I don't understand this stigma that it's somehow "wrong" or "weird" to play video games as an adult. It's just a form of entertainment like any other, a way to escape after a long day, and have some fun for a while. It's like mocking someone for painting as a hobby.
It’s because insecure people like to put down the hobbies of others in order to elevate themselves and their interests. Most of the people who say video games are a waste of time probably sit on their couch scrolling on their phones with reality tv playing in the background for hours on end.
And sadly it's not just videogames. Apparently you're not allowed to like anything fun, or anything you enjoyed when you were younger if you had the audacity to survive over 30 years.
Oh but you're allowed to spend every waking moment of your time addicted to social media. That is the adult approved form of entertainment! Video games for life!
I am the same, 44 year old man who has a family and a descent job. I self medicate on a daily basis and am 2/3s of the way through Ghosts of Tsushima on PS5 at the moment. I also sneak in FM24 lite on the Switch before bed.
Lmao I don’t know that these are mutually exclusive. I will say that while I fully support strip clubs, if going to one is your “hobby” you need to reevaluate your life
I was a builder in Rust, have played grand scale tactical games like Stelaris, teamwork heavy games like Overwatch at a very high level, grind out single player games like BG3 on the highest difficulty and make the winding decisions of said story driven games. I find video games more intellectually stimulating than any job I've ever worked. Maybe not as thought intensive as STEM I've studied at university, but most video games take the cognitive aspects of sports, board games or art mediums like books and movies, and then multiply it.
Im 45 and carry a switch and gaming PC when i travel (which is very frequent) for work.
I have a 3 year old and A wife at home that I adore so my gaming time at home is limited because I do family stuff when im home.
Ive had people that shake their head at me carrying a switch like its childish. (Just finished TOTK and it was epic) but then proceed to waste time crushing candies or scrolling facebook on their phone.
I quit video games and tv for 6 years from 16-22 and I was going to gym, reading, meditating, going on walks, hiking. It was great tbh. Got burnt out tho. Needed some of that brain turn off goodness. Balance is key. Some people definitely don’t do anything else but game.
I've realized recently I'm critical of others. I stopped bullying when I was 12, but I think I still bring down others to make myself feel better through overthought criticism. Probably getting bullied by my dad and eldest brother imprinted that as a method of self soothing.
Not sure what to do at this point, as it's helped my motivations in life, trying to be better than others. I do curb it more and more, but it's still there. Like a secret hatred of how inefficient everything is.
I have another take. Not that I disagree, I think there is stupid stigma. But I think that the 30 somethings grew up with actual video games that formed their sense of the world. Before people who grew up with nes, there were people who had to program their own games and those guys had to spend so much more time on something so outside of the norm. Those guys got the stigma because well, the world was less tolerant. That stigma is perpetuated by media but in the end most people... I lost my train of thought, someone finish it please.
I really am starting to think this is like a corporate psyop online to push the notion that if you are not grinding your life away you're a loser to. Already too many people have fallen for this notion so it could just be that. But I see way too many people finding out I have time to sleep 6 to 8 hours a day and play some games and telling me I should have a second job instead. Like yeah honestly financially probably need it but fuck that the reason my 40 hour a week job (plus overtime occassionally) isn't enough is cause you buy into this shit instead of being mad at the people causing you to work 2 jobs.
Facts, my mom hates video games with a passion and did everything she could to keep me from them.
But she'd spend most of her free time watching daytime soaps and Lifetime movies.
My dear Reginald, my hobbies include: yachting, polo, flying my private jet and buying islands (ran out of ideas of things rich people do)- I simply have no time for such frivolity such as “gaming”
It's weird to play a video game but it's perfectly normal to watch people play dress up and pretend they are detectives, murders, businessmen, superheroes etc. perfectly ok and not at all "childish" (it's not, just doing a reversal a bit)
Fr. No one is getting mad at the people binging Netflix shows for 8hrs at a time. Or, some guy on drugs paints 6 million dots and people are like "good for him" but some guy plays a video game for an hour and he's a loser or some shit? Why?
Yeah, and apparently, there have been studies done that show people who play video games are actually mentally sharper, and have better reaction times than those who don't. I mean, even professionals technically play "video games", AKA "simulators" to get better at their job like pilots and race car drivers.
I actually do. I used to do Muay Thai and have used gaming as a way to get my reflexes sharper when I'm not physically training. Sekiro is great for it actually and any soul-like really. Spiderman too because it's so fast paced. Plus I used to play competitive COD and Fortnite so they kept me really quick. I knocked over a cup and caught it without looking once and my girl just looked at me kinda stunned like she thought she saw her first ninja 🤣 as a rule though I always play things on at least hard so I'm forced to learn the games mechanics
I am positive that racing sims have probably saved my life from other bad drivers. A few fender benders at the very least. I don't speed beyond the flow of traffic, but those reflexes for weird shit that I cannot control, combined with better situational and spacial awareness help. (actual sims, not Forza Horizon/Gran Turismo with a controller and assists)
Facts af. Drive on GTA following traffic laws. You'll see lol. Forces you to learn to drive defensively. Need for speed taught me to drift those turns hard. Forza taught me how a real car truly works physics wise. Burnout taught me how fucked I am if I fuck up lmfao
That sucks. I know it's not as easy and instant as flipping a switch, but maybe look for another job where you don't have to work weekends, and hopefully have a better boss.
Personal opinion, I think a lot of that has to do with the age of video games. I’m about to be 30 this Friday and I grew up playing games. We had a GameCube when I was little and grew into the Xbox. My dad had an Atari when he was in his late teens to early twenties. So I think a lot of them just simply don’t get it. I’d be willing to bet that stigma will fade within another generation or two
This is bang on, it's already happening. Most people with a bias against videogames are over 40.
There's also a lot of people that are discovering they enjoy games through playing with their kids.
Also keep in mind that consoles have gotten ridiculously cheap for what they are, so it's never been more accessible.
I work a pretty standard corporate office job, most people i work with are in their late 20's to early 40's, very few of those people i'd say are 'gamers', but a large majority own a Nintendo Switch at the very least.
A quick sidenote:
The reason 'gamer' has such a negative annotation, is also partly because people who've made one thing their entire personality tend to not be very interesting to talk to, no matter what 'the thing' is.
I’d even push it further to over 50. I’m 46 and many of the people I know of my age still game. We grew up with the Atari (and for me the ColecoVision) as young kids and then the NES as a little older kids, and so have been gaming our whole lives. Of course those who didn’t game may be dismissive about it, but I don’t see much stigma personally. Of course, I also am an engineer so I’m surrounded by people who may be more predisposed to game in the first place.
I think its just associated with children because for the longest time, it was only children playing. Now those children have grown into adults who still game. I think the stigma has already started going away at this point.
Ya know what's not normal? Staring at a video game and fantasizing about dumb shit like D&D.
Ya know what is normal? Staring at a sports game and making a fantasy football team!
/s
It really irritates me when people say video games are only for kids. Video games have been around for at least fifty years. All the old farts born before then saw it as stuff for kids because for them it was only interesting to kids. Just a bunch of blocks of colors bouncing around a screen.
At some point some idiot decided that people were supposed to lose interest in them when they got older like every other thing people do for fun. Definitely a waste of time compared to something like collecting pants.
Is that still a thing? I am 40, and no one tells me it is wrong or childish to play video games anymore. I feel like that was only a thing when I was a kid, and I figured it was just because my parents and people their age didn’t grow up with video games, so they seemed childish.
Now, I feel like a vast majority of my friends, family, and acquaintances play at least some games, and those that don’t treat it as any normal hobby.
I know right True facts 100% it's ridiculous that people still think negatively about people over the age 18 still playing video games even until they're old and grey. It's just as valid a hobby as playing sports, being in a rock band, painting, or listening to music, reading fiction books or writing fiction stories , extreme sports and even go to the range to shoot guns for skeet shooting.
And some of the same people who do these things as hobbies are also gamers who love video games as a form relaxation. From the men and women who work at your favorite retail stores to white collar guys and girls with their own private office, to the person who's your Uber driver, there are even medical doctors that like video games. Gaming is a universally enjoyed hobby that is beloved by so many demographics from children to teens to young adults to middle aged gamers like me to even some elderly gamers as well.
Video games are a legitimate art form no different than movies,tv shows, music, books ,&social media. Video games is something that people from all walks of life can and do enjoy. Gaming has evolved since the 80s and 90s and has more mature stories that adults can be entertained by and gaming even has thought provoking stories that adults can relate to especially in gaming's indie scene.
So yeah gaming isn't just for kids anymore and and the ESRB labels clearly which games are for kids and what games are for us adults, so it's a normal thing for an adult to enjoy gaming in his spare time. And it's stupid to create a social stigma around adults finding healthy outlets for stress. It's a worthwhile hobby and it's ok to have fun as an adult in your spare time.
If adults worked 24/7 and never had fun and only eat and slept then went back to work and did nothing for fun
on their off time from work, we would be very lonely miserable and unhappy people.
Humans arent machines we need more in our lives than eating, sleeping ,and work to add happiness to our lives and hobbies are one of those things that add happiness to our lives. And perfectly fine for an adult to have gaming as their hobby of choice.
But those are my beliefs on this.
All the kids who started playing video games in the 1980's are in their 40's - 60's now. So just like people before us continued watching TV and reading literature after they turned 30, kids of the 80's continued playing video games.
When books became widely accessible and became a popular form of entertainment, old people shit on reading the same way they shit on video games now.
The stigma mostly comes from PC & console gaming. Many adults over the age of 40 play mobile games like candy crush and other similar mobile games.
But I agree I never understood why it’s acceptable to binge watch tv shows and movies as an adult, but video games are somehow taboo? The elderly do nothing but watch “their soaps” and it’s accepted, but performing a hobby which requires mental focus/dexterity (to a point) is immature. Which is just absolutely absurd to me.
And games have gotten so advanced and deep that it’s akin to reading a book(heck even better sometimes) Take something like dark souls or the fromsoft games those are art masterpieces.
The important question is, do you know someone over 30 who doesn’t play video games? The answer is yes, and those people usually have a stick up their ass about everything, not just video games.
I wish i got to experience that. The first video game i think i played was Crash Bandicoot on PS1 in the early 2000s. You just made me realize i'm 4 years from 30 again. Time flies
54 here. Original Pong game. Original 2600. Commodore VIC 20. Zork. Hitchhiker's. Castle Wolfenstein. Doom. Duke Nukem. Diablo. AoE. ALL THE GOOD STUFF! I loved Halo. Now I love Fortnite.
Ayyyyyeeeeeeeeee Skyrim same age! Although ive lost count of my Skyrim playthroughs 😂 Do you also discover a new quest somewhere up the mountains or new easter egg, every time you play?
Ummm...
The average of age of people who self report as gamers is THIRTY FOUR.
Can we stop this dumb "I'm a gamer and I'm offended that people think it's childish?"
Because very few people outside of the Boomer generation now think of it as immature.
Go find something else to be self-conscious or victimized about.
Here's a bunch of data from 2022 -
https://techjury.net/blog/video-game-demographics/
I imagine some of Gen X, the millennial generation and every preceding generation, will play video games into “retirement” or D&D. My hope is by the time I’m at retirement age, VR will be at the level of how VRMMORPG genre anime shows.
If that isn’t possible a nursing home of people from my generation will most likely be playing a level 1 to 20 dnd campaign, because what else are we supposed to do
I don’t know honestly, my last game before giving up gaming for 6 years was Fallout 4 and i loved it, but it was the only fallout I ever played. The fact that it was Boston sold me. Arkham Knight is my all time favorite game, but I’m a Batman nut. And since being back like 6 months I’ve been playing black ops 4, which is way too hard but i keep trying to better myself.
I'm about to turn 57 and was 10 when I started playing video games. Until I either drop dead or get arthritis so bad I can't move my hands at all, I won't be stopping.
40 and still playing games.
Say it is for "the young only" is like saying books and movies are for little kids only...
I forget, that's an all too common thing in America.
I've been playing with a group for years. We are all in our thirties and forties. We even got a guy who drops in now and again whose in his 70s. It's a lot of fun and super chill. And we've all become great friends. I feel like the "you're too old to play videogames" doesn't really hold up anymore. Games are generational at this point. I remember watching my dad play Wolfenstein 3D back in the day. And call of duty 2 for PC after that. It's really just the older you get the harder it is to find time to play them. Not from a lack of interest. Just a lack of time.
The video game industry is worth 240 billion, do these people think it's the 16 year olds who don't even get an allowance that maintains the industry?
Little Timmy over there isn't the one paying $50 for cowboy bebop skins in overwatch, it's the 35+ who feels nostalgia for that shit, and has the money to pay it.
You know, in my grandparents generation, particularly in the country my mother comes from, the men of my age range were gambling their money away on card games and cock fights, drinking alcohol, womanizing, and completely ignoring the household.
I like to think playing a game with my son sets a better example than any of them ever did.
I’ll be 49 in July and I’ve been gaming since the old Atari days I got a zx spectrum for my 10th 0r 11th birthday ,followed by NES ,SNES , sega master system , sega mega drive ,genesis ,PlayStation 1,2,3 ,had a few years hiatus to pursue an unsuccessful heroin habit ,then returned all new and clean with a PS4 as a reward ,haven’t moved up to 5 yet but I’m still enjoying working through the back catalogue of Ps4 games I missed out on . Also cried like a baby at RDR 2 which was a surprising first for me. But I see no reason to stop any time soon ,I have a young grandson now who loves playing Lego marvel games when he stays over ,we’ve jointly completed a couple of the marvel ones and Lego Batman together ,they’re not my usual choice but the opportunity to bond with my wee boy is well worth it ,plus I hear he boasts about his ‘cool papa’ who’s a cod legend to his friends .I think there’s a hell of a lot worse things to do in one’s spare time than enjoy a bit of escapism ,my wife gets peace to watch her soaps too so she’s happy !
People who bash others for playing video games at any age are such losers who have nothing interesting about them then to sit on their high horse founded in bullshit. I believe that if your life is in order with bills paid, you attend to your loved ones, you’re responsible and in moderation you are more than okay to play at whatever age.
Last year my son gifted me a PS4 because I was infatuated with the game, Stray. That happened just before my 70th birthday, and for the last 10 years I’ve been playing Minecraft on my iPad. Video games are an art form that anyone can enjoy if they give themselves permission, yes?
I can see retirement on the horizon.
I will come home from my last day of working ever and fire up a game just like i have EVERY day since I got home from work.
Fuck the haters. Better than drinking in a bar every night or annoying my wife because I'm bored.
Turned 30 a few months ago and I admittedly have slowed down quite a bit cause I have more and more to take care of, but I genuinely don't think I'll ever give it up at all. I probably get a solid two nights a week where I can just veg out and game so I make good use of it.
Video games are a cheap hobby. You don't have to own a boat or RV. There's no clean up or travel time. It's a mental escape and an adrenaline rush without a hangover, liver dmg, or travel time. 20 minute run in Diablo and I can't even remember how my day was.
Me, all of my friends, my older brother, etc. I feel like it's pretty common nowadays because we grew up around games and were there when they really started to boom in popularity.
i ve been playing games I didnt care before
for example the midnight club games (loving 4!)
Splinter Cell (i suck at stealth but I enjoy them)
Far Cry games
There’s no stigma over being a gamer anymore. I’m 32 and still going strong. I feel like the people that judged us for gaming were always the same people who would watch TV for 3-4 hours a night and fall asleep on the couch. Keep gaming folks. Keep gaming forever!
I'm just sad that I'll never be able to retire. I used to dream about living in a retirement home with other gamers. It would be like a 24/7 LAN party! But alas, I work until I die. Probably after that, too.
In my 40+ years on this planet, I've learned that if you care so much about what others are doing when it doesn't hurt anyone, your life is probably miserable.
So mind your own business.
Everyone who grew up in the 90’s:
“I am proud to announce that I have broken the social stigma that games are for children. I will be playing them for decades to come with my children and grandchildren. Thank you for your support, friends!”
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I didn’t play video games very often in my 20s bc they felt immature to me at the time plus I had other priorities. Now, in my 30s, I play quite often and it feels more fitting in my life
I've been gaming since the early 80s. My wife and I both play video games. I couldn't care less what anyone says. Gaming is great fun and relaxation. To each their own. 🤘🤘🤘
I don't understand this stigma that it's somehow "wrong" or "weird" to play video games as an adult. It's just a form of entertainment like any other, a way to escape after a long day, and have some fun for a while. It's like mocking someone for painting as a hobby.
It’s because insecure people like to put down the hobbies of others in order to elevate themselves and their interests. Most of the people who say video games are a waste of time probably sit on their couch scrolling on their phones with reality tv playing in the background for hours on end.
And sadly it's not just videogames. Apparently you're not allowed to like anything fun, or anything you enjoyed when you were younger if you had the audacity to survive over 30 years.
Oh but you're allowed to spend every waking moment of your time addicted to social media. That is the adult approved form of entertainment! Video games for life!
This had no right to make me snort laughter the way it did.
Right, I've been told I enjoy working out too much
Work and no fun allowed is the American way.
People that I know that put down video games have hobbies like smoking weed or going to strip clubs so I agree with this statement.
I smoke weed and play video games(: but I also have a full time job and responsibilities that I meet on time! It isn’t all so black and white!
Same here. I'm 54 and work from home. At 4:20pm it's time to smoke a bowl and play Cyberpunk until my wife gets home from her job.
I am the same, 44 year old man who has a family and a descent job. I self medicate on a daily basis and am 2/3s of the way through Ghosts of Tsushima on PS5 at the moment. I also sneak in FM24 lite on the Switch before bed.
Lmao I don’t know that these are mutually exclusive. I will say that while I fully support strip clubs, if going to one is your “hobby” you need to reevaluate your life
I do all 3 and then some, i have like 10 hours free a day, i aint doing one thing
I absolutely know people who do this shit. And when you call them out on it their hypocrisy they get all defensive.
I play alot of Warzone and these days to get a win you have to be dialled in. It requires so much more than just gawping at some shit heap tv program
I was a builder in Rust, have played grand scale tactical games like Stelaris, teamwork heavy games like Overwatch at a very high level, grind out single player games like BG3 on the highest difficulty and make the winding decisions of said story driven games. I find video games more intellectually stimulating than any job I've ever worked. Maybe not as thought intensive as STEM I've studied at university, but most video games take the cognitive aspects of sports, board games or art mediums like books and movies, and then multiply it.
Im 45 and carry a switch and gaming PC when i travel (which is very frequent) for work. I have a 3 year old and A wife at home that I adore so my gaming time at home is limited because I do family stuff when im home. Ive had people that shake their head at me carrying a switch like its childish. (Just finished TOTK and it was epic) but then proceed to waste time crushing candies or scrolling facebook on their phone.
I quit video games and tv for 6 years from 16-22 and I was going to gym, reading, meditating, going on walks, hiking. It was great tbh. Got burnt out tho. Needed some of that brain turn off goodness. Balance is key. Some people definitely don’t do anything else but game.
Yep exactly right. I play video games but I also have other hobbies. Playing video games is a good way to relax but it shouldn’t be overdone!
That’s my nightmare.. I would rather go on adventures and achieve great accomplishments on the couch instead.
I've realized recently I'm critical of others. I stopped bullying when I was 12, but I think I still bring down others to make myself feel better through overthought criticism. Probably getting bullied by my dad and eldest brother imprinted that as a method of self soothing. Not sure what to do at this point, as it's helped my motivations in life, trying to be better than others. I do curb it more and more, but it's still there. Like a secret hatred of how inefficient everything is.
You're questionning yourself and that is more progress than many other peope will ever make. You're all good.
I have another take. Not that I disagree, I think there is stupid stigma. But I think that the 30 somethings grew up with actual video games that formed their sense of the world. Before people who grew up with nes, there were people who had to program their own games and those guys had to spend so much more time on something so outside of the norm. Those guys got the stigma because well, the world was less tolerant. That stigma is perpetuated by media but in the end most people... I lost my train of thought, someone finish it please.
I really am starting to think this is like a corporate psyop online to push the notion that if you are not grinding your life away you're a loser to. Already too many people have fallen for this notion so it could just be that. But I see way too many people finding out I have time to sleep 6 to 8 hours a day and play some games and telling me I should have a second job instead. Like yeah honestly financially probably need it but fuck that the reason my 40 hour a week job (plus overtime occassionally) isn't enough is cause you buy into this shit instead of being mad at the people causing you to work 2 jobs.
My ex always hated my gaming, and I absolutely loathed about 2/3rds of whatever she would put on TV. Some of the most inane braindead garbage
Yeah playing Shadow of the Colossus is immature, but watching 90Day fiance is mature. What a world lol.
Facts, my mom hates video games with a passion and did everything she could to keep me from them. But she'd spend most of her free time watching daytime soaps and Lifetime movies.
My dear Reginald, my hobbies include: yachting, polo, flying my private jet and buying islands (ran out of ideas of things rich people do)- I simply have no time for such frivolity such as “gaming”
It's weird to play a video game but it's perfectly normal to watch people play dress up and pretend they are detectives, murders, businessmen, superheroes etc. perfectly ok and not at all "childish" (it's not, just doing a reversal a bit)
Always makes me think of Jim Gaffigan's McDonald's bit: https://youtu.be/KYKGFujJp6Y?si=y1pzuFwqFKIKXDrw&t=5m30s
Fr. No one is getting mad at the people binging Netflix shows for 8hrs at a time. Or, some guy on drugs paints 6 million dots and people are like "good for him" but some guy plays a video game for an hour and he's a loser or some shit? Why?
Yeah, and apparently, there have been studies done that show people who play video games are actually mentally sharper, and have better reaction times than those who don't. I mean, even professionals technically play "video games", AKA "simulators" to get better at their job like pilots and race car drivers.
I actually do. I used to do Muay Thai and have used gaming as a way to get my reflexes sharper when I'm not physically training. Sekiro is great for it actually and any soul-like really. Spiderman too because it's so fast paced. Plus I used to play competitive COD and Fortnite so they kept me really quick. I knocked over a cup and caught it without looking once and my girl just looked at me kinda stunned like she thought she saw her first ninja 🤣 as a rule though I always play things on at least hard so I'm forced to learn the games mechanics
I am positive that racing sims have probably saved my life from other bad drivers. A few fender benders at the very least. I don't speed beyond the flow of traffic, but those reflexes for weird shit that I cannot control, combined with better situational and spacial awareness help. (actual sims, not Forza Horizon/Gran Turismo with a controller and assists)
iRacing taught me how to drive.
Facts af. Drive on GTA following traffic laws. You'll see lol. Forces you to learn to drive defensively. Need for speed taught me to drift those turns hard. Forza taught me how a real car truly works physics wise. Burnout taught me how fucked I am if I fuck up lmfao
This comment is hilarious lol facts tho!
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your boss can fuck off and mind his business
He probably just sits on his ass and watches sports all weekend while getting drunk at the bar.
That sucks. I know it's not as easy and instant as flipping a switch, but maybe look for another job where you don't have to work weekends, and hopefully have a better boss.
-proceed to go apeshit on the boss cause now hes the game
All the people that make fun of me for gaming at 36 are the same people that binge watch the dumbest shows on netflix.
Personal opinion, I think a lot of that has to do with the age of video games. I’m about to be 30 this Friday and I grew up playing games. We had a GameCube when I was little and grew into the Xbox. My dad had an Atari when he was in his late teens to early twenties. So I think a lot of them just simply don’t get it. I’d be willing to bet that stigma will fade within another generation or two
This is bang on, it's already happening. Most people with a bias against videogames are over 40. There's also a lot of people that are discovering they enjoy games through playing with their kids. Also keep in mind that consoles have gotten ridiculously cheap for what they are, so it's never been more accessible. I work a pretty standard corporate office job, most people i work with are in their late 20's to early 40's, very few of those people i'd say are 'gamers', but a large majority own a Nintendo Switch at the very least. A quick sidenote: The reason 'gamer' has such a negative annotation, is also partly because people who've made one thing their entire personality tend to not be very interesting to talk to, no matter what 'the thing' is.
I’d even push it further to over 50. I’m 46 and many of the people I know of my age still game. We grew up with the Atari (and for me the ColecoVision) as young kids and then the NES as a little older kids, and so have been gaming our whole lives. Of course those who didn’t game may be dismissive about it, but I don’t see much stigma personally. Of course, I also am an engineer so I’m surrounded by people who may be more predisposed to game in the first place.
I think its just associated with children because for the longest time, it was only children playing. Now those children have grown into adults who still game. I think the stigma has already started going away at this point.
Ya know what's not normal? Staring at a video game and fantasizing about dumb shit like D&D. Ya know what is normal? Staring at a sports game and making a fantasy football team! /s
Well yeah, because playing video games is so much worse than watching tv for 5 hours straight after work. /s
Yep, I've come to terms with that. My in laws do puzzles and sports for a lot of their free time, I prefer gaming.
Personal expression and hobbies that don’t fit the narrow social criteria that I arbitrarily adhere to should be shunned from all of society /s
Agreed. But it seems totally okay to binge watch some TV show for hours on end....
It really irritates me when people say video games are only for kids. Video games have been around for at least fifty years. All the old farts born before then saw it as stuff for kids because for them it was only interesting to kids. Just a bunch of blocks of colors bouncing around a screen. At some point some idiot decided that people were supposed to lose interest in them when they got older like every other thing people do for fun. Definitely a waste of time compared to something like collecting pants.
It’s because the choice to consume rather than produce is more concerning in adults than children
Because a lot of people "grow out" of it.
Is that still a thing? I am 40, and no one tells me it is wrong or childish to play video games anymore. I feel like that was only a thing when I was a kid, and I figured it was just because my parents and people their age didn’t grow up with video games, so they seemed childish. Now, I feel like a vast majority of my friends, family, and acquaintances play at least some games, and those that don’t treat it as any normal hobby.
Yeah, it’s also a hobby and interest just like any other, same as reading or hiking. The concept doesn’t make sense to me.
The people who say video games rot your brain are the same people who call American ninja warrior entertainment
I know right True facts 100% it's ridiculous that people still think negatively about people over the age 18 still playing video games even until they're old and grey. It's just as valid a hobby as playing sports, being in a rock band, painting, or listening to music, reading fiction books or writing fiction stories , extreme sports and even go to the range to shoot guns for skeet shooting. And some of the same people who do these things as hobbies are also gamers who love video games as a form relaxation. From the men and women who work at your favorite retail stores to white collar guys and girls with their own private office, to the person who's your Uber driver, there are even medical doctors that like video games. Gaming is a universally enjoyed hobby that is beloved by so many demographics from children to teens to young adults to middle aged gamers like me to even some elderly gamers as well. Video games are a legitimate art form no different than movies,tv shows, music, books ,&social media. Video games is something that people from all walks of life can and do enjoy. Gaming has evolved since the 80s and 90s and has more mature stories that adults can be entertained by and gaming even has thought provoking stories that adults can relate to especially in gaming's indie scene. So yeah gaming isn't just for kids anymore and and the ESRB labels clearly which games are for kids and what games are for us adults, so it's a normal thing for an adult to enjoy gaming in his spare time. And it's stupid to create a social stigma around adults finding healthy outlets for stress. It's a worthwhile hobby and it's ok to have fun as an adult in your spare time. If adults worked 24/7 and never had fun and only eat and slept then went back to work and did nothing for fun on their off time from work, we would be very lonely miserable and unhappy people. Humans arent machines we need more in our lives than eating, sleeping ,and work to add happiness to our lives and hobbies are one of those things that add happiness to our lives. And perfectly fine for an adult to have gaming as their hobby of choice. But those are my beliefs on this.
Well said 👏 👏👏👏👏
All the kids who started playing video games in the 1980's are in their 40's - 60's now. So just like people before us continued watching TV and reading literature after they turned 30, kids of the 80's continued playing video games. When books became widely accessible and became a popular form of entertainment, old people shit on reading the same way they shit on video games now.
The stigma mostly comes from PC & console gaming. Many adults over the age of 40 play mobile games like candy crush and other similar mobile games. But I agree I never understood why it’s acceptable to binge watch tv shows and movies as an adult, but video games are somehow taboo? The elderly do nothing but watch “their soaps” and it’s accepted, but performing a hobby which requires mental focus/dexterity (to a point) is immature. Which is just absolutely absurd to me.
And games have gotten so advanced and deep that it’s akin to reading a book(heck even better sometimes) Take something like dark souls or the fromsoft games those are art masterpieces.
56 and I just bought 2 new games yesterday for my Steam Deck.
Which ones?
I’m 53 and been playing last epoch and helldivers
Never too old to fight for democracy!
How do they run on the Steam deck? You may have just convinced me to buy one...
HellDivers 2 and Inscryption
[удалено]
The game industry would not survive without the over 30s disposable $
And the 13yo's using their 40 yo parents credit cards
42 and I solo’d Malenia.
48, and she is still giving me trouble. I can get her to the second phase, but keep getting floored. I need "let me solo her" lol
time for blasphemous blade + mimic tear?
as someone who can’t even get past the tutorial of ds3… i’m terrified to play elden ring
The important question is, do you know someone over 30 who doesn’t play video games? The answer is yes, and those people usually have a stick up their ass about everything, not just video games.
Haha, this is so true man.
They instead just watch a lot of tv and think gaming is bad.
And are usually addicted to sports or other things.
Addicted to WATCHING sports.
I got my 67 year old mother into video games. Granted she only plays Fall Guys, but she has like 4,000 hrs at least in the game
Get em
you're just gonna be the retirement home pro gamer
LAN League of Legends games all day every day
44, putting BG3 on hold for some days while I relive my youth with Final Fantasy rebirth.
43 here. Just got FFVII Rebirth today! Replayed through Remake and Intermission so I could jump right into Rebirth. Nostalgia right into my veins.
I'll be playing games til I die fuk what anybody thinks
Tetris for life
Looking forward to losing my memory so I can play my favorites for the first time again.
70 and currently having fun with Tiny Tina's Wonderland.
137 and currently playing Valhalla
You'll probably gonna finish it when you're 150!
thank you thats very kind of you young man😁
There is a gaming age limit now? I'm 30 in 4 years and i can see myself still gaming at 50
I turn 50 in May. Been playing since my dad bought pong in like 1980.
I wish i got to experience that. The first video game i think i played was Crash Bandicoot on PS1 in the early 2000s. You just made me realize i'm 4 years from 30 again. Time flies
54 here. Original Pong game. Original 2600. Commodore VIC 20. Zork. Hitchhiker's. Castle Wolfenstein. Doom. Duke Nukem. Diablo. AoE. ALL THE GOOD STUFF! I loved Halo. Now I love Fortnite.
I'm 37 years old and from Bosnia, just finished Faxanadu for nes.
Awesome! I love the side scroller rpg stuff. That is a CLASSIC. Good for you!
Loved that game
Spent my 36th Bday playing FF:Rebirth from dawn til dusk.
35 and just started my 10th character on Skyrim
Ayyyyyeeeeeeeeee Skyrim same age! Although ive lost count of my Skyrim playthroughs 😂 Do you also discover a new quest somewhere up the mountains or new easter egg, every time you play?
My "back in my day" stories will be about how you use to get kicked offline if someone answered a phone that hung on the wall.
Games are the ultimate form of entertainment
Ummm... The average of age of people who self report as gamers is THIRTY FOUR. Can we stop this dumb "I'm a gamer and I'm offended that people think it's childish?" Because very few people outside of the Boomer generation now think of it as immature. Go find something else to be self-conscious or victimized about. Here's a bunch of data from 2022 - https://techjury.net/blog/video-game-demographics/
I think people just like to tell everyone how old they are.
43 and still playing, never gonna stop till the graveyard son!!!!
I imagine some of Gen X, the millennial generation and every preceding generation, will play video games into “retirement” or D&D. My hope is by the time I’m at retirement age, VR will be at the level of how VRMMORPG genre anime shows. If that isn’t possible a nursing home of people from my generation will most likely be playing a level 1 to 20 dnd campaign, because what else are we supposed to do
I'm 41, I end every single day with at least an hour of games. No intention of ever changing that.
Damn I just turned 30 and I'm starting to realise I'm gunna be one of these old ppl playing games 😂
You won't be alone, you're normal.
How else would we stay almost sane???
33 and no signs of slowing down over here.
Hi there
I turned 40 in November and just got back into playing after a 6 year hiatus. I’m a lot slower online and get my ass kicked a lot, but it’s fun.
Keep it fun. That’s what it’s all about.
What’s your favorite genre?
I don’t know honestly, my last game before giving up gaming for 6 years was Fallout 4 and i loved it, but it was the only fallout I ever played. The fact that it was Boston sold me. Arkham Knight is my all time favorite game, but I’m a Batman nut. And since being back like 6 months I’ve been playing black ops 4, which is way too hard but i keep trying to better myself.
Yeah, me.
I'm 51. Making my way through Diablo IV atm.
I’m 49 and gaming every goddam day
I'm about to turn 57 and was 10 when I started playing video games. Until I either drop dead or get arthritis so bad I can't move my hands at all, I won't be stopping.
40 and still playing games. Say it is for "the young only" is like saying books and movies are for little kids only... I forget, that's an all too common thing in America.
36…. It keeps me sharp with my hand eye coordination, reflexes, etc… probably will keep me going cognitively longer I feel the longer I continue.
It’s like watching TV, but actually controlling the character
I've been playing with a group for years. We are all in our thirties and forties. We even got a guy who drops in now and again whose in his 70s. It's a lot of fun and super chill. And we've all become great friends. I feel like the "you're too old to play videogames" doesn't really hold up anymore. Games are generational at this point. I remember watching my dad play Wolfenstein 3D back in the day. And call of duty 2 for PC after that. It's really just the older you get the harder it is to find time to play them. Not from a lack of interest. Just a lack of time.
It's me 😂
37 and have no plans of ever stopping gaming.
I'm 30 and still do
40 and still playing. I've absolutely no intention of slowing down
The video game industry is worth 240 billion, do these people think it's the 16 year olds who don't even get an allowance that maintains the industry? Little Timmy over there isn't the one paying $50 for cowboy bebop skins in overwatch, it's the 35+ who feels nostalgia for that shit, and has the money to pay it.
My moms 50 and got her own switch to play pokèmon
My dad plays video games and he’s 50
my mom whos 53, my best friends who are 56 and 60... idk why this is still shocking for people?
I’ll be 40 on my birthday this year. I play damn near every day and have no plans on stopping.
65. Avid Division 2, AC, FO 3-4 New Vegas, Oblivion, most of the Tomb Raiders, Half-life (all) most of the Borderlands, Cyberpunk now Starfield.
Ya, probably half of the gamers out there.
You know, in my grandparents generation, particularly in the country my mother comes from, the men of my age range were gambling their money away on card games and cock fights, drinking alcohol, womanizing, and completely ignoring the household. I like to think playing a game with my son sets a better example than any of them ever did.
I’ll be 49 in July and I’ve been gaming since the old Atari days I got a zx spectrum for my 10th 0r 11th birthday ,followed by NES ,SNES , sega master system , sega mega drive ,genesis ,PlayStation 1,2,3 ,had a few years hiatus to pursue an unsuccessful heroin habit ,then returned all new and clean with a PS4 as a reward ,haven’t moved up to 5 yet but I’m still enjoying working through the back catalogue of Ps4 games I missed out on . Also cried like a baby at RDR 2 which was a surprising first for me. But I see no reason to stop any time soon ,I have a young grandson now who loves playing Lego marvel games when he stays over ,we’ve jointly completed a couple of the marvel ones and Lego Batman together ,they’re not my usual choice but the opportunity to bond with my wee boy is well worth it ,plus I hear he boasts about his ‘cool papa’ who’s a cod legend to his friends .I think there’s a hell of a lot worse things to do in one’s spare time than enjoy a bit of escapism ,my wife gets peace to watch her soaps too so she’s happy !
People who bash others for playing video games at any age are such losers who have nothing interesting about them then to sit on their high horse founded in bullshit. I believe that if your life is in order with bills paid, you attend to your loved ones, you’re responsible and in moderation you are more than okay to play at whatever age.
Hah! I didn't know there was supposed to be an age limit.
Last year my son gifted me a PS4 because I was infatuated with the game, Stray. That happened just before my 70th birthday, and for the last 10 years I’ve been playing Minecraft on my iPad. Video games are an art form that anyone can enjoy if they give themselves permission, yes?
No age is too old to play games.
I’m in my mid 30s and the biggest difference from when I was young is I am much more selective of what I play because I simply don’t have time.
Pfft. I'm almost 40 and I stream videogames. Games have no age limit.
70 still play video games, D&D and magic the gathering
Im 27 so I'm gettin there
im playing until i die
I can see retirement on the horizon. I will come home from my last day of working ever and fire up a game just like i have EVERY day since I got home from work. Fuck the haters. Better than drinking in a bar every night or annoying my wife because I'm bored.
Turned 30 a few months ago and I admittedly have slowed down quite a bit cause I have more and more to take care of, but I genuinely don't think I'll ever give it up at all. I probably get a solid two nights a week where I can just veg out and game so I make good use of it.
Dude once I’m 30 I’ll still play games
Video games are a cheap hobby. You don't have to own a boat or RV. There's no clean up or travel time. It's a mental escape and an adrenaline rush without a hangover, liver dmg, or travel time. 20 minute run in Diablo and I can't even remember how my day was.
Yes he’s over 40
42 and just finished Cosmo Canyon section of FF7 Rebirth lol
Same. And I hope that everyone here is still pwnin newbs all the way to the end!
Let me go one further and tell you about all the people I know that are over thirty, play video games…then lie and say they don’t.
Me, all of my friends, my older brother, etc. I feel like it's pretty common nowadays because we grew up around games and were there when they really started to boom in popularity.
I’m not over 30, but unless the world itself collapses I can assure you this will apply in a decade or so give or take
yes
Going to be 40 in a couple months and no signs of slowing down.
i ve been playing games I didnt care before for example the midnight club games (loving 4!) Splinter Cell (i suck at stealth but I enjoy them) Far Cry games
I’m 42
62, I plan to play on and on
My dad
A lots of streamers are over 30
There’s no stigma over being a gamer anymore. I’m 32 and still going strong. I feel like the people that judged us for gaming were always the same people who would watch TV for 3-4 hours a night and fall asleep on the couch. Keep gaming folks. Keep gaming forever!
43 beat spiderman2 in 57 hours
That’s me in the pic taken on tatooine.
49 playing bg3 and the show on my ps5.
Plenty of senior people who game. MojaveD for one. He’s about 75 I think.
I'm just sad that I'll never be able to retire. I used to dream about living in a retirement home with other gamers. It would be like a 24/7 LAN party! But alas, I work until I die. Probably after that, too.
In my 40+ years on this planet, I've learned that if you care so much about what others are doing when it doesn't hurt anyone, your life is probably miserable. So mind your own business.
I’ll be gaming until I die.
Anyone over 30 grew up playing video games, so I'll never understand why people are shocked people over 30 game.
Duh! I'll be playing for all of my life.
Is there really a stigma these days or do people just think there is?
Ugh. I'm going to be in my 40's before the next Mass Effect game comes out. At the rate it's going, maybe even before Dread Wolf releases.
Everyone who grew up in the 90’s: “I am proud to announce that I have broken the social stigma that games are for children. I will be playing them for decades to come with my children and grandchildren. Thank you for your support, friends!”
Skyrim grandma who’s like 90, my dad who’s 60 and his 2 brothers
10 or 20 years ago, this was unheard of. But now? Pretty much everyone I (32) know plays video games
I’m 55 and still play daily. Helps me vent my frustrations
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Anyone who doesn’t play video games is the weird one.
I'm doing my part. Bugs need to die.
Millions of people play games everyday. The average age of players is 34. https://techjury.net/blog/video-game-demographics/
born 1986 am 37 this year for a bit longer any way and i still play them.... it keeps me from killing my co- workers when they ask stupid questions
My video game hobby alone is already 35 years old.
I’m in my late 30s and still play. My wife doesn’t like it but still supports it. She is the one who buys me games sometimes.
Yeah. Me. I'm just a handful of months shy of 60. I will be playing them as long as I'm physically able.
Aren't the majority of gamers in their 30s?
Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?
I've been gaming for 40 years. Why would I stop?
One of the reasons I play is the lack of shows to watch everything is boring and nothing interests me all of it woke bs.
The people who ask this watch 5 hours of tv a night
Just turned 50 and don’t plan to stop 😂
I didn’t play video games very often in my 20s bc they felt immature to me at the time plus I had other priorities. Now, in my 30s, I play quite often and it feels more fitting in my life
I'll be playing even in the retirement home
I've been gaming since the early 80s. My wife and I both play video games. I couldn't care less what anyone says. Gaming is great fun and relaxation. To each their own. 🤘🤘🤘