21 and havnt been gaming that long, so the shine hasnt quite worn off for me yet, I dont think I'll ever "grow out of" games however my time priorites might shift...which isnt a bad thing, thease days I try and balance work, gaming and working on my art skills (what a hectice/adult life I lead/sarcsam)

I'm also terrible with older games no matter how good they are

 

[Spinozaad]

I both love and hate getting older.

Turning 25 in June, and I've come so far from the hormone-driven days of black and white since my teens. On the downside, I kind of miss the days of absolute terror and absolute bliss of youth. Life's more of a monorail than a rollercoaster nowadays.

Regarding games... I'm slowly withdrawing from the hobby. I still play the occasional 4X/(Grand) Strategy/Simulation/RPG. But I do notice that I no longer have the patience to learn new mechanics, so I return to the games I know and have mastered.

Baldur's Gate (both games, but especially the first) will always have a special place in my heart, and I'll mourn the day computers will be unable to play it.

 

[Zhukov]

My tastes have changed a fair bit. I'm a lot more picky than I used to be. Things that would have blown my mind 10-15 years ago are now dismissed as "generic" or "juvenile" or the like.

I do not experience nostalgia. I tend to sneer at those who do. Yeah... I probably shouldn't do that.

I don't know enough about what the future holds to be excited for it, but I am curious to see what happens. I certainly don't belong to the "everything sucks now!" school of thought.

 

[Boris Goodenough]

Turning 30 this Friday, and have been enjoying gaming since I was 5, I still start up old games now and then, like System Shock 2. I still enjoy the old games I enjoyed back then, although I am not so good with a joystick anymore though

 

[Scarim Coral]

The older I get, the less range of games I have been playing (at the moment I'm only played one or two games unlike my younger me who had a wider collection of played games). You can thank for having a job for that reason since you no longer have the free time you used for gaming. Granted it depend on your job (like if you work in your house or still have plenty of leisure time from work).

 

[Eleuthera]

As a kid (teenager) I played everything I could get my hands on. Now I might buy 4 new games a year.

I think this has two reasons, firstly there are way more games (available) than there were back then (you played the games your friends played). So any new game was worth trying.

Secondly, I've managed to refine my tastes in games (and everything else I guess). Which means that even if everybody loves [new game] if it's not in my genre I'll still not buy it.

I'm 35 btw.

 

[Kyrian007]

As a kid (teenager) I played everything I could get my hands on. Now I might buy 4 new games a year.

Secondly, I've managed to refine my tastes in games (and everything else I guess). Which means that even if everybody loves [new game] if it's not in my genre I'll still not buy it.

I'm 35 btw.

I'm 35 as well. Things indeed change. When I started gaming, the good games were at the local arcade. Consoles and even pc's only gave you text adventures and what we would now call "casuals." Now if an arcade even exists it's basically a museum. My tastes have changed over the years. I no longer have the fast twitch reflexes to knock out Tyson like I could as a pre-teen. I don't have the hours to crank into grindfest the JRPG's I played in high school. I've grown out of most sports games that I enjoyed during my dudebro college years. And somehow my 2 of my favorite genres (spacesim combat and vehicle combat) have gone away almost entirely.

These days I see the kids playing MMSs and MMOs, and just don't understand what they see in them. I don't have the free time to crank hours into repetitive, boring, pre-emptively hitting ignore all to avoid the pointless and stupid chatter, repetitive MM games that have gotten popular. I just look at the number of players and think, their tastes will evolve eventually too.

But it won't happen the same way it did with me... because gaming itself is changing with us. Some for the good, some for the bad. But all we can do is have fun with the games we can because the only alternatives are to go all retro, or stop gaming.

And while I enjoy retro, I'm not ready for the second option yet.

 

[Starik20X6]

My taste in games hasn't really changed that much now that I think about it. Sure, new games/series have popped into my pool of favourites, but ultimately I still get just as excited for each new Mario, Zelda etc.

Captcha: ANOTHER CASTLE. Dammit, again?

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

Congratulations on your first post!


OT:I'm 23, I have less time for games now than I did in school, and I've become more selective in the games I buy (because of bills), but I've also become more open to the types of games I play. I used to never play first person shooters, but loved RPGs, this generation I played Borderlands and Deus Ex: HR and loved them both. I also almost never buy games at the $60 price tag, instead waiting until the price drops for titles I'm not absolutely sure about.

I'm also more likely to finish a game if I'm playing with somebody else, not necessarily co-op (because I hate split screen), but single player experiences and tossing the controller back and fourth. The Fire Emblem series is great for this.

 

[Johnny Wishbone]

37 years old here.

I have found that most of today's games are more "work" than "game" due to the over-proliferation of in game collectibles, grinding in general, and FPS's. Because of that, my taste in games has changed considerably from when I was younger. I grew up with an Atari 2600, then a Commodore 64, then a NES, and finally a SNES. By the time I got into college in the early 90's, most console games were still 2D platfomers and PC games were either RTS, FPS, or flight sims (X-Wing, Wing Commander, etc). I played them all and loved every second of it. I stopped gaming for many years (due to lack of time and money) before finally buying an Xbox 360 about 4 years ago. I've found that I don't have nearly as much fun with Gears of War today as I did with Super Metroid 10-15 years earlier. I still enjoy gaming, but have found myself enjoying video games less and less. I doubt I will be purchasing any of the next gen consoles, and will probably stop gaming again soon at least until my kids get old enough to start begging me for a game system because all their friends have one.

 

[Bertylicious]

I buy more and more games nowadays and don't even finish all of them. I've become such a consumerist whore.

Also I don't like it when teenagers laugh, it's very threatening. There should be a law against lound noises in public spaces.

Other than that I was born with one finger up my nose and the other on my dick and I've just gotten taller.

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

I'm 25, been playing for 20 years. I love games more now than I ever did before. They're more relaxing as they now exist as a contrast to the hectic workday as opposed to being a theme to a lazy summer. I've broadened my horizons. When I was a kid/teen, it was JRPGs or PC FPS games (Quake/Duke/Unreal). I've since found the joys in all kinds of genres, but the RTS still eludes me.

I'm not sure that I'll ever stop. To this day I enjoy a good game more than a movie or a book. If I have leisure time where I'm not working, playing music, or getting my exercise in, I absolutely look forward to what game I'm going to play next above all other options. I have a very hard time watching movies due to the completely passive nature and get bored or try to do something with my hands.

I was getting somewhat jaded with this generation (you all know the reasons why), then a few things happened. Demon's Souls, and the explosion of the indie scene/kickstarter. I've never played so many games for so few dollars in my life, and I get a little warmth inside knowing that I'm helping a designer's dream come true or helping out Child's Play. These bundles are a wonderful idea, and Valve is smart for backing these developers and making it easy for them to distribute their work.

I also enjoy going through my "retro" catalog (I'm a collector with way too many systems/games in my house) and re-experiencing them from my older perspective. There's a lot of subtext in the story based games, and new ways to experience them when you have life experience on your side. I'm doing my best to age gracefully, I certainly don't hate it and there's a lot of positives to it. Now that I've said too much, I'll end this rant.

 

[Ishal]

My tastes have changed a fair bit. I'm a lot more picky than I used to be. Things that would have blown my mind 10-15 years ago are now dismissed as "generic" or "juvenile" or the like.

I do not experience nostalgia. I tend to sneer at those who do. Yeah... I probably shouldn't do that.

I don't know enough about what the future holds to be excited for it, but I am curious to see what happens. I certainly don't belong to the "everything sucks now!" school of thought.

Sneering at nostalgia isn't a bad thing, if done correctly and in moderation.

Take Metroid: Other M for example. That game was an absolute abomination. Despite all its flaws its still embraced by many fans because of its side-scrolling style and rehashing of old bosses (Nightmare, Phantoon, etc). The game had so many problems but for some people all you need is some nostalgia and they lap it without a second thought.

That is the bad kind of nostalgia. The kind of nostalgia that has Nintendo rehashing tired old ideas and pumping out a new Mario game that isn't really new at all. They should be experimenting with new IP's but I digress..

OT: I'm much the same as Zhukov. I look back at my old Xbox library and wonder why I bought all the terrible games that I did. I'm much more selective now and I'll probably only be buying one or two games this year, Bioshock: Infinite and The Last of Us.

 

[xshadowscreamx]

im 23
i try to play all sorts of games, even trying JRPG'S but they dont seem to like me much ( i did finish neir though.. oh the grind).. i only got xbox live last year, so what i buy on day one are now more coop/multi games so i can play with friends,, and for single player games i wait till the price is reasonable.

i dont play everyday, not that i ever really did. i have picked up the giuter 2 years ish ago also..
movies,well i do apraciate movies like HUGO now and really understand them.. and shed a tear for the pitiful state that horror movie are i these days.. i hope EVIL DEAD and THE LORDS OF SALEM bring it back.

yes im really interested and aware if the games industries now that im older. when i was kid i had no idea. the psx/n64/snes days i let my parents buy the games most of the time..probs why i missed the FinalFastasy games train and JRPG's in general..cept the pokemon games,,CUZ everyone played pokemon on the gameboy colour... i do remember playing a demo of ''jade cocoon'', i still really would like to play that game.. wow i just remembered that DAD even played that demo and got to the end. and his not a gamer. though he did like to play worms world party/wcw nwo revenge with me// and burnout 3.. now its more the wii with the family.

i just went into a nostalgic trip of simpler times then.
im totally nostalgic for the 90's, the music the atmosphere.

 

[Mr.Cynic88]

I'm 24, and the biggest change that age has brought my gaming habits is that I'm not willing to struggle or grind on something that isn't fun. In my childhood I would get pissed at a section I couldn't beat, and spend hours fighting back controller-throwing rage as I finally finished the section.

Now my time is more valuable, and I'm not willing to waste it playing a game I'm not enjoying. If I get stuck, I'll dial down the difficulty just to coast through that section before bumping it back up.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

Aging does not really phase me too much. I tend to often forget my age from time to time because it doesn't effect who I am or how I carry on from day to day. Yes, I have responsibilities and I tend to think more like an adult, but in terms of my interests, morals, goals, attitudes, and ideals, I'm pretty much the same as I've always been for the past 6-7 years.

 

[noreshadow]

@ Pink Gregory
"I reckon, just from what I've seen, that the older types are the ones more excited for developments in gaming - especially independents and kickstarter - than the young ones, who seem to be the one beating the 'everything was better yesterday' drum."

I'm both,
truth be told the independent and kickstarter games people get excited about are normally old ideas that were left for dead by the "industry".

Its an overall consensus for things in the industry to change, and get back on the track of making unique fun experience, as opposed to just playing it safe. desired by both the young and old.


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I'm 25,
It's odd, I love programming my own indie games.
but I really don't like to play games like i use too.
Its primarily because of the time it takes, but its also because it feels kinda like work.
I'm so critical of games, trying to understand what makes them so magical, it sort-of takes away from that magic.

However ( Knock on wood ) the future looks bright, I'm finally feeling like I've found my path after drifting around since high school. a sentiment I'm sure most people in their mid 20's share.
And even though its just a hobby, I don't think there's ever been a better time to be an indie game designer.