Does the being a gamer becoming a bad thing or shameful with age?

I think the videogame industry has a lot of growing up to do. Games themselves are still often very immature or simpleminded in terms of gameplay. However, the fact that gaming can be an incredibly broad hobby and gamers are an incredibly varied bunch of people, I think a lot of it depends on personal views.

Also, as more and more children and young adults grow up with gaming as an important part of their private life ánd their social life, I think we'll see gaming as more and more a normal part of entertainment. Consoles are household names, and a lot of gamers are growing up to be gaming parents these days - something that was much less so twenty years ago.

If someone hears 'gamer' and thinks of the typical mainstream games aimed at teenagers, then I can understand there being a bit of a stigma. (For example, see gringopig's post.) But anyone who realises that there is more to gaming than just that, is - I think - more likely to think nothing of it of when someone says he's a gamer.

 

True story, around the end of 2003 I'd just turned 31, having dinner at my Mum's and she says to me "when are you going to stop playing those silly games?" ie when are you going to grow up and stop being a gamer, skip forward about 6 months to May 2004, I move to the Czech Republic to work for Bohemia Interactive, skip forward 7 months I meet Nataska who joins the company from Brazil and is now my wife, skip forward 3 years we move to Singapore, skip forward to 2008 and we move to Sweden, skip forward to now, we're both Swedish citizens and have been together 11 years this November.

All thanks to a "silly game" called Operation Flashpoint

 

I think it's becoming more accepted in general. But that said the older I get (42) the more it bothers me when I sit in front of my PC for long periods of time. But really how is it different than watching TV or movies?

 

Age is just a number.. Ha! I find it impossible to game these days. There's not enough time to get everything that needs to be done in a day to make time for it. I would like to more though. I'm averaging maybe 1-3 hours of gaming every 1-3 months. I have such a back log of games too. I installed Crysis 3 couple months ago but thats as far as I've gotten with gaming. If I get an hour of free time it usually goes to Netflix.. Or some new hot app/game on my phone. I do visit here daily while I'm on break or lunch at work. But, I have alot of hobbies too.

 

Public opinion says yes, because games are still "kid's toys". I wonder when the mainstream populous will understand that games are just another time wasting utility; no different than TV.

 

At 34, playing games since the atari 2600 I had at 5, I do not feel like I have wasted anything. I played games sure, but I also went out and did other things. Even when Final Fantasy III hit the snes I played my fair share during the day (an hour or two) then went out. My girlfriend left me in high school over Final Fantasy VII, but hey no loss it was high school for crying out loud. Now all grown and everything, I get up I go to work, I come home, spend some time with the wife, and then play a game or two. I think it is rather silly for anyone to look down on anyone's hobbies. I don't like football, I could care less about any sport for that matter, but I don't look down on anyone that does. Rule of thumb is if it makes you happy, and there is no negativity bound to it, it's good.

 

I'm 43 and I game a lot in the winter months. In the summer I will hang out at the pool or ocean and drink with my wife. In the winter, it beats watching tv. My kids are all grown this year, so I do what I want. If I want to game, I will game .....unless my wife says I need to do something else .

 

I feel no shame in being a gamer while being 32 (basically 33) years old.
It's a hobby. It's no different then sitting down, watching a movie... reading a book... enjoying sports on TV.

In this tiny little town in Kansas I have almost nobody to talk about games with face to face, but... I don't care.
I've made some truly great friends online and through games. People I consider as great a friend as people I know in my everyday life.

And, my wife actually supports my hobby.
When buying a couple games at a store a while back we were waiting in line. A lady next to us looked at what I had in my hands and then looked at my wife and said, "Funny how they can waste money on stuff like that, isn't it?" with a smile.

My wife looked at her and replied, "Waste? I'm so happy he has such a hobby. It keeps him happy, entertained... and honestly, I always know were he is. He's not out drinking at a bar or doing stupid s***. He's in the house, playing his games... and always willing to stop playing and help me.
He's not wasting anything. It's a great investment."

 

47 year old gamer here , And still remember playing PONG on the black and white telly when i could..and haven't been able to stop gaming since , There was this one time my fishing started taking up all my spare time and money.
Am always glad to get back to my PC and Game on.

PS : And have actually met some top notch people through gaming , LOVE IT.

 

http://www.theonion.com/articles/man-who-enjoys-thing-informed-he-is-wrong,7057/

Nuff said.

 

Frank Underwood plays video games, and he is the president of the united states.

 

Haha!

 

:roll:

 

The Onion is great.

 

I've been gaming since I was 6. I was raised on RPG's but I like many different genre of gaming. Never been ashamed of being a gamer, I'm just careful about who I tell sometimes.

This video helped some people I know understand "GAMERS" better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HXJLTtMIHU

 

I've been gaming for 35 odd years now and I still have a passion for it. Don't let no one tell you different. If you love it or just enjoy it, don't stop because of someone else's opinion.

 

people that play games know how to survive better then people that go to the mall on daily basic to buy shoes.

 

If you have other things you need to do in your life, you should do them before gaming. Sometimes people forget these responsibilities because we tend to go to the primary emotional trigger that makes us feel happy. If you enjoyed playing games when you were younger, you will come back to games, it made you happy.

There are different triggers for people that make them happy, could be talking to certain person, could be watching a TV series, could be playing a videogame. Videogames use more cognitive functions than just viewing and talking, especially multiplayer games, so this is the reason videogames are very popular as a trigger to make people feel happy. Everyone has different primary triggers for what makes them happy, that is usually their main past time, hobby, or activity, some people even find their jobs that trigger, that's why they are so good at it. For some of us, playing videogames is the primary trigger, that's why we play so much of them more than others.

It's worst when your life is more stressful, because you will want to go back to this trigger that makes you happy. That's why people who are more unhappy and stressed out more than others go back to the trigger more often. For example, people who take drugs, their trigger to happiness is the drug. Those who are more unhappy with their lives and stressed out will consume more drugs, like that bum living in the alleyway will consume more cocaine/crack compared to some wealthy upperclass office worker who sniffs cocaine occasionally on the weekend.

The medical term is called releasing dopa-mine, but in truth, it's a emotional feeling called happiness we are really searching for.

If you want to analyze the net gains out of videogames in terms of money, or productive skills out the games. Well, that's up to you. It's different for everyone. Some soldiers play Arma 3 or VBS to simulate war because their main career relates around being engaged in combat. I'm talking about crew operators like IFV drivers and so on. But there are those who play puzzle games just to simulate the brain. The gains on those still exist, yes games do keep your brain challenged, but if you spend more time playing a puzzle game than your job which earns you money. Then of course, you won't find a way to make more money at your job. You excel at what you spend more time on.

You have the power to choose who you want to be when you grow up. If you don't plan for it. You will allow others to do it for you, and basically grow up without realizing what you planned for yourself. Sometimes letting your emotions guide you through life isn't the best course. I myself was angry a lot when I grew up, when I used to train in several fighting classes, i found myself always using violence a lot when i was angry. The feeling of wanting to win in fighting also made me really competitive. It over took my life and made me a ******* to a lot of people. It's also very common for a lot of people who fight end up into using their violence from their careers into their personal lives like domestic abuse. Just look at a lot of boxers, many of them have tarnished reputations of beating their wives.

 

Everything in life is in moderation.
Too much of a good thing leads to waste...

Balance play and health and live prosperously.

 

I just turned 42 recently and never once did it cross my mind on that day as to just why i still game. My kids are all gamers and all own consoles, tablets, phones. My wife loves fighting games and enjoys nothing more than kicking my face in. Gaming is a household passion and we even all get together and watch E3 live every year to see what we are all to be excited about that year on pretty much every single platform there is.

If there's ever one thing she has learned about me it is purely that if I spend even just an hour or two doing that that I love ie primarily gaming whatever I do the rest of the time I do in a fashion that is all or nothing. I'm more relaxed and much more open to doing fun things. My wife and I take long country walks for hours holding hands still, my kids get to see me being silly at the park. Always making time for your passions as well as your responsibilities is the way to go. Am i thinking about gaming when doing other things? Of course I do. It's no different than playing a song you heard and enjoyed over and over in your head to me.

Gaming has helped keep both my mind and spirit feeling young and my family all see the benefits of it on pretty much a daily basis.

I game therefore I am. Great thread btw.