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Am I too old to videogame?

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Re: Am I too old to videogame?

#31

Post by facorreia »

I'm over 50 and I play a lot of games. I do prefer longer, story-based games, but there are all kinds of games out there, including genres that you can play casually on short sessions (like roguelikes [1]).

If you have a PC with a reasonable GPU, I suggest getting a trial of PC Game Pass [2] as a quick and cheap (free?) way to try many different games of different genres. There are long and short games of all kinds and you may find a couple that pique your interest. There are equivalent subscriptions for XBox and PS5 consoles.

Or alternative take a look at a "best games" list [3] and see if there's anything there that you think you might like, perhaps watch a gameplay on Youtube as well.

[1] https://www.polygon.com/what-to-play/23313023/best-roguelike... [2] https://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-game-pass/games?xr=shellnav [3] https://www.polygon.com/what-to-play/22956981/best-games-202...

Re: Am I too old to videogame?

#32

Post by proc0 »

iExploder wrote: post #13
proc0 wrote: post #8

No. The market still thinks games are for kids and young adults. Society still frowns upon games as a hobby past your teenage years. Regardless, video games are a medium of communication. First there were pictures, i.e. paintings, photography, then moving pictures and audio, and now we have moving pictures with audio and interactivity. Of course there are still good games for adults out there, but in general the targ…

Isn't it just because there are many more young people playing games than older people? Market drivers demand and supply. Perhaps when the first hard core gamer generation is well and truly in retirement age we will see uptick in more games targeted for that audience...

Well, if we're to believe some of the recent reports posted on HN, the adult and elderly market for games is underserved. Many more people would play once companies start paying attention and realize the potential. I think of it like movies. There are movies for kids, but it's not about any one age group, it's an entertainment medium.

Also, yes once the current young people start aging it should change the gaming market, especially with VR (for games!) and hyperreal graphics.

Re: Am I too old to videogame?

#33

Post by saluki »

I'm in my 40s and play PC and Console.

I mainly play PC steam games.

My favorite is PUBG squads with a group of dads I met during the pandemic.

Great times, way more entertaining and a better way to unwind than watching TV.

Other steam games Age of Empires, They are Billions, Minecraft.

We also play tons of board games too.

Re: Am I too old to videogame?

#34

Post by muzani »

Modern games are honestly not as fun - they take up too much disk space, they always try to squeeze more money out of you and more fluff into the games themselves. Loading times suck too. They're more akin to gambling than entertainment.

There's some middle ground, mostly indie games like Stardew Valley.

You can probably find something that's not too retro and not too modern from https://www.gog.com/en/games?tags=good-old-game

Re: Am I too old to videogame?

#35

Post by dyingkneepad »

You have grown and your video-game tastes have changed. The old games were cool and bring you nostalgia, but they don't match your taste anymore, so they're not as fun. You need to rediscover what you like.

I've been through this (although I'm not 50), and while some of my childhood games are still super fun to play (e.g., Street Fighter Zero 2), others are just not (e.g., Streets of Rage 2). But for example, in the case of SoR2, I find there are modern variations of the game that are fun to play, like I enjoy playing TMNT: Shredder's Revenge with my kids.

I also find that different games require different "mental states" and so may not be appropriate for certain days. If I'm more in the mood for a "literature" game, I may replay Chrono Trigger or a modern RPG. If I just want to chill and get into flow state I may either just build something on Minecraft in my kids' world (if I'm tired) or play a few rounds of Cuphead. If I want to get my heart rate up I'll play some Street Fighter V online. They are all very different games. If I only have a few minutes I may play a match of Hearthstone.

Also, one thing I realized is that most AAA games do not appeal to me at all. They seem all like the same canned stuff with a slightly different taste. I also concluded that, due to the heavy Natural Selection process of the industry, if an Indie game surfaces and people say it's good, it's generally really good.

Anyway, experiment. Rediscover your taste! There's a videogame for everyone out there!

Re: Am I too old to videogame?

#36

Post by pprotas »

My dad got into gaming this past year. After trying a few games out on the Xbox Cloud Gaming platform (on his old Mac!), it turned out he really likes Flight Simulator. He got himself an Xbox and plays on it daily.

Modern action games were too fast for him, especially the multiplayer ones. He didn’t have the motivation to commit himself to single player games. So it seemed like simulators were a perfect fit!

Re: Am I too old to videogame?

#37

Post by snvzz »

giantg2 wrote: post #30
pinguin3 wrote: post #28

It’s a quick way to reduce cortisol. Lots of stress affects physical and mental health, so it can actually be good for health regardless of age.

"It’s a quick way to reduce cortisol." I must be doing it wrong.

Avoid games like alt-f4[0].

0. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1137460/ALTF4/

Re: Am I too old to videogame?

#38

Post by thorin »

I was massively into computer gaming from age about 6, starting with game and watch, then vic20, spectrum and commodore amiga. The last games I remember playing regularly were in the mid-late 90s, stuff like Doom, Goldeneye etc. One thing that really put me off was when everything became 3d-like which I always found way less intuitive (difference between super mario bros and mario64. The other was that games became essentially never ending for the most part. I started doing more physical activities, sports, travelling and music. I'm now thinking about gaming as I've introduced my kids through the snes (mini) and original N64. At some point they will want something more modern like the Switch or a PS5 etc.

Incidentally I recently went to the Retro computer museum in Leicester UK and was so impressed. So much to see and play on. I feel like my nostalgia craving was satisfied and could go back to retro arcades or places like this a couple of times a year and have my fill!

https://retrocomputermuseum.co.uk/

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