Too old to game!

Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:

No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.

If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

**Dreadwinter**

OgreChubbs wrote:
I think the main reason people stop playing games is due to life.

Work 8+ hours
Sleep 8+ hours
Kids wife ect lawn care 7+ hours

Then on the weekend you play catch up. Or go to the zoo or something. Kids need you for 18 years and in that time you need to treat them like gold.

Think that is why most gamers get labeled as losers there is only so much time in a day, so in order for one thing to get more one needs to get less.

This is not entirely true. While kids do need a lot of attention and care, video games can be very good for them. Especially ones you can play solo like Minecraft or other sandbox games. It allows them to learn to play by themselves and explore. Other games teach very good hand eye coordination in children. Kids do not need around the clock attention, in fact it is good for children to learn to play alone.

**chromedog**

Dreadwinter wrote:
The video games section is about discussing and playing specific video games. This thread is about age and gaming. Seems fine where it is.

I have a buddy who just turned 29, he got married last year. Before they got married he told her that he was a big gamer. It is his hobby. She was fine with it. Now that they are married she hates it. I think she was expecting him to stop or "mature" when they got married. It has sadly but a lot of stress on the relationship and it is less than 6 months in to the marriage.

It seems that there are people that will always expect you to give up something you love for their own silly views. Even those closest to you.

I'm 47 and married (10 years now). Been with her for about 15 years. When we got together, she understood I was a gamer and that would probably not change. It's my outlet. My decompression time. My hobby. She agreed that it was important that we both had hobbies, and even that this should includes some "alone" time.
She's not a gamer, never will be, but she does not deny me my hobby - nor do I deny hers. Mutual respect and all that.

If she'd been anti-gaming, we'd not have lasted this long.

**jhe90**

the answer is is someone too old for reading?

too old to play golf or spend fortunes on a boat and go sailing.

all are hobbies.

**Jihadin**

nO ONE IS NEVER OLD TO PLAY WHATEVER GAMES THEY CHOOSE. iTS THE IGNORANCE OF OTHERS THAT ASSUME TO THINK THERE ARE AGE LIMITS FOR CERTAIN GAMES.

Sorry caps

Today of all days. I was called a Nazi Lover because of my theme Waffen SS Tau with Waffen SS unit symbols. Mind you the kid that called me that out loudly and with conviction is like 23

Edit

Firmly believe your more a gamer when you have a theme or goal regardless of age to "backup" whatever you do gaming on video or table top

**BaronIveagh**

Breotan wrote:
You're too old to compete with those sugar addled 13 year olds, but not too old to game. Just gotta live with life on ez mode.

I've never really had this problem.

Most of the old arcades in my area still ban me from certain characters in certain games. As do my friends in 'casual' play.

**Kojiro**

OgreChubbs wrote:
I think the main reason people stop playing games is due to life.

Work 8+ hours
Sleep 8+ hours
Kids wife ect lawn care 7+ hours

Then on the weekend you play catch up. Or go to the zoo or something. Kids need you for 18 years and in that time you need to treat them like gold.

Think that is why most gamers get labeled as losers there is only so much time in a day, so in order for one thing to get more one needs to get less.

See my wife is a gamer, even more so than me. We've been doing 4-5 hours on Overwatch most Sundays since launch. We don't have kids precisely because we want enjoy our lives and do what we want. Our families don't really agree but they've learned we are how we are and that their disapproval gets them nothing (certainly not grand kids).

What always irked me was that I used to get abused for playing with toy soldiers. Apparently growing up and playing with toy soldiers and learning complex rules was childish. But growing up and being continually fascinated by kicking a ball around was mature.

When someone says 'aren't you too old for games' what they're really saying is that they're too old for games.

**Skinnereal**

Pete Melvin wrote:
A friend of mine has a saying "you don't stop playing games because you get old, you get old because you stop playing games"

I put that in my sig some time ago. I never trust the alleged source of a quote, but it is quite old.
And, there is a poll knocking around here somewhere, showing people's ages. It is a few years old now, though, so the numbers are a but skewed.

Here you go:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/421004.page
From that, 32% of Dakkaites are older than 30.

**Kilkrazy**

Well, yeah, but 90% of Dakkanauts are under 40, so it's not encouraging for the "You're not too old to game" idea.

Frankly, by the time you get to my age, 50+, you might hope your children are nearly grown up and you will have the time and money to get back to some serous game playing.

**chromedog**

I'm getting close - but due to an accident of genetics, I cannot breed, so I never lost gaming time due to offspring.

**Jihadin**

Kilkrazy wrote:
Well, yeah, but 90% of Dakkanauts are under 40, so it's not encouraging for the "You're not too old to game" idea.

Frankly, by the time you get to my age, 50+, you might hope your children are nearly grown up and you will have the time and money to get back to some serous game playing.

Kill you Chuckle Head...yes I will maintain calling you a Chuckle Head till you revise that statement. Fer Gawdsake MAN 45-50 is the NEW 21. For we know what the Hell we're doing

**d-usa**

I'm a 35 year old gamer. I still play some PC games, some PS4 games, and then I get together with the club or friends at least once a month to get an evening of board games on. I would also love to get a RPG group together on Roll20 to have some fun.

I'm married, have been for 13 years, and my wife hasn't had a problem with it. Gaming is just like any other hobby. I could be sinking money and time into golf, a boat, alcohol, cars, motorcycles, whatever. Instead I have two other hobbies: home brewing and gaming.

Sometimes it's just nice to get away from the wife and toddler and have some fun adulting with other adults. For the most part I also enjoy gaming with other 30 somethings, we are all calmer and take our gaming much less seriously than we did in our teens. My wife is also okay with me being out once or twice a month playing board games at the local game club or at a friends house. I could be out at night doing things that are a lot worse.

I can't wait until my toddler is old enough to game with me!

**SNAAAAKE**

jmurph wrote:
I proudly paint and play with my tiny toy soldiers in pretend land, thank you very much!

I seem to remember a famous author saying that Tabletop wargames could be used to solve wars, and that it could be a peaceful resolution to the meatshield pissing contest money sink that is war.

Of course, 40k is a plasticshield pissing contest money sink, but people don't actually die

**Tannhauser42**

39 here, and I believe the usual quote I like to use is "growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional". Of course I have less time to game now than I did years ago, due to job, commute distance, sleep, feeding the wife, chores, etc. No kids, and won't be having any at this point. But you'll have to pry my mouse and keyboard (and minis, and rulebooks) from my cold dead hands.

Besides, if the old saying is true, I should have a few hundred years to go.

Spoiler:

**chromedog**

I had a mate with 2/3 of his toy soldier collection not painted - persistently. By rights, he should still be around.

Alas, he is not. Death doesn't care how large your unpainted pile is (or perhaps he just resents you for the unpainted pile?)

**Sasori**

There is a youtuber, who is 80 years old and plays the heck out of pc games https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzkY7wa8Ksxv4M5NyUYgTmA

If you enjoy gaming, then who cares about an arbitrary number on age.

**jmurph**

Orlanth wrote:
sirlotsofpain wrote:
I turned 30 today and some one asked THE question... you know the one.... "Aren't you too old for video games yet?" Many ideologies in the modern world label gamers as losers and misfits. I have to disagree.

Thanks for the video and happy birthday.

Ok, to start. The Stanford Prison Experiment was awesome, a legend in the field of psychology. Second Philip Zimbardo has a point. The fact that you have a full life and play video games is not indicative sorry. Some people can become cocaine users and never lose any control over themselves, this doesnt mean drug addiction is not a risk.

Zimbardo is making points that a lot of people dont want to hear, computer games are easy a no-brainer option for ones entertainment. So for the youth of today especially those who are up with computer games there is a risk, not a certainty, but as risk that this could stunt their development. Zimbardo also mentions porn in the same risk category, and there is reason to see this also.
Now perhaps some are getting defensive over this because they live full lives enjoy games and dont see a problem, others might get guilty over the amount of time they have spent playing games at the expensive of living thier lives, others might think - what about girls too, all these points are valid and nobody is telling you or anyone else to stop gaming.
But it can be too much of a good thing.

Computer games link closely to another observed phenomena, the decline of Roman men due to the ever expansionn of the Ludi Magni. Rome was addicted to its snuff-theatre productions in the gladiatorial arena, we have accounts of how impressive they are. The Ludi Magni eventually bankrupted Rome, but long before it did Roman sholars lamented what it did to the citizens. When the games began in the 1st century BC they were fairly modest, by the time of the early Imperial era they are expanded consdierably. Each game had to outdo the last, more animals, more gladiators, better sets. A lot of the poorer citizenry would life for the games. Why get a job, just live on the corn dole, and queue to get into the free seats of the circus or Colloseum, because in Rome they didnt even try to match box office takings with costs. It was impossible, most of the spectacles were free, with a small fee for the better seats.

We havent had our games for the time the Romans had heirs but Rome quicly cottoned on that giving the populace premkium entertainment and a welfare state meant that the Roman citizenry that were relied upon to fill the legions were not getting the recruits in like they were. Now evidently this was not universal by any stretch, Romans still kicked arse for centuries after but acording to their own philsopohers and journalists something had changed in the Roman man.

I can see the parallels clearly with computer games. Being player of computer games myself I can see the addictive nature. I like to vary my entertainments as a result. But then I have an addictive personality and this is why I never dared smoke. A good friend of mine lives rent free for nine months and was advised to use the money get got working at a burger bar to get some credentials. But life was gak for him and he bought a nice gaming rig instead. I facepalmed, as did other friends of his, and he is quickly ballooning in weight and no longer going after girls. I understand him though. Flipping burgers with a crap boss is bad, being Dovahkin or running your own space empire is awesome. He now works at KFC.

There are upsides, my best friend has MS, a formally very athletic army officer with an impressive combat record. Most impressive person I have ever known, on so many different ways. Now he is a cripple in permanent pain, I built him a gaming rig as a gift and introduced him to Skyrim. Before he had only played strategy games and the odd but of Quake. Now he plays Skyrim all day, and he sees the addiction. Now this fellow has an excuse to jump in with both feet, and doesnt stop his kids from playing games, but does moderate their use.

I am seeing it time and again. Philip Zimbardo has a point, but it isn't a universal truth (I have no evidence he claims it is either). There is ac case to answer, but that doesnt mean there should be movements against the spread of gaming, or an overzealous defence of the industry against 'slander'. just a call for moderation. I have no reason to think the pastor who mentioned is wrong wither. If he sees the young men in his congregation play to many computer games and not take any interest in th young ladies in the community, yeah he is wise to point that out. It doesnt sound like he is a zealot trying to convince people its all Satanic.

Moderation is key and warning for moderation are reasonalbe and respectable. Be healthy, play the game but when the game is playing you, stop and do something else for a while before you return to it.

What an odd observation- tying the Ludi Magni to video games. Surely if the obsession with spectacle were the problem, the same could be said of movies? Or music? Or entertainment in general? If the point is violence, then why isn't boxing or MMA the most popular sport? It also ignores the time frame (hundreds of years), including the changing composition and role of the miltary. It also seems to conflate the Ludi Magni and more general arena entertainment, including gladiator sports. One could just as easily point out that as Rome required increasingly large standing bodies of troops the occupy and invade as, support waned for such imperialism and the Romans became increasing reliant on auxiliaries and mercenaries.

The old entertainment and welfare ('bread and circuses') canard is a political talking point and ignores a lot of complex history. Heck, it was political at the time, uttered by a satirist to referring to the working classes and the rampant corruption, intrigue, and ineffectiveness of Roman governance that used such appeasement to keep its populations from revolt (with mixed results) or curry favor for individual politicos.