Are you too old for video games?

16BitKings - My favourite hobby has always been something that I have kept quite private, partially in fear that I would be judged by others but also because I thought I might grow out of it. Social pressures are not uncommon for anybody of any age, but it seems to me that there is definitely a stigma surrounding those that choose to spend their time with a video game. It is as I have grown older and continued to enjoy playing games that I have started to become aware of the growing pressure by society to ‘grow up’ and move on. But why is there this pressure? And where does it come from?

[Kingthrash360]

no such thing as too old.
my dad is 68 (thats 22 in gamer years) and plays tiger woods everyday...he murders me when i come by to challange him. ....he got me into games when atari came out so he's been a gamer since the beginning. he got me my ps4 for my b-day and i'm 34...so like father like son. i picture myself gaming on my death bed bro...real talk.

[imXify]

Amazing story. Too bad my father is the worst a$$ ever...

[FITgamer]

That sounds so wrong lol.

[PeaSFor]

am i too old to read a book, listen to music or watch a film?

[osu22duke]

too old for gaming? never
too old to play COD for 8 hours a day until 3 am? maybe...

[N8]

Agree with that 100% . To many times I stopped playing and I always say I'm to old to sit here all day playing whatever

[tethered]

As far as online gaming goes, my reaction time isn't what it used to be. lol

Still love to play tho!

[rezzah]

I've stopped playing multiplayer for most games, the few I still play are for limited hours.

I stick to single player because that is what is most enjoyable for me.

[medman]

Getting older has curtailed my gaming at times, life gets in the way. Like you said, the sessions til 3 or 4 in the morning stopped for me years ago. That is why I hardly touch multiplayer anymore. It's just too much time spent ranking up, leveling up, to get some perk or attachment that I don't have the time to grind away to get. I love a great story that let's me play for 30 minutes to an hour, and I can return to it at my leisure, and pick right up where I left off. You can't take that approach with multiplayer.

[GordonKnight]

Does this mean the Wii U is for older gamers?

[hellzsupernova]

Man I remember playing wings of glory with my dad, and there was a gold game at the time as well lates 90s. Then we played grand turismo on ps2 for hours, now days my old man beat me to buying a ps3 and has clocked up more hours on gt than I could imagine. And now he is 64.

He wants me to install war thunder on his laptop after seeing me play it. Love my old man.

[Raccoon]

lol men don't grow up they just learn how to act in public.. that's the most ridiculous and ignorant tittle I've heard all week...

[Magicite]

One can never be too old for an entertainment.

[schlanz]

Everytime I see old people sitting around looking sad just watching TV with a blank expression on their face I think to myself, if only these people were into video games they would live out their golden years with a lot less boredom...

[medman]

I agree. Gamer til I return to dust. Do what you love, what you enjoy. Anything less would be uncivilized.

[kabala]

Im 47, been playing since pong. Im not to old for videogames and ill never be to old to play.

[SmoothC911]

I'm 43 with a ps3, 4, xbox one and a Vita for when I travel for work. Been playing like your dad, since Atari (some great memories there!).

I think you're never too old to do something you love, screw those who think that part of growing up is giving up things you love to do!

[Batzi]

The only thing that is keeping me playing is the Metal Gear series. When Kojima retires, I quit gaming.

[NeoTribe]

Thats like once every 6 years...

[RioKing]

Wow, you only game for Metal Gear..and yet you have 1300 comments on here. That's alot of Kojima-talk! Honestly I think fans as hardcore as you deserve some sort of job related to MG.

[MysticStrummer]

Yeah he retires at least once a generation.

[Mr Tretton]

lol, I can't imagine gaming for only 1 series, much less MGS.

[lonelyplayer]

Never.

[Sly-Lupin]

I'm too old for bad games, certainly.
And I'm also old enough to tell the difference between a good and bad game.

[sdozzo]

Never. But you have to be cool about it. Moderation.

[Ninver]

short answer is no. my neighbor who is in his late 40's still plays games and there's nothing wrong with that.

i also plan to play games for as long as my hands function.

[xx4xx]

Huge Gears fan. Me and 9 of my 35+ friends play every week. Even one of the guy's father plays.

Do what's fun for u regardless of age.

Reality TV and bad movies ain't gonna beat out quality games. :)

[hellzsupernova]

Exactly parents always complained about playing games and I'm like you spend more time watching bullshit then I do playing games what is the difference?

[Relientk77]

I will always play video games, no matter how old I am

[Chapter11]

Yeah, I got too old to watch movies and listen to music, now I'm too old to play video games.

[isarai]

i hate these stupid ass questions, if you enjoy it then keep doing it instead of pretending to "grow out" of the activity just to try and convince other people you're more mature. Hell i think it's more mature to stand by what you are and what you like rather than giving into the distorted consensus of what a normal "mature" person should be like.

[CouldHaveYelledUiiW]

"Well Said" Vote for you.

[GuruStarr78]

It's not a "question" so much as it's the title of an opinion piece, an interesting one, I might add.. if people on here took the time to read the stories instead of just commenting on the title, there would be less dumb comments here on N4G.com.

[chrissx]

Gamer 4 life

[Geekman]

Gaming, no. Trying to stay neutral in a 3 way console war, yes.

[Gridloc]

No such thing as too old for gaming. I'm 46 and have been gaming since pong came out. Just look at what the Wii did with Wii sports. Seniors bowling leagues. Lol. Nothing wrong with enjoying gaming, just don't forget to live your life outside of gaming. Moderation is key...

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

Pfft! Shoot, no.
I'm 30 and I don't plan on slowing down on my gaming habits any year soon, God willing.
I'll someday be known as that neighborhood grandpa that kicks the crap out of kids half his age at most games on the market.
That's one of my long-term goals; become known as the gamer grandpa.XD

[roland82]

I'm 32 and looking forward to donkey kong on friday, Titanfall and infamous next month.

[Kaini_Industries]

You're never too old. Videogames will get taken more seriously as an art form by the general population as the medium progresses and ages.

[sprinterboy]

Been playing games from the very beginning at 7 yrs old atari :) 39 yrs old now. 31 yrs of gaming, it's gone by so fast.

[sergons]

37 here. Time flies too fast, damn.

[sprinterboy]

Kick off and sensible soccer were great memories, wish someone would do a newzealand story remake and blood money

[higgins78]

This guy know what he is talking about. The Wii U would be perfect for The NewZealand Story 2 making an appearance, I'm sure the Gamepad could bring an extra dimension. Kick Off was great, Kick Off 2 even better.

[LAWSON72]

I will play games until I die so no you are never to old to play games

[Npugz7]

No way!!! My grandpa died at 76 and played sega genesis sega dreamcast and game gear all the time! It's good for the brain whe you get older.

[Neotrix]

In this age of technology gaming has become the biggest entertainment industry in the world making more money than Hollywood, people have grown up with video games as their main source of enjoyment and relaxation, its no longer looked at in the same light when compared with 30 years ago, times change but people still keep their same old judgemental opinions that are out of touch in this modern era. I will always be a gamer no matter what platform or genre, it's a hobby that allows people to escape from reality, imo children should never be the target audience for video games as it would severly stifle the creativity of developers being able to produce amazing games for a more mature audience much like the reaction to the dark souls 2 teen rating that got people flustered.

[byeldell34]

I started playing in 86.and I will play into I can't play no more

[barb_wire]

I'm 43 been gaming since 1978 (yeah, 1978) I seen it all and tried to play it all too.

I'm old enough to remember all those "console" or which system is better wars.. trust me, it's not worth wasting your time on, they are better ways to pass the time.. like gaming.

I can tell you this (no lie either) since 1978, I've played some absolutely amazing games across a vast array of home systems, consoles and handhelds.

Considering how games were back in 1978, I can only imagine what gaming is going to look like in 30yrs from now.

[MysticStrummer]

Indeed. I've been console gaming since before the Atari 2600.

Adventure to Skyrim is quite a leap.

As for the future, I'm hoping something like Oculus Rift catches on in a big way.

[Ra3030]

I think it's great to have gamers of all ages. And now we know the core group Respawn is going for in their bot game. The old folks will have a great time with Titanbot. That's awesome.

[Letthewookiewin]

Till the day I die. Every girlfriend I've had never understood it, most of my friends never understood it. It's my chosen form of media and entertainment. 32 years old and ready to play some games.

[Otoshigamisama]

I can feel you bro, they will never understand unless they are a gamer themselves and I mean real gamers not casual,I'm 20 years old and I always tell my friends,exes and even my family they always question my dedication to gaming well I tell them I really can't put it to words that how I see and feel it, It Really Can't be put to words! Only gamers can understand what gamers feel.

[Letthewookiewin]

Absolutely!

[sprinterboy]

In 30 yrs time bra the console purchase itself will be a vr helmet 3d @20k super oled with games being streamed to it.

[desertpunk86]

my dad got me in to gaming he loves fighting games like mortal kombat and street fighter back in the 90s and now a days he plays games like injustice and mortal kombat and hes
55 and he can kick my ass at those games is like he can read my moves before they happen.

[PrinceOfAllSaiyans]

Well I'm 17 (even tho stores still don't let me buy rated M games because I look 13) so I got many years left of gaming. I will game and watch Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z until I die.

[SpiralTear]

You're never too old to have fun.

[Eiffel]

Evil Coop is correct.

[teedogg80]

I will be 34 in a couple months and have been playing games since the Atari 2600 days. I have pretty much watched games evolve from only squares on the screen to what you see now. I would never have imagined they would get this far. Looking forward to many more great years of gaming.

[PsylentKiller]

Yeah, remember the box cover art to those games.

Pinball?! It's gonna be like playing on a real table. Tanks?! Look how realistic those tanks look.
Get home from Toys r us. Pop the game in the top of e Atari. Plug in your joystick. Turn the knob to channel 3. Crank the volume knob up to 10. And sit yourself down 3 feet in front of the TV, only to see different size squares and rectangles on your screen often using only two colors. Yet, somehow, those gigantic pixels looked exactly like the cover art.

[lx1]

Its never to late besides plot of this game are for adults now.

[Jay70sgamer]

Been gaming since pong/Atari days never to old to game ...check out the screename 70s gamer ...I'm 42 years old ......and I still game I have "zombi u ,resident evil revelations,Zelda windwaker,dues ex directors cut ,assassins creed 4 ,lego city undercover,nintendo land ,the reason I haven't bôught mario 3d world ,Rayman legend ,super luigi is because my brother owns them games lol...I've òwn every nintendo home console ,colecovision ,Sega,etc .....gamer for life .....

[megagamer21]

I'm 54 and have every system and really enjoy the hell out of playing

[AceofStaves]

I'm 41, and I'll be gaming as long as I'm physically able to do so.

[Kiwi66]

Have been playing since i was 11 yrs am now 47 & i don't plan on stopping anytime soon plus my 2 sons aged 23 & 21 also play

[LakerGamerEnthusiast]

I've every now and then asked myself the same thing... I just turned 21 this month and currently go to school for a Journalism degree in college. Some years ago, I planned out scenarios of what I could do to maintain my strong bond with video games and not drift away from them the more I grew. I've thought about being a game developer,(That died when I came to a realization that coding and artistic talents weren't my thing)

Then I asked myself maybe I could follow a career path of making game trailers for games like Uncharted, The Order, Gran Turismo, etc. but, never really knew how to get into that. lol

Point being, I found that I've always had a strong bond with writing and games so I eventually decided to possibly pursue a career in journalism and write for sites like IGN, PlayStation, or a company of that sort.

I don't ever want to stop playing video games and it would be a dream come true for me to thrive with them in life. Have a gamer wife, raise my kids and introduce them to the hobby, and pull good figures to support them all and live a great lifestyle with it all.

[ShutUpDonny]

Good luck with your dream!

[LakerGamerEnthusiast]

Thank You!

much appreciated

[shadowraiserx]

Are you old to see movies?
Obviously not ,that is a stupid question.
video games are a form of entertainment for all kind of people.

[theXtReMe1]

I've been playing since the Pong and the LED days of the 70s. I don't plan on ever stopping. It's something I've always loved and had a passion for. Im 42... But when I play games, Im seeing them through the eyes of my 7 year old self. I am transported to places Ive never been, doing things Ive never done in fantastical ways.

If you live your life in fear of others opinions, you die never knowing yourself.

[Xristo]

Do people get too old to read a good novel? ... no... same with gaming.

[Inception]

I started gaming from Atari era and i will be 30 this year. In somepoint i'm questioning if i can do it more. But i got some new motivation to continue gaming when i'm seeing some people in here who older than me and they still gaming ^^

[CouldHaveYelledUiiW]

Considering that Gaming has been shown to be beneficial to Seniors' (Cognitive) Health-

-I think it would be very stupid not to game (whether it is CONSIDERED mature or not).

[assdan]

If you still enjoy them, you're not too old.

[ChickeyCantor]

"Are you too old for books/novels?"
"Are you too old for movies?"

STUPID ASS QUESTIONS

[oldassgamer]

Absolutely NOT! Been gaming for almost 40 years, and I don't plan to stop.

[Max-Zorin]

You're never too old to play video games. I have a better question. When will we learn to respect the opinions and preferences of others, and not be so vehement whenever constructive criticism is being discussed?

[Phoenix76]

Are you too old for video games?

LMAO!!! I'm almost 38yrs old now and I can still hold my own in a game of BF! what does that say about me lol

[Iltapalanyymi]

Never.

[moujahed]

If you're a person that speaks about video games being for children, but play Bejeweled or any other game on your phone or Facebook... Smack yourself really hard in the mouth.

[filipakos]

Videogames are fun and people on all ages need to have fun so you are never to old to play videogames

[badvlad]

Some people watch crappy series and movies all day . What about that???? Dis type of articles are so contradicitve. Grow up.

[DarkKaine]

Interesting article.
I sometimes question if I'm getting too old for videogames.
I don't feel pressure from society whatsoever, I just do what I like to do and really don't give a damn about the opinions of others.

The problem for me is the entertainment value of the games that have launched in the recent years.
Ever since last gen, games have become bland, uninspired and only focused on graphics to me.
Games seem to have lost their color and have devolved into a grey shader mess. Nobody really seems to talk about that and are instead doing comparisons of the resolutions across multiple platforms.
Meanwhile, if you put me behind any system with either CoD, BF or Crysis, I wouldn't be able to tell them apart without looking at the title screen.

I know comparing generic shooters isn't the best example, but back in the days we had Counter-Strike, Unreal Tournament, Quake 3 and they all felt very different and fresh.
On top of that, these games were all very fast paced, they had mechanics that people 'abused' in a way to get an advantage but were not easy to master in any way.
Just think bunnyhopping, strafejumping and stuff like that.
In 2014 we have CS:GO, which has all these 'advanced techniques' removed. I feel so damn restricted playing that game and you can't really do any cool stuff with a freaking stamina bar in place that controls how many times you can jump.
And why? Because people can't move like that in real life?

Realism is actually making games boring. I don't care about a 'cinematic' experience, I just want my games to be fun, competitive and have a lot of depth. There is no room for that anymore, frequent updates will just kill off anything you find and nerf or change the playstyle of whatever class you are playing.

On top of that, developers don't really seem to care about the people that got them where they are today.
Back in the day, I could walk into my local gameshop and purchase anything on the super nintendo that had the squaresoft logo on it.
Now I'm skeptical from the start and check metacritic before I start throwing money at them.. oh how times have changed.
People can tell squeenix all day how they don't give a damn about Lightning, yet they will still continue to make XIII games full with fanservice, linearity and so dumbed down that 3 year olds can can complete it blindfolded.
Not only do I think these games aren't worth my money, I'm not joking when I say they don't even deserve my BANDWITH to pirate.
Let's just stop making good games and scumbaggingly tap into new markets to attempt to make even more money. Crappy iOS ports of games that should never be played with touchscreen controls with microtransactions stacked on top that can't really be considered 'micro' in any way.

But hey, maybe I just have my head up my ass, and I'm just getting too old to appreciate what games have to offer these days.
Whenever I play videogames these days they tend to either be indie games or timeless Nintendo games with a bunch of friends.
People tend to say Nintendo is stuck in the past, but guess what I'm okay with that.
The last thing I want to see is Nintendo using the same dirty money-grabbing tactics as Microsoft or attempt to sell me overpowered 100€ 'microtransaction' karts in Mario Kart.
Anyone feeling the same? Or is it just me being way too negative about all of this?

[ClevelandSteamer]

Super excited to see Descent on Steam, then reminiscing about my first Master Race Gaming PC 19 years ago.

MS-Dos 6.22
486DX-133
ATI Mach 64 4Mb
8MB Ram
80MB HDD
8x CD Rom

Never to old to game

[MasterofMagnetism]

No.

[Psychotica]

I am 47 and still play all the time, my tastes have changed a little but I still enjoy it. It's been fun watching how games have improved over the years since the Atari 2600 days. The hobby certainly beats just sitting there and watching reruns on tv.

[duffster]

49 and a proud gamer.I was lucky enough to make games for 16 years, and I've never lost the enthusiam and joy that comes from gaming. Fortunately my wife used to come around for gaming sessions for ten tears before we married, so she knew what she was getting!
I can't imagine I would ever tire of gaming and intend to game till I drop!

[Kingscorpion1981]

I'm 32 and I still enjoy playing video games!! But I have a lot of responsibility now but I still find the time to play video games

[CrowbaitBob]

Are you too old to watch movies?

Are you too old to listen to music?

Are you too old to think for yourself and simply enjoy your preference of entertainment without feeling like someone else's ignorance is a legitimate basis for self-analysis?

[AJBACK2FRAG]

I'm to old to love hard core rap. I'm to old to play bass and guitar. I'm way too old to want to play out with bands again I'm too old to love Nintendo but still I do.