# Is it wrong to play video games in your 30s and up?



## rapidfox1 (Sep 13, 2010)

Is it?


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## TigerRifle1 (Jan 25, 2012)

The average age of a video game player is 35, so no its not wrong.


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## FoggyMirror (Oct 23, 2010)

May come across as childish/immature. Some people immediately relate video games to 10 year olds, guys living with mom, potheads etc. Not sure how much it helps with getting the ladies either.


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## Syndacus (Aug 9, 2011)

It's okay to play games as long as you have a career and money to keep a roof over your head, keep the wife happy, and pay the bills, who cares what people say about your leisure time.

I'll be gaming way into my senior years.


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## Talgonite (Sep 1, 2011)

As long as there are games I will play them.

I'd rather play a video game than watch overpaid athletes chase a ball around. Just saying.


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## Daft (Jan 5, 2012)

I don't think so, no. I think, and it's been said, that games are often associated with children and teens despite many of them being enjoyable and sometimes made to appeal to adults (and "adults" includes people much older than 23, even). Older gamers will probably have to be mindful of themselves at any meets, as a lot of people might see an older man playing, say, SSB with a bunch of 13-year-olds as suspicious.

Otherwise, nah. It's cheap, it's amusing, and unless you're mindlessly button-mashing for 8 hours, it's enriching.


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## minimized (Nov 17, 2007)

'Tis a mainstream industry now... not that it ever mattered what people thought, but it's the same as any other media. If you like it, have it. Like the way the amount of female gamers and "casual" gamers are going up so too are older gamers... because lots of people grew up playing them. It's every bit the same as, say, television or music. Entertainment, bonding experiences, etc. You just keep it a hobby rather than a lifestyle.


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## Ashley1990 (Aug 27, 2011)

there is nothing wrong in that whetehr u r 50 or 60 years old..its ur life..hit the bang..enjoy it....


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## matty (Nov 2, 2009)

I hope not. I am looking forward to playing video games in my future.


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## jg43i9jghy0t4555 (Jul 31, 2011)

Syndacus said:


> It's okay to play games as long as you have a career and money to keep a roof over your head, keep the wife happy, and pay the bills, who cares what people say about your leisure time.
> 
> I'll be gaming way into my senior years.


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## Whitney (Oct 2, 2008)

My boyfriend (now 26) is a pretty hard-core gamer, and sometimes it bothers me. Like right now, I'm pretty much waiting for him to get off WoW so we can watch the DVRed "Castle" from last night. 

I don't think I will ever mind him playing some, but I worry that when we have kids we will be constantly trying to get him to stop playing and spend time with the family. As long as he can always realize what is really important in his life, I won't mind it as a hobby.


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## lazy (Nov 19, 2008)

it depends on _*why *_and how you play


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## Shredder (Apr 19, 2011)

Anything that helps you to relax is fine I think... as long as your not hurting anyone.


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## semiserious (Jan 8, 2009)

It's still a bit taboo in the West, a bit less so in Asia I'd say. But yeah, like others have said, it definitely depends on how much and what you do with the rest of your time.


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## erasercrumbs (Dec 17, 2009)

If gaming was only for kids, then the video game industry wouldn't be growing at the rate it is, especially not when people are having fewer kids in the countries in which video games are big business. The myth that video games are for kids really began with the Atari 2600, which tried to establish itself as the hot new toy that all kids would want. Before that...well, it wasn't kids that were hunched over beer-stained arcade panels in smoke-filled pool halls playing Pong.


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## Silent Hell (Sep 17, 2010)

If playing video games into your 30's is wrong, then I don't want to be right...when I'm that age.


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## CipherAgent (Feb 22, 2012)

I don't think it's wrong as long as you do it casually with other hobbies. Excessive gaming where it controls your life (Like it does mine) makes you look pathetic.


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## Neptunus (Oct 29, 2007)

I don't see anything wrong with it.


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## Beanstalk (Jan 28, 2012)

It's like anything else. Is drinking wrong for you? Yeah, if it bleeds over into other parts of your life. If it makes you behave in ways you don't want it to.

Video games can seriously mess up your life. They messed up mine. There are games that sucked up whole years of my life. (That's why I don't play anymore.)

But for most people they are fine.


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## pbandjam (Sep 24, 2011)

Its not ethically/morally wrong or anything. I mean I just sold my 360 and all my games a few days ago. I didn't get much from it but I didn't care either. I was happy to be rid of it. I feel like I wasted so much of my time on that. I guess I'm an adult now.


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## RiversEdge (Aug 21, 2011)

What.

That's part of my life. something I like to do.


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## CeilingStarer (Dec 29, 2009)

Nope. I don't really have the desire to game much anymore, but I'll be getting Mass Effect 3 in a couple of weeks and probably devoting most of my life to it for a bit.

I guess gaming just signifies that you have "too much time on your hands", and you're not allowed to be idle when older... kids, careers, going out with the wife etc are meant to take up all your time. Time for video games means that you must be deficient in these areas or some bull**** like that... even though you're allowed to watch TV.


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## epostler (Jul 12, 2010)

No my dad is 41 and will stay up all night playing call of duty. And me and my mom (who is 37) stayed up all night playing Mario on several occasions. She also use to stay up with my aunt and play tetris. Do I'd say its pretty normal!


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## Bethy (Jun 23, 2011)

I frequent a particular game server where the majority of the members are 50+. In fact the oldest man there is 68. So no, over 30 is not too old to play video games.


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## SweetNSour82 (Dec 19, 2011)

Well I hope not!


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## Marooned (Feb 20, 2004)

Age and the opinions of others should not be the determining factors in whether or not you continue to play. It's the nature of the games themselves that you must look to. Video games are addictive by design. The balance between challenge and reward strived for in a good game sets the stage for a perpetual cycle of pleasure-seeking that, given the nature of the game, can never be fully satisfied. The medium affords an immediate gratification like no other can and makes for an uninterrupted flow of perceived accomplishment and subsequent longing for the next item, level, kill, and sundry other objectives. 

All of this could perhaps be seen in a favorable light if there were an end to the game other than entertainment alone. It's a medium that, with a little thought, could be harnessed for education as well as entertainment, removing some of the tedium involved in learning by intermixing its capacity for frequent reward with the rigor and discipline demanded by study, leaving the player with some long-lasting benefit for having played, rather than a pile of worthless currency and wasted years. Alas, the profits to be made with the mindless model are so great that it's unlikely we'll be seeing anything approaching this ideal anytime soon.

My own view is this: Life is short with much to experience. Do I really want to squander what little time I have on trivialities, exploring virtual worlds when the real one is there for the taking? I have come to prefer some enlightenment with my amusement, so I eschew video games and other forms of popular entertainment in favor of those I know will leave me with a real sense of satisfaction when I've finished with them. It is in this sense, not the temporal, that one must consider the question.


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## RetroDoll (Jun 25, 2011)

It's not 'wrong' but it's kind of weird, since that's basically a teenage boy's hobby. But then so are a lot of things....oh well.


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## Double Indemnity (Aug 15, 2011)

No. I plan to play Super Mario Bros. as long as Nintendo keeps putting out games.


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## guess what (Feb 26, 2012)

I'm 31, a woman and I play video games. I grew up playing Intellivision...started when I was 5. I love it--it's not wrong, childish or immature. It's a great escape for me. 

Shoot, my mom has a DS. 

The only way it can be a problem is if it's completely taking over your life.


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## centrino (Sep 27, 2010)

Nothing wrong with it and it is socially accepted nowadays.


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## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

rapidfox1 said:


> Is it?


No. It is a hobby. As long as it does not interfere with other parts of your life, it is as good a hobby as any. People older than 30 watch TV right? Try to think of ways watching TV is more productive, mature, adult appropriate or better than playing a video game. 
Adults older than 30 should be responsible and not waste time watching TV. I would love to see how people respond to this.


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## Whatev (Feb 6, 2012)

Nothing wrong with playing video games at any age. If it makes you happy do it. Problem lies if you start neglecting children(if you have them) or other important responsibilities because of it.


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## afraid2goinpublic (Nov 8, 2011)

*I think most games put out now are geared towards older people so why not play them. Look at the games on the market right now, and ask yourself if it is a game for an adult or kid most would be adult. I know my son isnt allowed to play about 80% of the games out there wayyyyyy to violent! and he is 13. So I think it is just fine to play games as an adult, have fun and play play play. *


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## odd_one_out (Aug 22, 2006)

Last month I tried playing my favourite game again from my mid 20s and realised I'd outgrown it. It was disappointing I no longer derived any satisfaction. Games don't interest me anymore. I think adults generally don't play them because they're more advanced developmentally, though these days they tend to be less so from what I can see. It might also be related to intellect.


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## erasercrumbs (Dec 17, 2009)

odd_one_out said:


> I think adults generally don't play them because they're more advanced developmentally, though these days they tend to be less so from what I can see. It might also be related to intellect.


In my experience, most of the adults I know (myself excluded) that play video games with any regularity seem brighter than the average mug.


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## odd_one_out (Aug 22, 2006)

^ I've found that in my experience too, but only because I hung around uni people. I can't tell whether it generalises.


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## MsDaisy (Dec 27, 2011)

When your 30+ you can do whatever you want


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## KiwiGirl (Nov 13, 2011)

No...I play a lot of Xbox when I'm not busy and want to relax and have some fun. I don't waste money on alcohol or smoking so why not?

Nothing much on TV these days anyway in my country.


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## LWR (Feb 27, 2012)

i'll still play video games until i die "wooot!!~~"


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## mzmz (Feb 26, 2012)

*About that....*

I recently realized depression is often manifest becuase a persons anger becomes displaced. We are told that wrong situations should be accepted, or its not safe to get mad, so we make ourselves not ever show or feel anger.
But anger is a coping skill, and when you take it out of your emotion range, you react to things by inapropritly laying down and giving up over the most trivial nonsense. I used to look down on people who played violent vidio games. Latley i wanted to start playin online games like that and did not know why. I just figured out (last night!) its becuase i need to tel myself there are appropriate times for me to get angry!

I'll tell you how it goes..

im not gonna take this laying down anymore....


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## erasercrumbs (Dec 17, 2009)

KiwiGirl said:


> Nothing much on TV these days anyway in my country.


Bad television goes beyond cultural barriers. No matter where you live, no matter your race or creed, know that the one glorious thread that ties us all together in shared humanity is the knowledge that most everything on TV is crap.


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## jackh (Dec 1, 2007)

I'm 38. Been playing video games since the Atari 2600 days. I don't even understand the question.


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## SartoriTaurus (Feb 11, 2012)

I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but when it becomes an unhealthy obsession (lying about having to something IMPORTANT, when you're just going to sit and play video games all day, for instance.) and at that age, yes, I think it's strange.


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## barchaetone (Oct 15, 2011)

I liked playing them until I was about 35. Then I lost all interest and don't feel like wasting time on them. I do view it as somewhat childish, but that's only my view of myself, not others. In other words, I outgrew video games. Kudos to others who like them of any age.


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## Josie7464 (Mar 8, 2012)

If it is then I am most certainly going to hell! I love my XBox!!  
I have made good friends from all over the world on Xbox live. How could that be a bad thing? Although I guess I little effort in making in-person friends wouldn't be such a bad thing either. :hide


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## isurfallday (Nov 7, 2011)

No it isnt, I am 29 and most of my friends are 30+ and play video games. Dont just do that only......moderation is key.


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## FarNorth (Feb 28, 2012)

My dad is 60 and he plays video games (computer games, really). He doesn't play them *all* the time, but he enjoys a game every now and then. He's not a nerd, even though I am.

I am talking about _real_ games here. Solitaire on Windows just doesn't count (even though he plays it very often too). He's mostly into single player RPGs (Skyrim for instance), just like me! I remember he used to play Doom a lot during 1994-1998.

He could probably complete the old Legend of Zelda (for the NES) in his sleep too!

So, no. You can play video or computer games all you like. The age limit is for people not old enough.


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## straightarrows (Jun 18, 2010)

no,, not at all!, ,,,,,


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## sanspants08 (Oct 21, 2008)

Haha, my roommate and friends do videogame review podcasts from our living room every Saturday at noon. There are like seven of them, all in their 30s


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## MPS (Oct 27, 2005)

Our generation grew up playing games - they are part of our makeup. Life without games would be like life without films, music or TV for me.


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## percyblueraincoat (Jun 2, 2009)

Deleted


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## sanspants08 (Oct 21, 2008)

joinmartin said:


> Pretty much all my friends in their thirties and forties and upwards have some sort of games console or game playing device. My friend from university and I spent a lot of time at uni on Mortal Kombat tournaments and we still do that to this day despite the fact the graphics of his old nintendo system are terrible and he always cheats by using the special move I don't know how to counter.
> 
> If all you do is play video games and it's not your job, then maybe that's a problem. But just playing them because you want to is obviously fine. We all have our passions and creativity is a good thing in life as you age. There's even some evidence that shows that playing video games as you grow older helps you keep your mental agility.
> 
> ...


:lol.

"FINISH HIM!"

My housemate and I have a similar fascination with Street Fighter Alpha. We enjoy using the "fight words" to describe how we feel about real life. There are so many reasons to throw one's hands forward as though to blast someone with an imaginary fireball and exclaim, "HADOKEN!" 

If we haven't spoken for a while, and need to break the ice between us, one of us will turn to the other and say, "SONIC BOOM!" or, if asked "How's it going?" the other will reply with "TIGER UPPERCUT!"

Good stuff.

Also, everything about Resident Evil is awesome to me. The games, the movies, Milla Jovovich...My father actually went to all of the movies with me.


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## Peacefulness (Mar 23, 2012)

It's only wrong if you don't do it in moderation. If it consumes all ur time and thoughts, then yes! It has 2 be incorrect.


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## CJ Midwest (Mar 14, 2011)

> May come across as childish/immature. Some people immediately relate video games to 10 year olds, guys living with mom, potheads etc. Not sure how much it helps with getting the ladies either.


I really, really hate the stereotypes associated with "older" gamers (like over 20). If you feel this way, I am curious whether it is based on actual experiences you've had with people or just common media stereotypes? I also know several female hardcore gamers, so I don't see how having a common interest with a girl could hurt in that department.

I think most of the hate comes from people who think video games means having "too much" free time...yet hobbies like TV, watching sports, fantasy sports, etc are considered normal. I think some people resent those who have free time for their hobbies because their lifestyle allows them no free time, which makes them bitter towards others.

I also don't see how video games can even be associated with just kids anymore, when it's really obvious that

a) ALL research shows that many adults play regularly

b) many newer games deal with mature themes/plots that would be lost on most kids (not just sex or violence either. ex: how many 10 year olds would appreciate Bioshock as a counterargument to Randian philosophy?)

c) companies like Nintendo still constantly cater to my age group, putting out new Mario and Link games etc. to appeal to those old enough to have grown up with those franchises on the original NES.

By the way, I also can't stand it when people say someone "still" plays video games...would you say someone "still" watches TV?


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