Am I too old to videogame?

#1

Post by botolo » Mon, May 15, 2023, 5:36 PM UTC

I am almost 50 years old. I played video games for many years, starting with a Commodore 64. I stopped with the PS3 (even if technically I have a Nintendo Switch that I almost never use). I initially thought this was due to lack of time, but I feel that this is a mix of things: lack of time for sure, games getting way too long to play, use of the iPhone is taking almost all of my daily screen time.

I felt the need to go back to video gaming and I thought retro gaming would have been a great option. Out of nostalgia, I bought an original Commodore 64 with original CRT screen and original floppy disk.

After a couple of days of excitement, I am bored by the C64. First of all, it takes so much space! Floppy disk is incredibly slow, it's super difficult to find new games (these floppy disks with games are crazy expensive on eBay), and the games themselves are pretty basic.

I am torn. Should I just give up with video gaming? Should I explore retro gaming more, maybe using a multi-system platform like the Overcame console? Should I try to install tons of ROMS on a Raspberry Pi? Should I forget about retro gaming and get a PS5?

Has anyone gone through the same path?

Re: Am I too old to videogame?

#2

Post by jstx1 » Mon, May 15, 2023, 5:39 PM UTC

You're too old to be asking us for permission to do whatever you like.

Re: Am I too old to videogame?

#3

Post by PaulHoule » Mon, May 15, 2023, 5:43 PM UTC

(1) Install Steam on a PC, or (2) Get a Switch, or (3) Get a PS5. Want more excitement? I have a Nintendo 3DS that is jailbroken which was easy to do but I don’t know if you can still do it now that they’ve killed the 3DS store.

Re: Am I too old to videogame?

#4

Post by botolo » Mon, May 15, 2023, 5:44 PM UTC

jstx1 wrote: post #2

You're too old to be asking us for permission to do whatever you like.

ahah I am not asking for permission. I want to see if there is someone else who went through the same thing.

Re: Am I too old to videogame?

#5

Post by snvzz » Mon, May 15, 2023, 5:55 PM UTC

The advice I've seen regarding current videogames seems sound (particularly: Get a Steam account).

Here's some advice regarding C64:

>Floppy disk is incredibly slow

Floppy really is slow without a fastloader. I use EPYX fastload[0], as an emulated cartridge on kung-fu flash[1].

Also consider sd2iec[2] as an alternative to an actual floppy drive.

>it's super difficult to find new games (these floppy disks with games are crazy expensive on eBay)

Research TOSEC[3][4]. Some archives[5] are available at The Internet Archive.

And about retro-gaming in general:

>maybe using a multi-system platform like the Overcame console?

I suggest the miSTer[6], a multi-system FPGA solution, because it is open source and has the strongest ecosystem there is for this sort of thing.

0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epyx_Fast_Load

1. https://github.com/KimJorgensen/KungFuFlash

2. https://www.c64-wiki.com/wiki/SD2IEC

3. https://www.tosecdev.org/

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOSEC

5. https://archive.org/details/tosec

6. https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/Wiki_MiSTer/wiki

Re: Am I too old to videogame?

#6

Post by markus_zhang » Mon, May 15, 2023, 5:57 PM UTC

I also barely play games right now:

- lack of time as you

- TBH reality is more interesting than many games. For example 4x games are bullshit comparing to real politico-economic world

- Games more and more focus on graphics so I don't have the machine to run them

- I'm more used to the games of the 90s and early 2000s so modern game design and art direction and story telling don't make a lot of senses to me.

Re: Am I too old to videogame?

#7

Post by codingdave » Mon, May 15, 2023, 5:57 PM UTC

I'm 50, and I play video games. Like you, I do not find retro gaming to be engaging, even if I grew up on those games. So I play the new games off Steam just like my kids do. I don't let it consume my time, but everyone needs some relaxation time in their lives, so by all means if you enjoy gaming, try things out and have fun.

FWIW, though, I'm just as happy playing card games and board games with friends and family, so if you are trying to find where your niche of gaming lies, don't limit yourself to digital.

Re: Am I too old to videogame?

#8

Post by proc0 » Mon, May 15, 2023, 6:03 PM UTC

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 target audience skews younger but that's only because of culture, society and the momentum of industry. I'm sure that will change as the current younger generation grows older and is used to playing games.

Re: Am I too old to videogame?

#9

Post by snvzz » Mon, May 15, 2023, 6:04 PM UTC

PaulHoule wrote: post #3

(1) Install Steam on a PC, or (2) Get a Switch, or (3) Get a PS5. Want more excitement? I have a Nintendo 3DS that is jailbroken which was easy to do but I don’t know if you can still do it now that they’ve killed the 3DS store.

>I have a Nintendo 3DS that is jailbroken which was easy to do but I don’t know if you can still do it now that they’ve killed the 3DS store.

Yes you can[0].

This is about the only way to keep using these devices to their full extent, now that Nintendo has abandoned them.

0. https://3ds.hacks.guide/

Re: Am I too old to videogame?

#10

Post by snvzz » Mon, May 15, 2023, 6:06 PM UTC

Re: too old, I think not, as these[0] people[1] aren't too old either.

0. https://www.wsj.com/articles/competitive-videogaming-esports...

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A5XlyF7UY8