Computer games and age

[Kyriakos]

I almost never play computer games anymore. Occasionally i will try something, ussually Eu3 or Civ3, but i give up after a day, and in reality its been years since i played consistently.

I am 31. I think that the age of computer gaming is over for me.

I used to be a very passionate gamer, in my teens. It started when i was 9 with my first computer, an Amstrad CPC6128. Then came the Amiga, and finally the PC.

I just do not find any satisfaction in games anymore. I'd rather spend the time writing in my diary or creating new fiction, or even take a walk downtown.

What about you? We are, of course, in a forum of a site dedicated to a computer game, but i suspect there are other people who play very little nowdays, or not at all. Although the majority most probably still is very much involved in such games

 

[sophie]

Meh, you're never too old to be a gamer. My dad still plays games to this day and he's in his fifties. I think what changes is the passion, the time, and what you expect to get out of a game. I don't think you should ever quit playing video games because "you feel too old for it" though, that's just stupid.

 

[Kyriakos]

It is suggested that it can happen (as has with me) that you find other things a lot more rewarding than games, to the degree that it cancels any need for them. This is the product of the changes that take place with the advancing age as well

 

[Clement]

You can never be too old to play games, it may well be you are tired of games for now and of course there are many other things to do that are fun and creative, but it is entirely possible that after a break from them you will return to them at some point once you see something that interests you again.

 

[Rub'Rum]

I'd say right now what is stopping me from playing many games I want to play is the amount of investment required and the level of tiredness when I actually have time to play them. I have a bunch of Paradox Interactive games that I want to play but never actually find a time to play when I'm in a state where I feel like I can invest so much time. So I fall back on "simpler" games. But I still play a lot of games. I'm in the late 20s.

 

[Rheinmetall]

I don't think it's a question of age, you just find doing something else more entertaining than games. I know gamers older than myself and I'm 31 aswell. I've had phases too when I don't feel like starting up any game, and do something else instead.

 

[Furiey]

It's never too late to have a happy childhood. I have times when I don't play much at all, others when I play too much. Winter tends to be when I play computer games most, generally when it's too dark to do things outside.

 

[Maniacal]

The average of gamers is 33. I bought the Orange Box 3 days after it came out (October 13th, 2007) and shortly after that I started playing Team Fortress 2. I played a LOT of TF2 in 2008 and 2009, but it has dropped off since then. Sometimes I'll hardly play at all for a few months then start playing a whole bunch for a few weeks. I'm back on not playing as often right now bur I still like the game and look forward to playing it.

I think it just depends on what is going on in your life and other not really controllable factors. You just have to find games to play that fit with your lifestyle and time, and there are so many games now for so many different devices there is a lot of choice out there. Though I am in college without a job and 21.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

I don't play as much as I used to and I finish most games only once or twice.
I used to go on the occasional civ-binge, but I've lost interest in Civ 4 around last year and Civ 5 didn't convince me and I'm gradually losing interst in games.
For me it's less about being too old than becoming too picky and having very high standards.
Ther'es also this feeling that gamers are being ripped off today with unfinished products that should by all rights still be beta versions and being charged extra for DLC that should be part of the core game. Maybe it''s the same feeling old people have in regards to 30 years inflation ("when Iw as young oyu could buy a car for 100$").
There's very few games I really liked in the last years, and fewer that I can really get excited about.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

For me it's not about age, it's about free time mostly. In busy work months i don't even think about games, but in months like this one i just have too much time to kill.

 

[Kyriakos]

I don't play as much as I used to and I finish most games only once or twice.
I used to go on the occasional civ-binge, but I've lost interest in Civ 4 around last year and Civ 5 didn't convince me and I'm gradually losing interst in games.
For me it's less about being too old than becoming too picky and having very high standards.
Ther'es also this feeling that gamers are being ripped off today with unfinished products that should by all rights still be beta versions and being charged extra for DLC that should be part of the core game. Maybe it''s the same feeling old people have in regards to 30 years inflation ("when Iw as young oyu could buy a car for 100$").
There's very few games I really liked in the last years, and fewer that I can really get excited about.

I find some new games to be good, like EU3, but the game i like to play really takes a lot of time, and i can spend it in better ways. An EU3 game will kill a massive amount of hours, and i just feel it is pointless to invest such time in it.

 

[Olfart]

I guess I raise the average some. I'm 68 and growing increasingly fond of PC games, much to my wife's dismay.

 

[Disgustipated]

I used to think I was in the same boat, I was mainly just bored of all my old games. What usually happens is I get bored, and I start playing computer games again.

 

[croxis]

My dad is over 50 and plays on our minecraft server

 

[Maniacal]

A lot. At odd hours of the day. Does he live a long ways away, leave it on while doing other things, or have odd sleep patterns? Well, anyway, he really seems to be having fun building bridges and they are quite cool.

My grandma (and my step-grandma too) plays more games than my parents combined, various casual and often gambling related ones but still.

 

[Yeekim]

I don't think it's age, it's other commitments.
That's what you get for going to work and having children.

 

[CivCube]

I'm starting to feel it too. There are other opportunities coming up that can be more entertaining and meaningful. That said, computer games, like books, television, and movies, have their place for me. All it means right now is that entertainment options that are obviously less satisfying will get less time. I have stuff to do!

 

[MkLh]

Aside from what has been said about aging, it may also be that games of today just aren't interesting to more experienced gamers. They mostly repeat same old patterns (shooters, real-time strategies, GTA-style openworld action..) that may be appealing to youngsters, but older guys have seen it all hundreds of times before, and better graphics aren't enough to make it interesting. And those few "old gamer"-friendly titles left like Civilization or Dragon Age get streamlined as devs want to make them more appealing to casual gamers...

 

[Disgustipated]

Aside from what has been said about aging, it may also be that games of today just aren't interesting to more experienced gamers. They mostly repeat same old patterns (shooters, real-time strategies, GTA-style openworld action..) that may be appealing to youngsters, but older guys have seen it all hundreds of times before, and better graphics aren't enough to make it interesting. And those few "old gamer"-friendly titles left like Civilization or Dragon Age get streamlined as devs want to make them more appealing to casual gamers...

sadly this is true. I find myself playing my old games a lot. But the problem is I get burned out on my old games. But after a while I get so bored, I fire up an old game. I'm playing Neverwinter Nights right now. There just aren't any new rpg's worth a damn (that I haven't already played). Dragon Age 2 looks like they ruined it, so I'm not buying it.

 

[Kyriakos]

Apart from the paradox games (which probably were based on an ancient game called 'Medieval kingdoms') i did not find anything else i could really get into.
And i already mentioned that i am staying away from EU3 because it eats all of my time...