Poll: Giving up gaming because you're old

[Zack84]

At some point, you do become a fucking abject loser if you're older and play games AS MUCH AS adolescent gamers do, i.e. 20+ hours/week continuously. I'm nearly 28, but the number of games I play has decreased over the last several years, as well as the average amount of hours per week. Sometimes I go a couple weeks without playing a single game at all because I find other stuff to do. My half-brother is 41, has a wife and two kids, and squeezes in a few hours of gaming a week, always at night and at the expense of sleep.

Regardless of age, it's all about balance. I laugh at any gamer who can't be bothered to get outside and play a sport, ride a bike, or engage in some kind of regular rigorous exercise. Fat or uncoordinated, stereotypical gamers just make me cringe. If all you do with your free time is sit, it shows in your face, your body, the energy and vitality (or lack thereof) that you project.

I don't support the extreme position of saying "gaming after age X is pathetic and brands you as a loser," but there should be some sort of time devotion drop-off as years pass and you progress into adulthood. Between a budding career (or just shuffling along between a couple part-time jobs), and getting a long-term girlfriend (or boyfriend), people in their twenties and beyond shouldn't be finding so much idle time to devote to what is mostly a fruitless leisure activity.

 

[Maleval]

I asnwered "No", but I feel I haave to expand on my choice. I will not give up gaming because I'm "too old to play games", but I might give it up if I just lose interest as I get older and learn new things and maybe find new hobbies.

 

[Zack84]

I can't imagine a world where I don't play video games.

I certainly feel that interest in something can wain over time. There was a time in my life I wanted to play everything, now at 23 thats kinda reeled in. Only like one or two releases a year really peak my interest.

But so long as they keep making games I'm interested in I'm going to keep playing them.

Fuck, I don't care what it looks like to be a stickler and correct you on this, but the word is PIQUE, PIQUE MY INTEREST. Don't say shit you don't understand. You're 23; you really should know this. I could've corrected you here when I was 14.

 

[corvuscorrax]

I wouldn't say people quit video games because they 'get old'

It's a change in priorites and desires that would prompt a person to quit something they enjoy.

From smoking to video games to drinking.

 

[BrionJames]

Nope. It may take a backseat to how much I play now, as my time gets more cluttered with shit to do, but gaming will always be something I enjoy with friends, family, and by my lonesome.

 

[THEMILKMAN]

We have to keep in mind that video games are a fairly new hobby so there's not many VERY old people that grew up playing video games. So we can't simply observe them and see. But there's no denying that as you get older, the average person's level of more important stuff to do goes up so you have less time for games. I don't think there's any biological "switch" of sorts, if you like doing something then you're always going to enjoy doing it, just finding the time and/or ability to do those things gets harder with age.

 

[RandV80]

It's very likely you'll come to a point where the majority of games won't captivate you like they did in your youth, but you'll still be playing them. Let me use Shadow of Colossus for example, one of my top 3 games of the past decade which I only finally got around to playing a few years ago. In my teens I would've burned through it over a weekend, but playing it in my late 20's I'd set the controller down after each boss and resume the next day.

Now when you actually grow old we're still just as likely to take up something like gardening as our grandparents are, but as long as our minds remain active we'll still be playing games as well. My Grandma does a little bit of gardening, and I probably will too at her age. But she also watches Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and a Soap Opera every day. I'll be playing Nintendo instead.

 

[McSpooky]

Age, wont make me stop. However certain changes to gaming in the future could make me stop playing new stuff. But I would still play retro games then. Gaming for life. !

 

[TK421]

I don't think you just automatically give up gaming. What happens is you run out of time. I still play games, but not as much as I used to because I don't have the time.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

I don't think you just automatically give up gaming. What happens is you run out of time. I still play games, but not as much as I used to because I don't have the time.

Same here. I'm not likely to give up gaming because I don't feel like playing anymore. So long as I can, I will play. But I have gone through months-long stretches of inactivity because my job and other pressing priorities simply didn't leave me with a whole lot of time for gaming. And I suspect those times will come around again.

 

[sammysoso]

I think as you get older, your priorities will change. Depending on career, relationships, kids(?)...

So I might play less when I get older, or I might play more. I really don't know at this point.

 

[kickassfrog]

I'll game for as long as I can, presumably until I become as inept with 'modern' technology as my father is with 'current' stuff.
Either that or until I can download myself into a VR and play forever.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

This is just my personal experience, but I?m 16 ¾, and I haven?t played a game in ages. It?s probably because of stuff like depression, inconvenience, money, priorities, OCD, possible dyspraxia?basically, sucky real-life, but I just don?t really feel like playing games in general anymore. I don?t feel like doing a lot of things that I enjoyed when I was younger either.

I?ll probably get back into it when I give my life a kick up the backside, become an adult, move into my own place, and get enough income, but who knows? The gaming landscape constantly changes, and it may?ve changed so drastically by the time I?m at an age where I can finally settle down (if that?s even possible; I?ll still have shitloads of stress and I can never truly reclaim my youth) that it just won?t appeal to me.

Either way, in terms of gaming, I will never be too old for that shit. Other stuff might've gotten in the way, but I?ll still enjoy the odd play on Donkey Kong Country 2 or Street Fighter Alpha 2. I?ll probably become as technologically retarded as my mother as time goes on and technology rapidly improves, since I barely have a grasp on current technology as it is (I don?t have a smartphone, due to?well, I just don?t know much or how little money I should spend on it, I?m not sure I?d know how to work it out or use it to its fullest capabilities, and I?m generally a lazy and uncoordinated person who would somehow fuck it up).

 

[The Abhorrent]

One shouldn't quit gaming because they're "too old" for it, though there are a couple things which could easily impact one's decision to take an interest in other hobbies/activities/whatever and stop playing games (though preferably not completely so).

Lack of time
Easily the most valid reason to curb one's interest in gaming, because it can be a very time-consuming hobby; hell, MMOs are built specifically to take advantage of this. Most teens don't realize just how time their responsibilities will be until it hits them full force. The standard 40-hour work week might not sound like much, but it's easy to go over that arbitrary limit; while it often comes with overtime pay, there's a pretty good chance any given person will be putting in more than that. With increasing responsibility, the probability for one to go over that benchmark increases as well; as they say, things have to get done. Just as an example, I easily put in 60+ hours a week. And we haven't even touched things like maintaining your home or spending time with family, which is just more time. Spending time playing games seems far less important when you have other priorities.

Moving outside the target demographic
The closest thing to the "too old" sentiment, but it's fairly obvious that people's tastes will change as they get older. Some of the things you enjoyed in your youth can seem far too idiotic or annoying (usually labeled as "immature", but I'm trying to avoid any misnomers) to you when you're older. This is usually the case with trendy or popular games, those which are trying to capitalize on the teen audience. Games which aim to target multiple age groups and don't rely various gimmicks aren't subject to this, but seem to becoming a bit rarer in the current era of gaming.

 

[Smeggs]

-snip-

Only if there was an ultimatum between something else I felt was hugely more important than me playing games ever again.

Or, y'know, if I become so senile that I begin spouting off about a war I never fought in, when my memories of Halo and CoD begin to meld with my memories of reality.

"AND D'ERE WE WERE, SOAP, THE CHIEF AND ME, ON OUR LAST MISSION TO STOP MAKAROV FROM BLOWING UP DE EARTH WITH A GIANT RING-SHAPED SPACE STATION!"

"Grandpa, that never happened."

"SHADDUP, BILLY! NOW, WHERE WAS I...OH RIGHT! SO ME AND MARIO WERE TRYING TO GET ALL THE POKEBALLS BACK FROM THE EVIL WHESKER, OR ELSE THE WORLD WOULD BE BLOWN UP AND TURNED INTO A NEW STAR..."

 

[Snowblindblitz]

Gaming is a hobby. Plenty of older people have hobbies based on what they enjoy.

My grandparents enjoyed westerns, sewing, and collecting and watching Steven Segal movies.
My other grandma had a hand-me down watch that you could play tetris on, and loves Nintendo and Black Sabbath.


People like what they like. I'm not telling my mom she is too old to watch television.

 

[cathou]

I'm 33, I have a house, full time job, pregnant wife, social life and friends, so of course my gaming habits have change over the years, but I still manage to play 5 to 15 hours per week, and I don't intend to stop playing.

In fact I often think that when we will all be 60-70, and put in retirement house, we will be enough gamers there to do massive LAN party there !

 

[remnant_phoenix]

I think it's more a case of not having time rather than a magic switch.

If you have a full time job, a house to maintain, a spouse, three kids and any kind of social life it's going to take a serious effort to make time for video games.

I can confirm this.

As a 27-year-old family man, I play a lot less video games now than I did when I was in high school or college, and it takes serious, intentional effort to get through my never-ending backlog.

EDIT: That being said, I have no intention of giving up video games altogether unless my eyes or hands stop working.

 

[SadisticFire]

Gamin' is supposed to be everyone. And I can't imagine not playing games in my old age, because it would be a rather lonely existence if I'm not doin' games. It does seem to be just a "too busy to play games" thing. My father plays tons game, n' he's fifty. Nuffin' wrong with that.

 

[Chemical Alia]

I'm 30 and I still find time for games and stuff. The only thing I foresee being an issue is my much-operated-on wrist injury that's already gotten to the point where trying to use a controller to aim is painful after a few minutes, as is using a mouse without a splint on. Thought games and art are pretty much my livelihood, so I'll be doing everything I can to ensure that's not an issue in the future. Kinda important.