"Too old" to play video games.

[VG_Addict]

As you probably know, video games are still a relatively new medium. As such, there are some who don't understand it. Some people may disregard video games as "toys", which are considered childish after a certain age, and this should stop playing them.

The point of all this is, are you ever really "too old" to be playing video games?

 

[StriderShinryu]

Nope, not at all. Tastes grow and mature over time, and there are definitely some games/genres that you may have enjoyed at certain points in your life that you won't as you get older, but games today are so rich and diverse that there literally is something for everyone. Anyone who says otherwise is, quite simply, not knowledgeable at all about the medium. No one would ever say that you get too old to watch TV or a movie, read a book or listen to music.

 

[Liquidprid3]

No offense, actually, screw the no offense. It's is one of the stupidest questions to ever ask on a gaming forum. Ever. If not the worst. We ALL know what the answer will be by everyone. There is no point in discussing something that has not only been discussed to death, but also is being asked in a forum for gamers. Of course you are never too old to be playing video games, it's obvious.

Sorry, I'm doing this out of love I guess, I'm newer to this specific forum, but I have enough experience to tell a good topic from a bad. This is bad. There is no discussion. None.

 

[Elfgore]

No, just like you're never to old for anime, legos, etc. People who claim that you can are ignorant, assholes who need to realize not everyone shares their interest or opinions on these matters.

 

[Ratty]

No offense, actually, screw the no offense. It's is one of the stupidest questions to ever ask on a gaming forum. Ever. If not the worst. We ALL know what the answer will be by everyone. There is no point in discussing something that has not only been discussed to death, but also is being asked in a forum for gamers. Of course you are never too old to be playing video games, it's obvious.

Sorry, I'm doing this out of love I guess, I'm newer to this specific forum, but I have enough experience to tell a good topic from a bad. This is bad. There is no discussion. None.

To try and mix things up, let me attempt to play the Devil's Advocate for a bit. Now, video games are a medium like books, live action or animated motion pictures. Let's assume one does not ever get "to old" to enjoy works in a given medium.


So you can't necessarily ever get too old for works in a medium. But does there come a point when sticking to low quality material (like most of the stories in the still-short history of video games) or only things with which you are familiar without ever broadening your horizons become harmful? I would say yes this is possible.

If someone only ever reads books in the science fiction genre, they're artificially restricting themselves from some great experiences. Just like people who never play any video games. Similarly, if someone only ever plays a few types of games or plays games to the exclusion of all other hobbies and experiences, that can also be "harmful" over time. Though only to the enrichment/roundedness of the individual. Again, just playing Devil's Advocate, I don't think this is a serious concern in most cases.

 

[Keoul]

You know what I see old people do all the time? Play games.
Whether it be chess in the USA or Mahjong in China (not the match the blocks that look the same mahjong, or the minecraft one) they're always playing games. Video games are just games that are digital, so really if you're never too old for games then why would you ever be too old for video games?

 

[Roxas1359]

Um no, in fact in a majority of gamers are over 18 and heck even 36+.
Gaming in general doesn't have an age and you're never too old to play games at all, whether they are board games, card games (preferably on motorcycles), or video games.

 

[Remus]

No such thing as too old. My mom uses the last of her mental energy every night playing Peggle and Zuma. Age only ever comes into play if you're a competitive online gamer. If you want to compete at all in online arenas, your reflexes need to be honed to a fine point just to keep up. That's why I like games like Red Orchestra and Tribes. Lining up your shot is far more important in those games than the speed at which you pull the trigger.

 

[Jandau]

My dad played Heroes of Might and Magic 3 and Starcraft all the way until he died at 70. So, no, I don't think age is an issue.

 

[Rose and Thorn]

I think if someone believes there is an age limit to gaming, that sucks for them.

One of the people who got me into gaming was a cousin of mine when he was in his 30's, he has had two daughters, now in his late 40's and now that they are getting a little older he bought them a console for christmas...he bought the console for his daughters, he says to me with a wink.

Mind you most people I grew up with didn't play games as it was a kids thing to do, since I was the only kid it was okay, but I got older and didn't stop playing. It is expected of some people who want to start a family to put aside gaming hours to focus on family, but that doesn't mean someone should give up playing altogether...or does that mean you shouldn't start a family? Either way.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Well, maybe.

It's something everyone needs to decide for themselves. It'd be a bit hypocritical of me to say you could never be too old to play videogames, when there's plenty of similar things that I think you can be too old for, like wearing anime T-shirts when you're over 30.

Maybe in 10 years time I will feel like I'm too old for games, but as it is now I don't think I am.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

There's no such thing as "too old" for anything (some will probably argue this), but especially fun, and playing games is supposed to be just that, fun. You have a right to enjoy how you spend your life.

 

[agent9]

I don't think you're ever too old. C.S. lewis probably said it best.

?Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.?

 

[Story]

Not sure if this was mentioned already but I also want to point out that unlike other mediums like movies and books, in the very beginning of the video game life cycle especially the Atari days video games were marketed as toys. They kinda still are. Typically, people associate toys with youth and many people assume you can be too old for those.
I think you are never too old to play video games.
Though in all honesty it's up to the individual to decide whether or not they're too old for something.

 

[GamemasterAnthony]

I don't think you're ever too old. C.S. lewis probably said it best.

?Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.?

Bravo, Mr. Lewis. I highly agree.

Being someone who has played video games since 5 (just turned 39 recently), I don't see myself ever giving up playing such because why should I? They're fun and anyone who is going to take my fun away and/or berate me for still playing them...well, allow me to introduce you to my lawyer...

Truth be told, I have to raise an eyebrow at that. Having fun is childish? Dear Gaia...if we lived in such a world, there is something fundamentally wrong with the multiverse.

 

[Exhuminator]

Society's view on video games as a medium is slowly changing. A few generations from now games will be considered an equal medium to film, music, literature, whatever. This will largely come to pass due to a class of games being made to cater to older folk's tastes and interests. Less about killing things, and more about exploring the human condition in an interactive fashion, rather than merely a reflective one.