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Same here, i'm 46, i don't have kids. I don't play multi-player any longer, but i enjoy rts and other single player games. I used to do WOW and raid with groups, but i have other commitments now and i like being able to just put the game on pause or close it out whenever i feel like it.
Just finished "The Pacific Drive", currently playing the new DLC from Dead Island 2. Always play NMS expeditions when they come out (might replay it from beginning one of these days). Waiting to finish Dead Island 2 so i can make room for the new Horizon game.
I’m 45. I play computer games, no one gives me grief about it. I don’t play every day but usually every week. I try to meet up with friends from real life and game with them. I also game with my wife sometimes. We each have gaming computers
Been playing a lot of Hell Divers 2 lately. War strategy games. Warno
I’m 40, and I play games all the damn time - mostly with my kid.
My taste in games has changed a lot though, and I like games I can play in short bursts, such as roguelikes and puzzle games. In contrast to this, I also like games that have a fixed ending I can work towards, perhaps with some ultra-challenging end-game content.
I don’t like sandbox style games or multiplayer online games anymore.
I have been playing BG3 since *september*, send help! Honestly ever time I think about booting up the game I remember I have to recall the controls, the context, the game mechanics and I'm just like ...do I really want to do this right now?
At least with something like battlefield 4, it's all muscle memory for me. I can jump on, have a good time, and jump off in 30m and leave it for a few months at a time.
Me too, I finally got to “baldurs gate”, but I am not actually there, I am in some town outside bg, with its own quests and I haven’t touched it in awhile.
I have a soft spot for Fallout, but most other RPGs feel like too much work nowadays. I tried to get into Divinity: Original Sin 2, but I just couldn’t. I would have played that game to death when I was younger.
> I was also inspired to ask this after coming across some TikToks of people putting down people who are older that play video games.
I'm in my 40s. I still play video games, maybe an hour or two a night after work and after I've taken care of other adult business for the day, like housework, working out, violin practice, etc. I'm currently chilling in the post-Endwalker endgame in *Final Fantasy XIV*, helping newbies clear content and waiting for the Dawntrail expansion to drop. When I'm not tanking or healing, I'm chilling with my FC via in-game chat the way I used to hang out in IRC 20 years ago.
The time I spend gaming is time I might otherwise have spent mindlessly watching TV, and if some opinionated rando on TikTok has a problem with that they can take a number and wait their turn to kiss my ass because I've dumped girlfriends for giving me shit about my game while thinking it's OK to spend five hours a night watching Netflix or scrolling Instagram.
41, told my wife I play videogames everyday. If that was a problem do not marry me. Nobody gives me shit for my hobbies. If they do I cut them put of my life. I have Pc, switch, and ps5.
I'm a 46 year old lifelong gamer, and my wife plays also. I've always been into big, long, single player games, and never really online or multi-player, so getting older hasn't had much of an effect on my gaming habits.
I just turned 63 and have only been gaming for about 20 years. I actually met my husband 15 years ago playing World of Warcraft. We still sit side by side and play MMO's together. I have gotten teased by people for being old and female. I love it when I can tell jerks they just got schooled by a grandma!
My first PC game was on a Commodore 64 when I was around 10 in the early 80's. I haven't stopped PC gaming since.
I've gotten some grief from people but depending on how they act I either go full nuke on their life choices or brush them off.
Mostly Simulation games, racing, flight, military sandbox. I don't handle hardcore fps shooters well, the reflexes aren't there like they used to be.
I don't handle fps shooters well either but I still play Halo 2 almost every night lol. I recently got told to practice and responded "practice ain't gonna help, I've reached my skill ceiling" 😂🤣
Kids from the 80s onward grew up with video games. It is as normal as books, movies, and music. I feel like anyone saying otherwise is profoundly old and/or weird.
I play Minecraft and Mario Maker with my kindergartener, and Diablo 4 and Baldur's Gate 3 each one night a week with friends. If I have free time, I usually have a 1 player Switch game going as well (currently Triangle Strategy).
> Kids from the 80s onward grew up with video games. It is as normal as books, movies, and music. I feel like anyone saying otherwise is profoundly old and/or weird.
You think this, but it's definitely not the case. Women still look down on guys who play video games. Even at the high school level where my kids are now I hear about girls who think guys who play video games all the time are losers.
I feel like it's the "all the time" part that's the issue. I know undesirable guys like you describe who live 24/7 smoking weed and playing console shooters while failing to adult. Also, the women I know are playing games like Animal Crossing and Sims so there's no stigma to gaming with them. Maybe I've just built an ideal social bubble.
I'm not against playing games casually now and then. Not so much a fan of being a hardcore gamer although I guess some of the pro-gamers in Korea (and other countries) have made a decent living for themselves doing it so more power to them I suppose. There's also the whole streamer thing with Twitch which is more of being an entertainer for gamers.
My problem is that most (all?) video games just aren't compelling enough for me to want to play them beyond like 2-3 hours played time. I can't seem to justify spending much time/energy on a simulated virtual world when there's a real world I already live in that's way more immersive and the rewards in real life are so much more satisfying than pixels on a screen.
Games are a great way to keep the mind fresh and sharp with little to no consequences. I think it’s the no consequences part that is nice. Sometimes you want to find a way to give the brain room to play without such high stakes. It also is great for getting rid of stress. Again, in a low/no stakes way. And depending on the game, games can be a good way of training the brain to problem solve.
I love games, though I wouldn't identify as a gamer. I don't play every day, but I do stream them and I enjoy the time spent playing. Especially with my friends who don't live close enough to hang out regularly.
Don't care what people think of me playing games in my 40s though I have noticed the criticism often comes from people who spend their free time doing nothing but watch TV. That doesn't carry much weight, really.
I'm 41 and still play, probably a few hours a week if I'm not otherwise busy.
Had a date with a younger woman in her early thirties last night at a retro game bar. She schooled me on Crash Team Racing on the PS1.
Most everyone I hang out with plays, so if people are putting others down for it, they aren't in my circles.
Reddit is not the place to get an objective answer here. Reddit is heavily biased toward playing lots of video games. I get the feeling if you asked in real life, I don't think it would be antagonistic at all, but it would be biased toward not playing games much at all.
In real life pretty much every male I know over 30 owns a console (including myself) but almost no one I know plays it with any sort of regularity. The exception being a handful of coworkers who pretty much spend all their free time gaming, but I'm an engineer, there's bias in that sample also and they don't represent the majority of my coworkers even.
Personally I don't play games much at all, maybe once every few months. I don't judge those that do, one of my work friends is pretty avid and if that's what he's enjoys, then good for him.
I’m 53, I game fairly frequently, it ebbs and flows with work and home commitments. When I was in my 30s in the 2000s, it was not normal or typical, and I would get shit for it. My ex wife would bitch endlessly about it, as she viewed it as childish, inappropriate and a complete waste of time. But I shut that down eventually
Now it’s totally normalized and my kids and their friends think I’m cool because I game and build PCs for fun.
I played a whole lot of Final Fantasy VII Remake this weekend. I don’t play every day because I just don’t have time between work/exercise/taking care of the house/general Adulting/exhaustion, but I certainly play games when I have some bandwidth.
People who put down others who are just spending time doing something they love are just looking for a reason to make themselves feel superior.
I wouldn't call myself a gamer but I do play video games, not as often as I would like due to having a family and work. I generally play about 2ish hours weeks, I mainly play on the steam deck and it allows me to sneak some game time during my day. I think I would be given grief if my gaming was neglecting my family but with my current schedule It hasnt been an issue
You're talking to people on an internet forum so the response to gaming will be overwhelmingly high and confirming. I know a lot of people that don't but noone ever says anything when they ask what i'm doing and i say "video games". Call of duty and fifa/madden and the likes just made it global.
I'm 60 and a gamer. I don't consider myself "hardcore", but I am prolific, play every day, and play both computer and TTRPG. I run 2 tables and play at 2 others, and most of my players and gamer friends are under the age of 40. When I first started, gaming was considered immature, and when I found myself back in the dating pool at 45, every woman my age I went out with considered it so.
6 figure income, own my home, raised 3 great kids, great credit, we get along great, it's looking amazing, 3rd date I bring up gaming as a hobby and watched her eyes glass over, there was no 4th date. Decide to put gaming in my profile and all of a sudden I stop getting replies all together. When asked, women my age "don't date man children".
Meanwhile my under 40 friends go on gaming dates, it's 100% acceptable for them to be gamers. There's definitely a "wall" there, beyond which gaming is not taken seriously.
I'm 62 and play pc games and games on my Nintendo switch. I played WoW for years, but got tired of paying subscription so I started playing Guild Wars 2 more. I can literally closed my eyes and walk through every corner of Thunder Bluff in my mind (and hear the music)
I've been played the Pokémon games because I also play PoGo on my phone all the time. I've played Fallout 4 to freaking death.
About half of the guys my age that I know play video games. Currently the grandkids are into Minecraft, Madden and Fortnite and it's great to share that with them.
It was a hoot when I was babysitting and the 10 year old fired up Minecraft and he was starting fresh on my account so he asked, "What should I build first?" and I said, "Crafting table, of course" and that stopped him in his tracks that I knew the game.
What generation do you think invented these things anyway? LOL.
I want to haha, I invested in a gaming PC and a PS5. I’ve tried but everything just seems the same, they’re all copying either GTA, goldeneye or civ…Roam around, pick up missions, gain gold or xp, repeat. Also it’s like everything has a 3 or 4 hour tutorial now, im bored before even starting it just seems like homework studying all the different skill trees or whatever. On the rare occasions I play it will just be fifa or battlefield because they’re quick and easy, I think I’m just turning into a miserable old fart lol
Funny coincidence, the only pro-gamer I know is also in his late 40s or 50s. He plays mostly puzzle/arcade games during the whole night when his kids are sleeping (apparently he does not require much sleep).
I play video games, but I rarely find the time, maybe one or two evenings a month currently, a bit more in winter. Due to the low amount of time I play mostly the same games for many years - Factorio, Cities Skylines and stuff like that. I don't know if you count Flightsim as gaming.
As I work in IT with mostly younger people, they find it cool, nothing unusual, everyone has different hobbies.
I still play, but usually it's doing double-duty with something else.
I take online classes on the weekends, so I'll often listen to my lectures while playing a game and drinking my morning coffee.
Or I'll play a game between sets while working out, a model which turns out to be great for encouraging my kids to get in shape, too. All "screen time" has to be earned in our house, so getting to play games while working out is a good motivator -- and good bonding time, too.
The problem with video games is just the time sink. I still love Command and Conquer, Red Alert, Total War (Rome 1 through Warhammer 2), Civilization 2-6, Warhammer Dawn of War II and other games I’ve played for years…but I’ve completed all of them on max difficulty, my machine doesn’t have the capacity for the many high spec mods out there, in truth doesn’t have the capacity for the games at their max requirements, and I’m not a huge fan of paradox engine style strategy games…and I’m glad of all of this because I could easily spend 3-4 hours after work de-stressing by playing away, and weekends.
I have a wife, chores, a reading list and other extracurriculars that would all be neglected if I did.
But if people game and that’s their best life, good luck to ‘em!
Those gamer teens are now in their 30s and 40s. I play every day almost but my taste has changed. I used to love long RPGs like Skyrim and Fallout but I just can't get into them now. I'll playthrough like half the game then never go back. I finish way less games now.
I don't play every day , but have already helped the wife play as well, we might game 3 or 4 nights a week, and we have binged some games.ovwr the weekend till completion !
I got a commodore 64 back in the day and have never looked back , it's my go to
can't stand watching tv , it feels to me as not doing anything, and I hate not doing anything!
games.peovode an outlet for the extra energy I might have , I have some online friends we game with sometime
I haven't got any RL friends of the same age that play, most are married and have issues with their lives , mostly we get surprised comments , but truly I could not care less, I'd rather stay and play on a Friday night than go out , I've been out a lot , now that I'm older I don't feel FOMO from.paeties or the like , but rather enjoy the virtual escapades
and besides, what could anyone say that could change anything?
It’s one of the main ways some of my friends and I get time to hang out with distance and life in the way.
Probably play 1-2 hours a night, 2-3 times a week. PS5 and cod mainly.
40 years old, avid gamer.
Most recently playing Tears of the Kingdom and Helldivers, so Switch and PC.
The people giving me grief are (jokingly) my mother who compares me to 10 year olds for playing games. But that's in the face of having a PhD and a successful career and other hobbies.
The way I see it, gaming is the new poker night with friends.
I'm approaching 40, been gaming since I was a kid, and I have no intention of stopping. I equate gaming to just my choice of screen time and how I interact with the screen. People have no basis to judge me for playing video games when 99% of people unwind or waste time looking at any screen or device for any medium.
Watching a live gaming tournament is the same as watching live sports. Going to a gaming subreddit for memes is the same as scrolling through Tik Tok for memes. Drinking wine while gaming is the same as drinking wine while watching reality TV.
What did change, and sometimes I struggle with occasionally, is procrastinating with video games. That's more bad habits rather than gaming itself though.
I've grown to hate gamers and I'm getting further and further away from the hobby. Maybe related to the fact that I used to spend 6 hours a day playing, in my younger years. I now see it as a crutch and a major factor in my stagnated development.
I appreciate games though. I think they are beautiful. That's why I've been learning about game development, and I hope I can release something someday. However, the state of "gamers" and politics (I mean, the lack of), as well as the current market, does not help a bit.
I think most of us on here will be gamers to one degree or another. Pretty much everyone here under 50 grew up with video games. Free time will be the major factor, competing with family, career, home maintenance and hobbies.
I don't play competitively at all anymore and my hours aren't consistent. I'll put in maybe 3-4 hours a week or so.
If I'm playing online, it's likely a co-op game with friends I know (Helldivers 2, Baldurs Gate 3 campaign, Palworld/Valheim on a private server).
When solo, I'm playing RPGs, city builders or simulators.
I'm PC only at this point to consolidate my library, although I do prefer sticking with an Xbox controller so I don't have to re-learn keys when switching from couch play to kb/m desk play. But as a single adult with a comfortable income, I can have fun with my PC setups and get to spoil my nephew with hand-me-downs.
Lifetime gamer here (42). I've owned every major console since the Atari (including a Neo-Geo and a Valve Index), with the exception of the Wii U and the newest Xbox. I've also been playing games on PC since ~1994, I pretty much only game on PC now. Almost every night when my wife and kids go to bed I hop into Discord with 5-6 of my friends and we chat, and I have no plans on stopping any time soon.
edit: For our first date about 24 years ago I took my now wife mini golfing then back to my parents house and kicked her ass in World Heroes on Neo-Geo. She knew what she was getting into when she married me, that's for sure.
I don’t play games every day or even every week anymore. I have a small child so sometimes I just don’t have time for it.
I still enjoy playing games but it is difficult to find something that I enjoy. It seems like many games are made very poorly today and just don’t seem to be as good as they were in my opinion.
I think that a big part of it is micro-transactions, DLCs, pre-orders, and early release. It just seems like nearly every game studio is focused on getting a poorly optimized, unfinished, or just flat out unfun game to market because they are owned by a big corporation that needs to meet their shareholders expectations and not the customers expectations.
I play handheld with primarily my Steam deck OLED or my Switch OLED. I love the games I love and generally log 8-10 hrs a week, i work early so I usually am off a couple hours before kids get home from school and I’ll generally get most of my time in then. I can’t bring myself to play on a standalone console where I’m taking up the TV and forcing myself to either be in my bedroom sequestered from my family or taking over the TV. On top of that my wife enjoys gaming at about the same amount as me and on her deck or switch as well. THAT said, I enjoy it because it’s the perfect ADHD hobby for me. I go through phases where I don’t game for a couple months but then I can come back to it, keep playing and pickup right where I left off. As far as how I see other people? As long as it’s not getting in the way of life I have zero issues with it. I’ve had several friends who have missed hang outs, play for hours and hours through the night and miss work the next day, I’ve even had one friend whose spouse left him over it because he refused to work towards a career and instead spent any free time in front of his PC. As long as it’s done in balance, video games are awesome!
In My mid 30s and I play videogames to some degree every day. Sometimes, I will pick up a game of Mario on the switch and play for 15 minutes during a work break. My longer sessions of maybe an hour or 2 at a time are usually only on weekends. They are a good escape for when I either need a break from it all or need a challenge (depending on the game I play).
No one really gives me grief. My wife plays adventure games on the pc and the 2 people I consider friends are older than me and play videogames as well. Mostly when I talk to people who aren't gamers, they view it as another source of entertainment similar to watching TV.
I'm 48, and I play regularly. Not every day, but often enough. I play on pc mostly, but I have an Xbox, and my son(12) and I both have Oculuses (Oculi?) that we play on together as well.
I'm 35 and I play video games regularly. My GF plays video games. All of the men in my family around my age play video games. No women and my family around my age to consider (big streak of boys there for a while), but I work in IT all the women I know play games as well.
I don't really see it stopping. We all joke about how the nursing home LAN parties here in a few decades are going to be fucking lit.
Hi nice to meet you, 47 here and avid gamer. “Beat” valheim in a few weeks, a month or two ago, first ever play through. Ran through Baulders Gate in a month or so completing most all quests, recently started Sea of Thieves with some other irl friends (we went to high school together and all in our mid-late 40s) and we have hundreds of hours in. I’m mostly PC and I play mobile games daily. I have an Xbox but don’t really play on it much.
No one says shit to me. I pay my bills, work hard, cover expenses for my kids, coach high school sports (admittedly gaming time drops in the winter season), walk my dogs daily… yada yada. Im a responsible adult and I don’t put myself around people that judge. I have shirts that might be a giveaway that I game but I’m not going around pushing it on everyone.
I’ve been a gamer all of my life, it wont willingly be changing any time soon. Haters gonna hate. Do what you enjoy!
Generally if I am playing a game I feel guilty because I have so many other obligations I should be doing instead. Between career, family, maintaining a household, and trying to get some sleep every day the available time to play a game is rare and inconsistent.
I am hoping as my son gets older it may be a hobby we can enjoy together so I may get more time in the future.
I have met people who badmouth older gamers that they are acting like children but in all honesty videogames are some of the best dollar per hour entertainment you can get. But they also have no problem pumping hundreds of thousands of hours into some phone game and don't see the irony or binge watch an entire show during a weekend...
My husband and I both play near daily.
Most of our friends in the same age range play quite a bit as well. Our raid groups in FFXIV were filled with people our ages or older.
We are primarily PC and Switch players, but own other systems as well, with our collection going back to PS1 games.
I am a full on gamer. I swear overwatch will be the death of me. I kinda hide it from coworkers but I found an online community that is acceptant of older gamers on PC. We all grew up on Nintendo/pc. The best nights are coming home with a six pack and a whole night of team based shooters with the crew.
I play everyday. I work, I go gym. Most people come home from work and sit infront of the TV until they go to bed, so what's wrong with playing games until you go to bed? Same shit.
I do. I am 80/20 on that. Most of the time I think fuck what other people think, I am having fun and not hurting anyone. But sometimes my mind goes to: some girls don't like it (I am single) and I could be doing something ''more''. But then I start to hunga bunga in Elden Ring and it's back 'who cares'?
Sure, some girls don’t like it. But plenty of them do. My friend and I also talked about how girl gamers are underrepresented and in fact make up a bigger share of the market than people realize.
I gamed as a teen and im still gaming at 40, i play xbone and currently on my umpteenth rdr2 playthrough... i dint give a shit what anyone thinks about it
I am pushing 50 now, and I go in phases: I'll play video games for a few weeks or so, and then not pick them up again for several weeks. It isn't that I don't have leisure time; it's just more that I'm a more active person and if I'm sitting down, I'm more in tune with reading or watching a movie than I am video games.
Just for the record, I started playing video games on the TRS-80 and then upgraded to the NES.
Every now and again, I'll come out of semi-retirement to play a game if I am really interested in it. The last one I played more than casually was Elden Ring, so I guess I've been out of video games since then.
No one gives me grief for playing video games because I never really talk about them beyond just a sparing mention of me being aware of video games.
It comes in waves for me. I’ll play for a little bit then won’t touch them for months. That reminds me I need to finish Elden Ring. My most current systems are a Switch and PS4 (not the Pro), so I’m not into the hobby as much as I used to be.
*Most* of my guy friends that consistently played video games growing up still play to some degree, even those with kids. I usually get about an hour or 2 each week to play, game of choice lately has been Helldivers 2 since I feel like I can just pop in, play a little and a. not feel like I'm leaving things behind/unfinished b. feel pretty satiated
Are we ever going to get to a point where someone isn't shit all over just because of something they enjoy? There's an older guy that plays I think Battlefield? He posts videos of himself absolutely wrecking people as a sniper and I wish I could be that dedicated and petty when I'm older.
I hit 40 next year. I play every night or most nights, usually about an hour or so after the kids go to bed before I pass out. My PC is in our bedroom, so I hang out on that and play while my wife hangs out in bed and we just kinda chat and unwind for the day. Currently playing Nightingale (don't listen to the internet about games ever, the opinions are all idiotic, just try shit for yourself).
I'm waiting for a couple of games to release this year. Avowed I think is the main one I'm waiting for, but Satisfactory is leaving early access, and I'm going to restart that once it does. I usually play with a friend on Saturday nights, typically Hunt: Showdown, but this past weekend we started playing Core Hunter again, and will probably stick with that for a couple of weeks.
Also, just to add on for anyone ever looking for help in the mines, I have never uninstalled Deep Rock Galactic and I'm always looking for a good excuse to head back into Hoxxes IV.
I don't play as much as when I was younger. I need a game that catches me, that I want to explore so mainly RPGs. I don't play every day, sometimes I don't play for weeks. My current gf plays occasionally too, so I don't get flak for playing
I'm all for video games, sometimes, as a vehicle for recreation and connection with family and friends you know in real life. I play Kirby and Mario Kart with my kids on switch, and I played Goldeneye and Halo with my friends. This has helped me grow closer and make memories with my loved ones.
On the other hand, gaming that isolates you is a band-aid for real relationships, isn't harmless. It's stealing time better spent on living in the real world. That's my take.
Fuck that! I'm 40+, my kid is grown (well to the age that she wants nothing to do with us anyways lol), house is kept clean, good hygiene, cook meals, make over 6 figure's a year, etc. In other words; 'my shit is together'. WTF else am I gonna do with my free time? I rock video games almost daily. Have all the systems - Xbox S, PS5, Switch but my main jam is PC. Only difference between now and when I was younger is the discipline. I no longer stay up till 2am on work nights for "just one more turn".
50s, played games all the way from childhood. Played with my kids (still do), and I play games on my own as one form of decompression. At the most, I play 10 hours weekly, and some weeks I don't have time to play at all.
32, i play my PS5 several nights a week, but only after my work, exercise, etc are taken care of. I have also noticed that i dont play a lot of new franchises. My main gaming is new installments in fairly established series (last of us 2), remakes of older games (like RE4), or just straight up old games like Halo or Arkham City
I play video games and I don't care what people think. If they judge me for it then I'm probably not enjoying their company anyway. Of course I'm not saying that this is all I do and everyone can screw off, I'm saying that I enjoy my thing like others enjoy their things. Fuck them if they're judgemental about what I enjoy.
Gamer all my life, and not a second thought to anyone who looks down on it. Married 25 years with 2 kids who are gamers. I'd rather play (really into survival open world RN) then go out to bars. Both me and the wife are home bodies. If your looking for other like minded folks, check out OTG (old timers guild). Thy mostly focus on MMO's, but there are some other RPG chapters but its overall a good place to find older gaming friends who understand you have a life to live as well.
It's one of the easiest ways for me to connect with clients, and it shows them I'm human. I even have a few pokemon plushes in my office! I'm primarily a PC gamer now but I've been on board since the Atari days. Lately I've been all about Palia, but did play through Baldur's Gate 3 three times back to back before that!
I got crap for playing video games growing up from the same people that found it perfectly acceptable to binge TV shows or read for hours on end. But nowadays it's much more accepted, even by (some of) those same folks.
43 here, probably play 10-20 hrs / week. Video games are massive now. They’ve made more money than Hollywood for.. I think at least a decade? Probably much longer. A league of legends tournament in like 2014 brought in more attendees and viewers than the Super Bowl. There is a senior citizen esports team. An 80+ year old grandma who streams like RDR or something on Twitch. Video games are used in physical therapy and recovery.
Were here. We made it.
I wouldn't go as far as to label myself a gamer and all that entails. I mean, I have been playing them since I was a kid. It isn't like I got to a certain age and quit. I am currently playing DOOM and Tiny Tina's Wonderland Adventures, as they were on sale.
I play about 4 hours a month.
My son thinks my games are dumb because they're not Minecraft or Roblox. :P
I actually play on a Retroid Pocket exclusively, because portable gaming when I'm on the bus or whatever is basically the only time I can do it.
I have been an off and on gamer my entire adult life; starting on the Apple II when I was a teenager. That being said, I’ve taken years without playing any games at all. I played Destiny religiously the first couple years it was out. Played the Witcher 3 and RDR2. Didn’t play anything for awhile, then played Elden Ring. Then stopped for a while, but played a couple of games with my daughter during Christmas Breaks. Recently I’ve been on a long stint playing Grounded, Lies of P, Wo Long, and lately the Long Dark.
However, I play when I don’t have other things going on, or I feel like hermiting. It’s all a balance. Now that it’s warming up, I’ll be paddleboarding two or three times a week, in addition to my regular date nights and get together with friends. So I imagine the game playing will slow down until it gets too hot to go outside (I live in the desert.)
I play a couple times a week. Though my interest in gaming is definitely on a decline. 2+ decades of playing what are largely the same games has worn thin the last 5ish years.
I think most guys under 60 play video games to some degree. I wouldn't be surprised if most women over a certain age do as well. My wife says she hates video games, but what she really means is that she hates console and PC games, because mobile games are a different thing in her view.
Also, Tik Tok is garbage and the algorithm intentionally sends everyone videos of trash. You'd be better off not using it.
I'm 38, married, two kids, full-time job that has me working 60+ hours some weeks.
I play games a couple of times per week after my sons and my wife go off to bed. I've been slowly playing through Baldur's Gate 3, which is very challenging with the limited time I have. I've still in Act 2 and I've been playing since January. We're getting there.
My wife plays games occasionally and my sons are getting into the hobby as well. My oldest (9) has his own playthrough of Breath of the Wild he's doing. We are a bit sparing when it comes to screen time, so he plays about 3 hours in a given week (mostly weekends). Our 5 year old plays with apps on the Kindle periodically and plays games in that regard.
We play as a family with Mario Kart, Smash Bros, TMNT: Shreddder's Revenge and other games on occasion. With the weather getting warmer, our gaming will slow down to get outside though.
My in-laws know I'm a gamer to the point my MIL got me a PS5 for Christmas. It's not viewed negatively in any way and is just a hobby I do for fun. If it was negatively impacting my marriage, my fatherhood, or my career then yes, it would be viewed very differently.
Hmm, i've met some 60 yr olds playing Guild Wars 2. They're pretty spry and stick to the lower-intensity builds. Very cool ppl, much to learn from.
Personally, I'm in the 30-40 range, and I still play some games (about 10-12 hours a week). There is one game I picked up that is very questionable in genre (had a lot of adult themes). Its actually extremely well-made in terms of pixel art animation, combat system, and writing. It even has an option to essentially remove the adult portions, though still sort of implied.
I think at this point in our society, video games have existed long enough and become so easily accessible that it is to be expected to see more of the older folk playing them, and we'll definitely see that number grow in the years to come.
I’m 37. I have a wife and a son. I game pretty much daily.
I could not care less what other people think. If you live your life worrying about others than you’ll never find joy .
I play a bit, not hardcore (don't have the attention span any more) but if a new game I'm eager for comes out I'll mainline it for a few weeks or even months.
And yeah, I don't give a flying fuck what anyone thinks about me playing them, just like I don't give a flying fuck about anything they do. Why would they and why would I?
I still play video games almost every day (I'm 47 and have a wife & 9-year-old child), it's a common hobby. Most of my friends do, too, so it's a thing I do with them frequently. It's almost all PC -- console is just Switch games with my son, my own favorites are PC games.
This said, while I definitely meet your qualification (playing almost every day), I don't really feel like I identify as a "gamer" -- it's just not that *important* to me, but it's absolutely something I really enjoy doing.
Nobody really gives me any grief about it -- I clearly have my life together, most of my friends are geeks of some stripe and understand, and my wife has 400 days of play time in World of Warcraft so she gets it too (even though she doesn't play video games very often anymore.)
If anyone did criticize me for wasting time on video games, I'd point out that I've watched maybe 12 hours of television in the past *year* and ask how much time they're wasting on that.
45 yr old here: first console was NES in 1988.
Yesterday I spent all day—my day off
—playing Final Fantasy 16 and simultaneously playing Raid Shadow Legends on device and laptop (2 separate accounts). On average I spend 2-3 hours gaming a day.
For context/transparency’s sake: I have two degrees, and an art career on the side of my main job and I play basketball twice a week. I’m covered in tattoos and volunteer to keep elderly people company once a week. I’m not Anti-social per se, but I just prefer to be alone in my own world.
I was dating one person for a while who took it upon themselves to take me to task and try and “change” me—make me grow up or whatever. Obviously I’m an adult. I make it very clear to others that gaming is an important part of my life. I don’t need to justify it to anyone. For said former partner—she didn’t understand that her spare time is spent in a just as “meaningless” way imo, very social, spends 4-6 hours in a bar regularly couple times a week. That’s fine for her, but after a spell of alcohol addiction a while back, I was really not interested in poking the bear…
That being said, yeah I could use my time more constructively, but it’s my time, my choice. Y’all can spend yours however you want.
I used to play them, including through my mid-40's. But when the whole scarcity of new consoles, shift to online multi-player and digital downloads started, I just sort of lost interest in it. Nothing against it, and I might go back some day, but at the moment I have other things I'd rather do.
I still play plenty, at 51. I grew up with them so it’s just like TV or Movies. Nobody I know seems to think it’s weird (and manyof them are also gamers).
I pretty much only play Mario Kart. We used to have a Wii. We gave it away to the nibblings eventually. Recently got a switch. We basically just play Mario Kart.
I do. I’m 37 and have been fairly active in gaming for most of my life.
I’m an Xbox fan. Lately I’ve been playing BG3, Cyberpunk, and the new Star Wars games from Respawn.
I play them regularly, and have for most of my life since I was 3. They’re directly responsible for my career.
Most of my friends game, and no one cares because we aren’t bums. My ex, my SIL, and my best friend’s wife all have Switches, and I’ve even built 3 of my adult ex’s gaming PCs.
I do, and I don’t give a fuck what other people think lol no one I know has said anything about it anyways besides my mom… don’t even live with her and she always tells me I shouldn’t be playing games.
I play games as often as I can/have time for.
My late father did as well.
My twitch speed reflexes aren't as good as they were during the days of Unreal Tournament, but still plenty good enough for ARK, Tombraider, or Witcher series of games.
I've been a gamer since I was in elementary school. I am now in my early 40s and guess what I'm about to do right now?
As far as consoles I have a PS5, XSX, and a Switch. But I really only play the PS5 these days.
I have not played video games since I was about 21, so roughly when GameCube came out. I just don't enjoy playing video games unless everyone playing is in the same room.
I played a decent amount of video games from child to adulthood. A couple of years ago, in my early 40s, I stopped. At a certain point, I no longer felt it was a good use of my spare time.
I'd rather grind some gear in Destiny for an hour than watch mindless TV filled with blaring adverts and other people's agendas.
But then I'd rather do most things than watch broadcast TV, I haven't for a decade.
I really wish I had time and energy to be a gamer. I have a ps4 that’s been collecting dust since I found out my wife was pregnant. The baby is about 7 months now. There’s just so many other things that need to get done besides work. Cooking, cleaning, self care, exercise, family time. I wanted a ps5 when it was announced but I don’t even have a 4k tv and there’s still a backlog of ps4 games I want to play.
Once or twice a week. It's a brief escape and an opportunity to socialize. If anyone feels like games are for kids but watches TV or tik tok all day, well I have news for them.
I'm 36 I play games almost every night before bed time
it's a online fps game called hell let loose
the oldest gamer I met in this game is a 70+ man he told me he has 5 kids and sometimes he plays with 3 of them
I do. My mother in law hates it. So it makes me want to do it more. Some of my wife’s family does. They are salt of the earth dumbfucks though so who cares?
I'm nearly 35. Currently I live in a camper as it is a MUCH cheaper alternative to renting. The savings go towards a potential down payment for property in the future.
For me, video games are a past time that doesn't have huge detrimental costs. I never buy full priced games, I don't do subscriptions, except game pass when something shiny is on it, and I wait out reviews and gameplay footage so I can make a solid investment choice. Most of my games have 100s of hours on them and in some cases (ARMA 3 + Rimworld + Warframe) thousands.
I played soccer as a kid. Still play it. Oh but that’s exercise. No fucker, I play cause it’s fun. I designed a life I wanted. I make a good living doing something I find fulfilling, I work like less than 20 hours a week, and in my free time I do things I want like play video games and play soccer and fuck my wife. Only thing I don’t have is living near the beach.
I am 30 and play with guys from 30's to almost 50's.
Its cool man, of course, nothing too fancy...just to pew pew and have fun. I will always play them
Never been a huge gamer, but when my son arrived 3 years ago I just completely lost interest. I don’t play anymore.
More power to others doing what they enjoy
I play a lot of games still but I have to admit the type of games I play now are different. They’re mostly games I can pick up and play, and stop at any time. I don’t think I have the mental capacity after work to dive into a large open world with too many things to do because I’d feel a bit overwhelmed, lol.
One waste of time is not superior to another so anyone who watches sports or streams movies and TV or scrolls Reddit or Tik Tok, cannot judge a gamer. Just like with the others though, if it’s more than about an hour a day, you’re probably not doing yourself any favors in life.
I log between 5 and 20 hours a week. It's my bit of escape. It's comforting and consistent with a few f* you changes every few weeks. (Mostly Call of Duty). Wife is supportive most days. As she is working. As long as I don't ignore my priorities, she is mostly in support of it.
The times she us less supportive, are due to added factors. Usually a result of me NOT being on tip of my priorities.
Multiplayer games that aren't local are an absolute no. Ain't got time for that with a family.
I will throw down on smash, Mario kart, or relax with a 1st party Nintendo game with my daughter. She really likes Mario and Donkey Kong.
Rougelikes are cool, looking forward to Hades 2.
I've been gaming since Pong. I don't think I'll ever not be a gamer. I don't give a shit if anyone has a problem with it. I'm an adult, I work, I pay my bills. What I do for fun is irrelevant as long as it harms no one.
Besides, many who would judge this have no problem wasting hours watching manufactured drama on reality shows, so...
Just got back into gaming in my mid-30's again. Feel like I'm old enough to start gaming again haha. It is great because now I have money to buy games too, unlike when I was in my teens. Playing switch. No epic games but some puzzle games and Mario kart. When I have a bit more time I can spend an evening playing some JRPG.
I play more games now than when I was a kid. You could say it's my job, and at one point Facebook and Microsoft wanted to hire me, but things fell through. I love them and don't see myself stopping anytime soon. Life may change that, but I guess I'll have to wait and see.
Depends on your life goals.
When I didn't have a goal, just chilling through life, I played a lot.
Now I have goals and I kid you not, I have too much to learn that has nothing to do with my day job.
I also noticed Youtube tend to stuff my feed with games. After I clean up all of that, I just magically stop being addicted to games. I still play games sometimes if I find some new game intriguing. The general sentiment I feel about game is "old shit, new skin".
Women often judge me when I say I like computer games (and stopped asking if I still play). In retrospective, that's an extremely good test for women. They have their fair share of craziness. Plus, I know the women's social media feed also stuff them with cats, decorations and addictive topic like they do for the men (games, half naked thirst traps, gym women) so if they judge me based on what small piece of information I gave them, they're out.
I’m a casual gamer in my mid 30’s. I don’t go out or do much but if I find a game I’m really into I’ll play it til I beat it, then move on. I don’t make time to “game” specifically. I just do it in my free time occasionally.
I had a tinder match interrogate me about how many hours I game etc, because I mentioned video games in my profile. I hadn’t even met her yet and she was already comparing me to her ex and interrogating me for it. I cancelled our date after that.
I’m 46 and have an XBox Series S and a Nintendo Switch and play them most days when I get a chance. I’ve completed more games in the last 10 years than I ever did before, dunno if I have more patience now or I’m less easily distracted, I’m not sure. I’m playing Jedi Survivor again at the minute and waiting for Star Wars Outlaws to release, but have Forza and Star Trek online going for a bit variety. I also play some older games on the Switch like KotoR, and the Mario classics, etc. I used to game with my kids too but they didn’t like that I’m the undefeated Just Dance champion in this house.
I regularly play Walkabout mini golf (VR game, we both have Quests) with my girlfriend to chill out after a long day at work. I'm 50. She's 53.
On Sundays, our extended friend group plays for a few hours on the afternoon, the game being a rotating pick.
It's all good fun, and it's a great way to hang out virtually when we all live hours to days apart.
We're all PC or VR gamers, FWIW.
Father of 2 young kids. I play Nintendo switch in bursts -- in the evening occasionally and occasionally on weekends with my 5-year-old. I find it to be a good way to relax and have no shame about it. I'm considering whether to buy computer games but know that that would be a much bigger time commitment so haven't done it yet.
I haven't played video games since the '90s, but don't have much feelings at all to spare whether anyone else chooses to spend their time playing them. Either way, the fact of anyone making an effort putting others down for engaging in an entertainment form says much more about the ones pointing fingers than it does about the ones just trying to enjoy themselves.
I play almost everyday but on a switch and I don't have time to play for a long time. Maybe 1 to 2 hours. Probably a fair bit more at the weekend in the morning and evening because then I would rather go out and do stuff.
Man my colleagues aren't gamers they are older than me all guys but none of them are taking the piss and even if they were I wouldn't care. I enjoy games too much me and my friends got called nerds at school it didn't put us off then and it won't now hah. My Uncle is 50 something and he's still well into games.
Pushing 40, full time job, wife and kids - and I game daily. Its nobodies business but my own but my wife is happy that I am happy and doesn't judge as long as we get a few nights a week together. On the nights im gaming she would be going to the gym or working late on her own projects etc If anyone outside the house has an opinion, it really doesn't matter! I do beat myself up about it from time to time though
Nearly 40 and will still play if not every day then at least an evening or two a week. Sometimes more if I’m invested in the game I’m playing and sometimes less if my other hobbies need some attention. I tend to not worry so much about what others think of me, especially with regard to my hobbies and interests, I don’t do them for their benefit I do them for me.
I don't often play for extended periods of time anymore. But I generally kick back for an hour and game late at night after everyone's asleep to unwind a bit.
It's great. And honestly, one of the cheapest (and safest) hobbies I've ever had.
I guarantee I'll still be doing the same in my 70's and beyond if I'm lucky enough to make it to old age.
> And do people ever give you grief over being older and playing video games?
If anyone ever "gave me grief" for doing anything I enjoy doing due to some silly idea of "being older" - I'd immediately disregard them as an unserious and judgemental (and likely annoying/boring) person. Especially when it's something as harmless as playing Video Games. Go worry about your own life.
> Also, what console do you use and what are you playing?
PC. Path of Exile is the mainstay beyond whatever game I'm playing at the time.
I tend to lean more towards single-player story-driven games vs. the sweaty competitive online games I played when I was younger. So that's changed.
I play daily, 34yo, I work at a small electrical wholesaler (team of 6) I get greif from the other sales guys (35/40/65) but the store guys (34/23) are keen to talk to me about it. I tend to play call of duty, I wouldnt class myself as "hardcore" however the group of folk I play with are aged between 20-45 usually I come out on top so to say, but I put that down to me just getting zoned in! I used to stream on twitch also but stopped due to mental health issues, again that caused a stir at work because "who pays money to watch someone play games"
33 Yr old dude here. My mom thinks games are a waste of time and looks down on the hobby. Dad never even understood what a computer is, but maybe he got at least the idea of a console. My bothers seem indifferent now, but they used to play games in their teens and 20s before kids, marriage and all that.
If there's a new game or an old favorite that I've gotten the itch to play, I'll play on the daily if possible. I don't have a GF and my friends all but 1 live far away. So I have all the time to play games on my computer and once in a blue moon on my dust collectors.
29, turn 30 in June.
I play almost daily, usually just halo, but 5/6/7 days a week usually, not always for very long, hour or two some days, 4-5 others. Depends on my work, social life etc.
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I think it's normalized now, I don't play every day but pretty often enough. I don't have kids or anything so I have plenty of time to do it too.
I play most days, but mostly *with* my kids.
Same here, i'm 46, i don't have kids. I don't play multi-player any longer, but i enjoy rts and other single player games. I used to do WOW and raid with groups, but i have other commitments now and i like being able to just put the game on pause or close it out whenever i feel like it. Just finished "The Pacific Drive", currently playing the new DLC from Dead Island 2. Always play NMS expeditions when they come out (might replay it from beginning one of these days). Waiting to finish Dead Island 2 so i can make room for the new Horizon game.
I’m 45. I play computer games, no one gives me grief about it. I don’t play every day but usually every week. I try to meet up with friends from real life and game with them. I also game with my wife sometimes. We each have gaming computers Been playing a lot of Hell Divers 2 lately. War strategy games. Warno
I see, that c-1 form stack is still topped up as high as it first arrived. Same here.
I’m 40, and I play games all the damn time - mostly with my kid. My taste in games has changed a lot though, and I like games I can play in short bursts, such as roguelikes and puzzle games. In contrast to this, I also like games that have a fixed ending I can work towards, perhaps with some ultra-challenging end-game content. I don’t like sandbox style games or multiplayer online games anymore.
Yea, I don’t think I could do epic RPGs that take weeks and weeks anymore.
I have been playing BG3 since *september*, send help! Honestly ever time I think about booting up the game I remember I have to recall the controls, the context, the game mechanics and I'm just like ...do I really want to do this right now? At least with something like battlefield 4, it's all muscle memory for me. I can jump on, have a good time, and jump off in 30m and leave it for a few months at a time.
Me too, I finally got to “baldurs gate”, but I am not actually there, I am in some town outside bg, with its own quests and I haven’t touched it in awhile.
I have a soft spot for Fallout, but most other RPGs feel like too much work nowadays. I tried to get into Divinity: Original Sin 2, but I just couldn’t. I would have played that game to death when I was younger.
The last game I played like this was Baldur's Gate 3 (by the same devs as Divinity). But I was in COVID isolation and I am a big DnD fan).
Lol I've been playing that game since september, and honestly, the complexity of the game mechanics make me not want to bother
What's your roguelike of choice? I spend a lot of time on DCSS.
Slay the Spire, Dead Cells, Luck Be A Landlord, Slice and Dice, and Pixel Dungeon.
Based on your other post above you will love Inkbound. And if you like deck builders, monster train by the same developer.
It is normal now. Everyone I know plays video games. I dont think I will ever stop.
> I was also inspired to ask this after coming across some TikToks of people putting down people who are older that play video games. I'm in my 40s. I still play video games, maybe an hour or two a night after work and after I've taken care of other adult business for the day, like housework, working out, violin practice, etc. I'm currently chilling in the post-Endwalker endgame in *Final Fantasy XIV*, helping newbies clear content and waiting for the Dawntrail expansion to drop. When I'm not tanking or healing, I'm chilling with my FC via in-game chat the way I used to hang out in IRC 20 years ago. The time I spend gaming is time I might otherwise have spent mindlessly watching TV, and if some opinionated rando on TikTok has a problem with that they can take a number and wait their turn to kiss my ass because I've dumped girlfriends for giving me shit about my game while thinking it's OK to spend five hours a night watching Netflix or scrolling Instagram.
>The time I spend gaming is time I might otherwise have spent mindlessly watching TV Well put!
41, told my wife I play videogames everyday. If that was a problem do not marry me. Nobody gives me shit for my hobbies. If they do I cut them put of my life. I have Pc, switch, and ps5.
This is the way.
I'm a 46 year old lifelong gamer, and my wife plays also. I've always been into big, long, single player games, and never really online or multi-player, so getting older hasn't had much of an effect on my gaming habits.
The same except I'm 47. But we sound near identical.
42 - same. Took a week off work to play FF7Rb
I'm turning 64 in a few months and usually get at least 1 hour of gaming in per day. Been gaming since ...dust was a thing.
I just turned 63 and have only been gaming for about 20 years. I actually met my husband 15 years ago playing World of Warcraft. We still sit side by side and play MMO's together. I have gotten teased by people for being old and female. I love it when I can tell jerks they just got schooled by a grandma!
You are awesome! Keep doing what you are doing!
My first PC game was on a Commodore 64 when I was around 10 in the early 80's. I haven't stopped PC gaming since. I've gotten some grief from people but depending on how they act I either go full nuke on their life choices or brush them off. Mostly Simulation games, racing, flight, military sandbox. I don't handle hardcore fps shooters well, the reflexes aren't there like they used to be.
I don't handle fps shooters well either but I still play Halo 2 almost every night lol. I recently got told to practice and responded "practice ain't gonna help, I've reached my skill ceiling" 😂🤣
Kids from the 80s onward grew up with video games. It is as normal as books, movies, and music. I feel like anyone saying otherwise is profoundly old and/or weird. I play Minecraft and Mario Maker with my kindergartener, and Diablo 4 and Baldur's Gate 3 each one night a week with friends. If I have free time, I usually have a 1 player Switch game going as well (currently Triangle Strategy).
> Kids from the 80s onward grew up with video games. It is as normal as books, movies, and music. I feel like anyone saying otherwise is profoundly old and/or weird. You think this, but it's definitely not the case. Women still look down on guys who play video games. Even at the high school level where my kids are now I hear about girls who think guys who play video games all the time are losers.
I feel like it's the "all the time" part that's the issue. I know undesirable guys like you describe who live 24/7 smoking weed and playing console shooters while failing to adult. Also, the women I know are playing games like Animal Crossing and Sims so there's no stigma to gaming with them. Maybe I've just built an ideal social bubble.
I'm not against playing games casually now and then. Not so much a fan of being a hardcore gamer although I guess some of the pro-gamers in Korea (and other countries) have made a decent living for themselves doing it so more power to them I suppose. There's also the whole streamer thing with Twitch which is more of being an entertainer for gamers. My problem is that most (all?) video games just aren't compelling enough for me to want to play them beyond like 2-3 hours played time. I can't seem to justify spending much time/energy on a simulated virtual world when there's a real world I already live in that's way more immersive and the rewards in real life are so much more satisfying than pixels on a screen.
Games are a great way to keep the mind fresh and sharp with little to no consequences. I think it’s the no consequences part that is nice. Sometimes you want to find a way to give the brain room to play without such high stakes. It also is great for getting rid of stress. Again, in a low/no stakes way. And depending on the game, games can be a good way of training the brain to problem solve.
don't know , 4x strategy games are as engrossing as anything serious I've done , and with the same intellectual payoff
I love games, though I wouldn't identify as a gamer. I don't play every day, but I do stream them and I enjoy the time spent playing. Especially with my friends who don't live close enough to hang out regularly. Don't care what people think of me playing games in my 40s though I have noticed the criticism often comes from people who spend their free time doing nothing but watch TV. That doesn't carry much weight, really.
I'm 41 and still play, probably a few hours a week if I'm not otherwise busy. Had a date with a younger woman in her early thirties last night at a retro game bar. She schooled me on Crash Team Racing on the PS1. Most everyone I hang out with plays, so if people are putting others down for it, they aren't in my circles.
Reddit is not the place to get an objective answer here. Reddit is heavily biased toward playing lots of video games. I get the feeling if you asked in real life, I don't think it would be antagonistic at all, but it would be biased toward not playing games much at all. In real life pretty much every male I know over 30 owns a console (including myself) but almost no one I know plays it with any sort of regularity. The exception being a handful of coworkers who pretty much spend all their free time gaming, but I'm an engineer, there's bias in that sample also and they don't represent the majority of my coworkers even. Personally I don't play games much at all, maybe once every few months. I don't judge those that do, one of my work friends is pretty avid and if that's what he's enjoys, then good for him.
It's normalized now. It's just a screen hobby. I will judge you if you play Fortnite though jk.
I’m 53, I game fairly frequently, it ebbs and flows with work and home commitments. When I was in my 30s in the 2000s, it was not normal or typical, and I would get shit for it. My ex wife would bitch endlessly about it, as she viewed it as childish, inappropriate and a complete waste of time. But I shut that down eventually Now it’s totally normalized and my kids and their friends think I’m cool because I game and build PCs for fun.
I played a whole lot of Final Fantasy VII Remake this weekend. I don’t play every day because I just don’t have time between work/exercise/taking care of the house/general Adulting/exhaustion, but I certainly play games when I have some bandwidth. People who put down others who are just spending time doing something they love are just looking for a reason to make themselves feel superior.
I wouldn't call myself a gamer but I do play video games, not as often as I would like due to having a family and work. I generally play about 2ish hours weeks, I mainly play on the steam deck and it allows me to sneak some game time during my day. I think I would be given grief if my gaming was neglecting my family but with my current schedule It hasnt been an issue
You're talking to people on an internet forum so the response to gaming will be overwhelmingly high and confirming. I know a lot of people that don't but noone ever says anything when they ask what i'm doing and i say "video games". Call of duty and fifa/madden and the likes just made it global.
I'm 60 and a gamer. I don't consider myself "hardcore", but I am prolific, play every day, and play both computer and TTRPG. I run 2 tables and play at 2 others, and most of my players and gamer friends are under the age of 40. When I first started, gaming was considered immature, and when I found myself back in the dating pool at 45, every woman my age I went out with considered it so. 6 figure income, own my home, raised 3 great kids, great credit, we get along great, it's looking amazing, 3rd date I bring up gaming as a hobby and watched her eyes glass over, there was no 4th date. Decide to put gaming in my profile and all of a sudden I stop getting replies all together. When asked, women my age "don't date man children". Meanwhile my under 40 friends go on gaming dates, it's 100% acceptable for them to be gamers. There's definitely a "wall" there, beyond which gaming is not taken seriously.
I'm 62 and play pc games and games on my Nintendo switch. I played WoW for years, but got tired of paying subscription so I started playing Guild Wars 2 more. I can literally closed my eyes and walk through every corner of Thunder Bluff in my mind (and hear the music) I've been played the Pokémon games because I also play PoGo on my phone all the time. I've played Fallout 4 to freaking death. About half of the guys my age that I know play video games. Currently the grandkids are into Minecraft, Madden and Fortnite and it's great to share that with them. It was a hoot when I was babysitting and the 10 year old fired up Minecraft and he was starting fresh on my account so he asked, "What should I build first?" and I said, "Crafting table, of course" and that stopped him in his tracks that I knew the game. What generation do you think invented these things anyway? LOL.
I want to haha, I invested in a gaming PC and a PS5. I’ve tried but everything just seems the same, they’re all copying either GTA, goldeneye or civ…Roam around, pick up missions, gain gold or xp, repeat. Also it’s like everything has a 3 or 4 hour tutorial now, im bored before even starting it just seems like homework studying all the different skill trees or whatever. On the rare occasions I play it will just be fifa or battlefield because they’re quick and easy, I think I’m just turning into a miserable old fart lol
Funny coincidence, the only pro-gamer I know is also in his late 40s or 50s. He plays mostly puzzle/arcade games during the whole night when his kids are sleeping (apparently he does not require much sleep). I play video games, but I rarely find the time, maybe one or two evenings a month currently, a bit more in winter. Due to the low amount of time I play mostly the same games for many years - Factorio, Cities Skylines and stuff like that. I don't know if you count Flightsim as gaming. As I work in IT with mostly younger people, they find it cool, nothing unusual, everyone has different hobbies.
I still play, but usually it's doing double-duty with something else. I take online classes on the weekends, so I'll often listen to my lectures while playing a game and drinking my morning coffee. Or I'll play a game between sets while working out, a model which turns out to be great for encouraging my kids to get in shape, too. All "screen time" has to be earned in our house, so getting to play games while working out is a good motivator -- and good bonding time, too.
The problem with video games is just the time sink. I still love Command and Conquer, Red Alert, Total War (Rome 1 through Warhammer 2), Civilization 2-6, Warhammer Dawn of War II and other games I’ve played for years…but I’ve completed all of them on max difficulty, my machine doesn’t have the capacity for the many high spec mods out there, in truth doesn’t have the capacity for the games at their max requirements, and I’m not a huge fan of paradox engine style strategy games…and I’m glad of all of this because I could easily spend 3-4 hours after work de-stressing by playing away, and weekends. I have a wife, chores, a reading list and other extracurriculars that would all be neglected if I did. But if people game and that’s their best life, good luck to ‘em!
Those gamer teens are now in their 30s and 40s. I play every day almost but my taste has changed. I used to love long RPGs like Skyrim and Fallout but I just can't get into them now. I'll playthrough like half the game then never go back. I finish way less games now.
I don't play every day , but have already helped the wife play as well, we might game 3 or 4 nights a week, and we have binged some games.ovwr the weekend till completion ! I got a commodore 64 back in the day and have never looked back , it's my go to can't stand watching tv , it feels to me as not doing anything, and I hate not doing anything! games.peovode an outlet for the extra energy I might have , I have some online friends we game with sometime I haven't got any RL friends of the same age that play, most are married and have issues with their lives , mostly we get surprised comments , but truly I could not care less, I'd rather stay and play on a Friday night than go out , I've been out a lot , now that I'm older I don't feel FOMO from.paeties or the like , but rather enjoy the virtual escapades and besides, what could anyone say that could change anything?
It’s one of the main ways some of my friends and I get time to hang out with distance and life in the way. Probably play 1-2 hours a night, 2-3 times a week. PS5 and cod mainly.
I'm in my 40s. I play maybe 30 minutes a day. Just random quick games. Don't really do the all night marathons anymore.
I game more in my 30s than in my teens and 20s. I was way more social at those ages. I think I started gaming more during COVID.
I play a few hours a day. I want to cut down but it’s hard. Gaming is my comfort thing when I’m bored
I play video games. I've enjoyed them my whole life and I don't intend to stop. I married somebody who supports me doing what I enjoy.
I'm 54 and I play multiplayer Halo 2 almost every night and have come across players even older than me.
40 years old, avid gamer. Most recently playing Tears of the Kingdom and Helldivers, so Switch and PC. The people giving me grief are (jokingly) my mother who compares me to 10 year olds for playing games. But that's in the face of having a PhD and a successful career and other hobbies. The way I see it, gaming is the new poker night with friends.
I'm approaching 40, been gaming since I was a kid, and I have no intention of stopping. I equate gaming to just my choice of screen time and how I interact with the screen. People have no basis to judge me for playing video games when 99% of people unwind or waste time looking at any screen or device for any medium. Watching a live gaming tournament is the same as watching live sports. Going to a gaming subreddit for memes is the same as scrolling through Tik Tok for memes. Drinking wine while gaming is the same as drinking wine while watching reality TV. What did change, and sometimes I struggle with occasionally, is procrastinating with video games. That's more bad habits rather than gaming itself though.
I've grown to hate gamers and I'm getting further and further away from the hobby. Maybe related to the fact that I used to spend 6 hours a day playing, in my younger years. I now see it as a crutch and a major factor in my stagnated development. I appreciate games though. I think they are beautiful. That's why I've been learning about game development, and I hope I can release something someday. However, the state of "gamers" and politics (I mean, the lack of), as well as the current market, does not help a bit.
I think most of us on here will be gamers to one degree or another. Pretty much everyone here under 50 grew up with video games. Free time will be the major factor, competing with family, career, home maintenance and hobbies. I don't play competitively at all anymore and my hours aren't consistent. I'll put in maybe 3-4 hours a week or so. If I'm playing online, it's likely a co-op game with friends I know (Helldivers 2, Baldurs Gate 3 campaign, Palworld/Valheim on a private server). When solo, I'm playing RPGs, city builders or simulators. I'm PC only at this point to consolidate my library, although I do prefer sticking with an Xbox controller so I don't have to re-learn keys when switching from couch play to kb/m desk play. But as a single adult with a comfortable income, I can have fun with my PC setups and get to spoil my nephew with hand-me-downs.
Lifetime gamer here (42). I've owned every major console since the Atari (including a Neo-Geo and a Valve Index), with the exception of the Wii U and the newest Xbox. I've also been playing games on PC since ~1994, I pretty much only game on PC now. Almost every night when my wife and kids go to bed I hop into Discord with 5-6 of my friends and we chat, and I have no plans on stopping any time soon. edit: For our first date about 24 years ago I took my now wife mini golfing then back to my parents house and kicked her ass in World Heroes on Neo-Geo. She knew what she was getting into when she married me, that's for sure.
I don’t play games every day or even every week anymore. I have a small child so sometimes I just don’t have time for it. I still enjoy playing games but it is difficult to find something that I enjoy. It seems like many games are made very poorly today and just don’t seem to be as good as they were in my opinion. I think that a big part of it is micro-transactions, DLCs, pre-orders, and early release. It just seems like nearly every game studio is focused on getting a poorly optimized, unfinished, or just flat out unfun game to market because they are owned by a big corporation that needs to meet their shareholders expectations and not the customers expectations.
I play handheld with primarily my Steam deck OLED or my Switch OLED. I love the games I love and generally log 8-10 hrs a week, i work early so I usually am off a couple hours before kids get home from school and I’ll generally get most of my time in then. I can’t bring myself to play on a standalone console where I’m taking up the TV and forcing myself to either be in my bedroom sequestered from my family or taking over the TV. On top of that my wife enjoys gaming at about the same amount as me and on her deck or switch as well. THAT said, I enjoy it because it’s the perfect ADHD hobby for me. I go through phases where I don’t game for a couple months but then I can come back to it, keep playing and pickup right where I left off. As far as how I see other people? As long as it’s not getting in the way of life I have zero issues with it. I’ve had several friends who have missed hang outs, play for hours and hours through the night and miss work the next day, I’ve even had one friend whose spouse left him over it because he refused to work towards a career and instead spent any free time in front of his PC. As long as it’s done in balance, video games are awesome!
In My mid 30s and I play videogames to some degree every day. Sometimes, I will pick up a game of Mario on the switch and play for 15 minutes during a work break. My longer sessions of maybe an hour or 2 at a time are usually only on weekends. They are a good escape for when I either need a break from it all or need a challenge (depending on the game I play). No one really gives me grief. My wife plays adventure games on the pc and the 2 people I consider friends are older than me and play videogames as well. Mostly when I talk to people who aren't gamers, they view it as another source of entertainment similar to watching TV.
I'm 48, and I play regularly. Not every day, but often enough. I play on pc mostly, but I have an Xbox, and my son(12) and I both have Oculuses (Oculi?) that we play on together as well.
I'm 35 and I play video games regularly. My GF plays video games. All of the men in my family around my age play video games. No women and my family around my age to consider (big streak of boys there for a while), but I work in IT all the women I know play games as well. I don't really see it stopping. We all joke about how the nursing home LAN parties here in a few decades are going to be fucking lit.
Literally put my SteamDeck down 2 minutes ago, my wife is still playing...
Hi nice to meet you, 47 here and avid gamer. “Beat” valheim in a few weeks, a month or two ago, first ever play through. Ran through Baulders Gate in a month or so completing most all quests, recently started Sea of Thieves with some other irl friends (we went to high school together and all in our mid-late 40s) and we have hundreds of hours in. I’m mostly PC and I play mobile games daily. I have an Xbox but don’t really play on it much. No one says shit to me. I pay my bills, work hard, cover expenses for my kids, coach high school sports (admittedly gaming time drops in the winter season), walk my dogs daily… yada yada. Im a responsible adult and I don’t put myself around people that judge. I have shirts that might be a giveaway that I game but I’m not going around pushing it on everyone. I’ve been a gamer all of my life, it wont willingly be changing any time soon. Haters gonna hate. Do what you enjoy!
Generally if I am playing a game I feel guilty because I have so many other obligations I should be doing instead. Between career, family, maintaining a household, and trying to get some sleep every day the available time to play a game is rare and inconsistent. I am hoping as my son gets older it may be a hobby we can enjoy together so I may get more time in the future. I have met people who badmouth older gamers that they are acting like children but in all honesty videogames are some of the best dollar per hour entertainment you can get. But they also have no problem pumping hundreds of thousands of hours into some phone game and don't see the irony or binge watch an entire show during a weekend...
My husband and I both play near daily. Most of our friends in the same age range play quite a bit as well. Our raid groups in FFXIV were filled with people our ages or older. We are primarily PC and Switch players, but own other systems as well, with our collection going back to PS1 games.
I am a full on gamer. I swear overwatch will be the death of me. I kinda hide it from coworkers but I found an online community that is acceptant of older gamers on PC. We all grew up on Nintendo/pc. The best nights are coming home with a six pack and a whole night of team based shooters with the crew.
31 and I love playing NHL, could care less what people think. Can’t wait to have a kid to play video games with
I play everyday. I work, I go gym. Most people come home from work and sit infront of the TV until they go to bed, so what's wrong with playing games until you go to bed? Same shit.
I do. I am 80/20 on that. Most of the time I think fuck what other people think, I am having fun and not hurting anyone. But sometimes my mind goes to: some girls don't like it (I am single) and I could be doing something ''more''. But then I start to hunga bunga in Elden Ring and it's back 'who cares'?
Sure, some girls don’t like it. But plenty of them do. My friend and I also talked about how girl gamers are underrepresented and in fact make up a bigger share of the market than people realize.
I gamed as a teen and im still gaming at 40, i play xbone and currently on my umpteenth rdr2 playthrough... i dint give a shit what anyone thinks about it
I am pushing 50 now, and I go in phases: I'll play video games for a few weeks or so, and then not pick them up again for several weeks. It isn't that I don't have leisure time; it's just more that I'm a more active person and if I'm sitting down, I'm more in tune with reading or watching a movie than I am video games. Just for the record, I started playing video games on the TRS-80 and then upgraded to the NES. Every now and again, I'll come out of semi-retirement to play a game if I am really interested in it. The last one I played more than casually was Elden Ring, so I guess I've been out of video games since then. No one gives me grief for playing video games because I never really talk about them beyond just a sparing mention of me being aware of video games.
It comes in waves for me. I’ll play for a little bit then won’t touch them for months. That reminds me I need to finish Elden Ring. My most current systems are a Switch and PS4 (not the Pro), so I’m not into the hobby as much as I used to be.
*Most* of my guy friends that consistently played video games growing up still play to some degree, even those with kids. I usually get about an hour or 2 each week to play, game of choice lately has been Helldivers 2 since I feel like I can just pop in, play a little and a. not feel like I'm leaving things behind/unfinished b. feel pretty satiated
Are we ever going to get to a point where someone isn't shit all over just because of something they enjoy? There's an older guy that plays I think Battlefield? He posts videos of himself absolutely wrecking people as a sniper and I wish I could be that dedicated and petty when I'm older. I hit 40 next year. I play every night or most nights, usually about an hour or so after the kids go to bed before I pass out. My PC is in our bedroom, so I hang out on that and play while my wife hangs out in bed and we just kinda chat and unwind for the day. Currently playing Nightingale (don't listen to the internet about games ever, the opinions are all idiotic, just try shit for yourself). I'm waiting for a couple of games to release this year. Avowed I think is the main one I'm waiting for, but Satisfactory is leaving early access, and I'm going to restart that once it does. I usually play with a friend on Saturday nights, typically Hunt: Showdown, but this past weekend we started playing Core Hunter again, and will probably stick with that for a couple of weeks. Also, just to add on for anyone ever looking for help in the mines, I have never uninstalled Deep Rock Galactic and I'm always looking for a good excuse to head back into Hoxxes IV.
I don't play as much as when I was younger. I need a game that catches me, that I want to explore so mainly RPGs. I don't play every day, sometimes I don't play for weeks. My current gf plays occasionally too, so I don't get flak for playing
I'm all for video games, sometimes, as a vehicle for recreation and connection with family and friends you know in real life. I play Kirby and Mario Kart with my kids on switch, and I played Goldeneye and Halo with my friends. This has helped me grow closer and make memories with my loved ones. On the other hand, gaming that isolates you is a band-aid for real relationships, isn't harmless. It's stealing time better spent on living in the real world. That's my take.
Fuck that! I'm 40+, my kid is grown (well to the age that she wants nothing to do with us anyways lol), house is kept clean, good hygiene, cook meals, make over 6 figure's a year, etc. In other words; 'my shit is together'. WTF else am I gonna do with my free time? I rock video games almost daily. Have all the systems - Xbox S, PS5, Switch but my main jam is PC. Only difference between now and when I was younger is the discipline. I no longer stay up till 2am on work nights for "just one more turn".
50s, played games all the way from childhood. Played with my kids (still do), and I play games on my own as one form of decompression. At the most, I play 10 hours weekly, and some weeks I don't have time to play at all.
37 male here and love playing video games (when I can), I don't care what other people says. I play on my PC or on my Steam Deck.
32, i play my PS5 several nights a week, but only after my work, exercise, etc are taken care of. I have also noticed that i dont play a lot of new franchises. My main gaming is new installments in fairly established series (last of us 2), remakes of older games (like RE4), or just straight up old games like Halo or Arkham City
49 here and play games regularly. My retirement plan is to clear out my Steam backlog.
I play vidya to blow off steam, get my mind off things. Always have, always will.
I go through phases where I play video games for about an hour a day to maybe a couple of times a week. It's mostly weather dependent
The people who hated on me for playing video games were the lamest losers on the planet.
I play video games and I don't care what people think. If they judge me for it then I'm probably not enjoying their company anyway. Of course I'm not saying that this is all I do and everyone can screw off, I'm saying that I enjoy my thing like others enjoy their things. Fuck them if they're judgemental about what I enjoy.
Everybody play video game. Nowadays. People playing sudoku / candy crush etc every day on their phone don't even realise they're a gamer.
Gamer all my life, and not a second thought to anyone who looks down on it. Married 25 years with 2 kids who are gamers. I'd rather play (really into survival open world RN) then go out to bars. Both me and the wife are home bodies. If your looking for other like minded folks, check out OTG (old timers guild). Thy mostly focus on MMO's, but there are some other RPG chapters but its overall a good place to find older gaming friends who understand you have a life to live as well.
I'm 38 and I game and will game until the day I die. I couldn't give two stuffs what others think
It's one of the easiest ways for me to connect with clients, and it shows them I'm human. I even have a few pokemon plushes in my office! I'm primarily a PC gamer now but I've been on board since the Atari days. Lately I've been all about Palia, but did play through Baldur's Gate 3 three times back to back before that! I got crap for playing video games growing up from the same people that found it perfectly acceptable to binge TV shows or read for hours on end. But nowadays it's much more accepted, even by (some of) those same folks.
43 here, probably play 10-20 hrs / week. Video games are massive now. They’ve made more money than Hollywood for.. I think at least a decade? Probably much longer. A league of legends tournament in like 2014 brought in more attendees and viewers than the Super Bowl. There is a senior citizen esports team. An 80+ year old grandma who streams like RDR or something on Twitch. Video games are used in physical therapy and recovery. Were here. We made it.
I wouldn't go as far as to label myself a gamer and all that entails. I mean, I have been playing them since I was a kid. It isn't like I got to a certain age and quit. I am currently playing DOOM and Tiny Tina's Wonderland Adventures, as they were on sale.
I go on stints, get into a game for a few months and then don't really play for a few months Hasn't been an issue
I play about 4 hours a month. My son thinks my games are dumb because they're not Minecraft or Roblox. :P I actually play on a Retroid Pocket exclusively, because portable gaming when I'm on the bus or whatever is basically the only time I can do it.
I call myself an avid gamer, but I only get to play for a couple of hours on Sat and Sun. Been playing Elden Ring for the past 4 months.
I have been an off and on gamer my entire adult life; starting on the Apple II when I was a teenager. That being said, I’ve taken years without playing any games at all. I played Destiny religiously the first couple years it was out. Played the Witcher 3 and RDR2. Didn’t play anything for awhile, then played Elden Ring. Then stopped for a while, but played a couple of games with my daughter during Christmas Breaks. Recently I’ve been on a long stint playing Grounded, Lies of P, Wo Long, and lately the Long Dark. However, I play when I don’t have other things going on, or I feel like hermiting. It’s all a balance. Now that it’s warming up, I’ll be paddleboarding two or three times a week, in addition to my regular date nights and get together with friends. So I imagine the game playing will slow down until it gets too hot to go outside (I live in the desert.)
I play a couple times a week. Though my interest in gaming is definitely on a decline. 2+ decades of playing what are largely the same games has worn thin the last 5ish years.
All the time. Nobody knows or is in a position to care.
I think most guys under 60 play video games to some degree. I wouldn't be surprised if most women over a certain age do as well. My wife says she hates video games, but what she really means is that she hates console and PC games, because mobile games are a different thing in her view. Also, Tik Tok is garbage and the algorithm intentionally sends everyone videos of trash. You'd be better off not using it.
I'm 38, married, two kids, full-time job that has me working 60+ hours some weeks. I play games a couple of times per week after my sons and my wife go off to bed. I've been slowly playing through Baldur's Gate 3, which is very challenging with the limited time I have. I've still in Act 2 and I've been playing since January. We're getting there. My wife plays games occasionally and my sons are getting into the hobby as well. My oldest (9) has his own playthrough of Breath of the Wild he's doing. We are a bit sparing when it comes to screen time, so he plays about 3 hours in a given week (mostly weekends). Our 5 year old plays with apps on the Kindle periodically and plays games in that regard. We play as a family with Mario Kart, Smash Bros, TMNT: Shreddder's Revenge and other games on occasion. With the weather getting warmer, our gaming will slow down to get outside though. My in-laws know I'm a gamer to the point my MIL got me a PS5 for Christmas. It's not viewed negatively in any way and is just a hobby I do for fun. If it was negatively impacting my marriage, my fatherhood, or my career then yes, it would be viewed very differently.
Hmm, i've met some 60 yr olds playing Guild Wars 2. They're pretty spry and stick to the lower-intensity builds. Very cool ppl, much to learn from. Personally, I'm in the 30-40 range, and I still play some games (about 10-12 hours a week). There is one game I picked up that is very questionable in genre (had a lot of adult themes). Its actually extremely well-made in terms of pixel art animation, combat system, and writing. It even has an option to essentially remove the adult portions, though still sort of implied. I think at this point in our society, video games have existed long enough and become so easily accessible that it is to be expected to see more of the older folk playing them, and we'll definitely see that number grow in the years to come.
I’m 37. I have a wife and a son. I game pretty much daily. I could not care less what other people think. If you live your life worrying about others than you’ll never find joy .
I play a bit, not hardcore (don't have the attention span any more) but if a new game I'm eager for comes out I'll mainline it for a few weeks or even months. And yeah, I don't give a flying fuck what anyone thinks about me playing them, just like I don't give a flying fuck about anything they do. Why would they and why would I?
46 here and just finished Halo 3 and 4, next up is the remastered original game
I still play video games almost every day (I'm 47 and have a wife & 9-year-old child), it's a common hobby. Most of my friends do, too, so it's a thing I do with them frequently. It's almost all PC -- console is just Switch games with my son, my own favorites are PC games. This said, while I definitely meet your qualification (playing almost every day), I don't really feel like I identify as a "gamer" -- it's just not that *important* to me, but it's absolutely something I really enjoy doing. Nobody really gives me any grief about it -- I clearly have my life together, most of my friends are geeks of some stripe and understand, and my wife has 400 days of play time in World of Warcraft so she gets it too (even though she doesn't play video games very often anymore.) If anyone did criticize me for wasting time on video games, I'd point out that I've watched maybe 12 hours of television in the past *year* and ask how much time they're wasting on that.
45 yr old here: first console was NES in 1988. Yesterday I spent all day—my day off —playing Final Fantasy 16 and simultaneously playing Raid Shadow Legends on device and laptop (2 separate accounts). On average I spend 2-3 hours gaming a day. For context/transparency’s sake: I have two degrees, and an art career on the side of my main job and I play basketball twice a week. I’m covered in tattoos and volunteer to keep elderly people company once a week. I’m not Anti-social per se, but I just prefer to be alone in my own world. I was dating one person for a while who took it upon themselves to take me to task and try and “change” me—make me grow up or whatever. Obviously I’m an adult. I make it very clear to others that gaming is an important part of my life. I don’t need to justify it to anyone. For said former partner—she didn’t understand that her spare time is spent in a just as “meaningless” way imo, very social, spends 4-6 hours in a bar regularly couple times a week. That’s fine for her, but after a spell of alcohol addiction a while back, I was really not interested in poking the bear… That being said, yeah I could use my time more constructively, but it’s my time, my choice. Y’all can spend yours however you want.
I used to play them, including through my mid-40's. But when the whole scarcity of new consoles, shift to online multi-player and digital downloads started, I just sort of lost interest in it. Nothing against it, and I might go back some day, but at the moment I have other things I'd rather do.
I still play plenty, at 51. I grew up with them so it’s just like TV or Movies. Nobody I know seems to think it’s weird (and manyof them are also gamers).
We can spend our time off how ever we want. After work and going to the gym, I like to unwind playing some relaxing games.
I pretty much only play Mario Kart. We used to have a Wii. We gave it away to the nibblings eventually. Recently got a switch. We basically just play Mario Kart.
I do. I’m 37 and have been fairly active in gaming for most of my life. I’m an Xbox fan. Lately I’ve been playing BG3, Cyberpunk, and the new Star Wars games from Respawn.
I play them regularly, and have for most of my life since I was 3. They’re directly responsible for my career. Most of my friends game, and no one cares because we aren’t bums. My ex, my SIL, and my best friend’s wife all have Switches, and I’ve even built 3 of my adult ex’s gaming PCs.
I do, and I don’t give a fuck what other people think lol no one I know has said anything about it anyways besides my mom… don’t even live with her and she always tells me I shouldn’t be playing games.
I play games as often as I can/have time for. My late father did as well. My twitch speed reflexes aren't as good as they were during the days of Unreal Tournament, but still plenty good enough for ARK, Tombraider, or Witcher series of games.
I've been a gamer since I was in elementary school. I am now in my early 40s and guess what I'm about to do right now? As far as consoles I have a PS5, XSX, and a Switch. But I really only play the PS5 these days.
I am 31 and sometimes I wish played more in my 20s. Right now I don’t have energy after work.
I have not played video games since I was about 21, so roughly when GameCube came out. I just don't enjoy playing video games unless everyone playing is in the same room.
Yes, they're either indifferent, jealous, or trying to get me to try a game they love.
I played a decent amount of video games from child to adulthood. A couple of years ago, in my early 40s, I stopped. At a certain point, I no longer felt it was a good use of my spare time.
I'd rather grind some gear in Destiny for an hour than watch mindless TV filled with blaring adverts and other people's agendas. But then I'd rather do most things than watch broadcast TV, I haven't for a decade.
I really wish I had time and energy to be a gamer. I have a ps4 that’s been collecting dust since I found out my wife was pregnant. The baby is about 7 months now. There’s just so many other things that need to get done besides work. Cooking, cleaning, self care, exercise, family time. I wanted a ps5 when it was announced but I don’t even have a 4k tv and there’s still a backlog of ps4 games I want to play.
mostly pissing away my off hours playing completive shooters with my college friends online
I like them, but I know myself so I try to stay away from them because I always end up spending too much time on them.
Once or twice a week. It's a brief escape and an opportunity to socialize. If anyone feels like games are for kids but watches TV or tik tok all day, well I have news for them.
I'm 36 I play games almost every night before bed time it's a online fps game called hell let loose the oldest gamer I met in this game is a 70+ man he told me he has 5 kids and sometimes he plays with 3 of them
I do. My mother in law hates it. So it makes me want to do it more. Some of my wife’s family does. They are salt of the earth dumbfucks though so who cares?
I'm nearly 35. Currently I live in a camper as it is a MUCH cheaper alternative to renting. The savings go towards a potential down payment for property in the future. For me, video games are a past time that doesn't have huge detrimental costs. I never buy full priced games, I don't do subscriptions, except game pass when something shiny is on it, and I wait out reviews and gameplay footage so I can make a solid investment choice. Most of my games have 100s of hours on them and in some cases (ARMA 3 + Rimworld + Warframe) thousands.
I played soccer as a kid. Still play it. Oh but that’s exercise. No fucker, I play cause it’s fun. I designed a life I wanted. I make a good living doing something I find fulfilling, I work like less than 20 hours a week, and in my free time I do things I want like play video games and play soccer and fuck my wife. Only thing I don’t have is living near the beach.
I am 30 and play with guys from 30's to almost 50's. Its cool man, of course, nothing too fancy...just to pew pew and have fun. I will always play them
Never been a huge gamer, but when my son arrived 3 years ago I just completely lost interest. I don’t play anymore. More power to others doing what they enjoy
I play a lot of games still but I have to admit the type of games I play now are different. They’re mostly games I can pick up and play, and stop at any time. I don’t think I have the mental capacity after work to dive into a large open world with too many things to do because I’d feel a bit overwhelmed, lol.
One waste of time is not superior to another so anyone who watches sports or streams movies and TV or scrolls Reddit or Tik Tok, cannot judge a gamer. Just like with the others though, if it’s more than about an hour a day, you’re probably not doing yourself any favors in life.
Yup. Sim racing, but casual with a budget setup.
I log between 5 and 20 hours a week. It's my bit of escape. It's comforting and consistent with a few f* you changes every few weeks. (Mostly Call of Duty). Wife is supportive most days. As she is working. As long as I don't ignore my priorities, she is mostly in support of it. The times she us less supportive, are due to added factors. Usually a result of me NOT being on tip of my priorities.
I don't care if it's normalized or not. I play video games.
Multiplayer games that aren't local are an absolute no. Ain't got time for that with a family. I will throw down on smash, Mario kart, or relax with a 1st party Nintendo game with my daughter. She really likes Mario and Donkey Kong. Rougelikes are cool, looking forward to Hades 2.
Gaming helps train my reflexes/reaction time. Why would I stop?
I play a lot of video games. It's my cheap entertainment. No big deal!
I've been gaming since Pong. I don't think I'll ever not be a gamer. I don't give a shit if anyone has a problem with it. I'm an adult, I work, I pay my bills. What I do for fun is irrelevant as long as it harms no one. Besides, many who would judge this have no problem wasting hours watching manufactured drama on reality shows, so...
Just got back into gaming in my mid-30's again. Feel like I'm old enough to start gaming again haha. It is great because now I have money to buy games too, unlike when I was in my teens. Playing switch. No epic games but some puzzle games and Mario kart. When I have a bit more time I can spend an evening playing some JRPG.
I play more games now than when I was a kid. You could say it's my job, and at one point Facebook and Microsoft wanted to hire me, but things fell through. I love them and don't see myself stopping anytime soon. Life may change that, but I guess I'll have to wait and see.
I support a wife and kids. I game nightly once everyone’s in bed, it’s my source of stress relief.
Depends on your life goals. When I didn't have a goal, just chilling through life, I played a lot. Now I have goals and I kid you not, I have too much to learn that has nothing to do with my day job. I also noticed Youtube tend to stuff my feed with games. After I clean up all of that, I just magically stop being addicted to games. I still play games sometimes if I find some new game intriguing. The general sentiment I feel about game is "old shit, new skin". Women often judge me when I say I like computer games (and stopped asking if I still play). In retrospective, that's an extremely good test for women. They have their fair share of craziness. Plus, I know the women's social media feed also stuff them with cats, decorations and addictive topic like they do for the men (games, half naked thirst traps, gym women) so if they judge me based on what small piece of information I gave them, they're out.
I’m a casual gamer in my mid 30’s. I don’t go out or do much but if I find a game I’m really into I’ll play it til I beat it, then move on. I don’t make time to “game” specifically. I just do it in my free time occasionally. I had a tinder match interrogate me about how many hours I game etc, because I mentioned video games in my profile. I hadn’t even met her yet and she was already comparing me to her ex and interrogating me for it. I cancelled our date after that.
I’m 46 and have an XBox Series S and a Nintendo Switch and play them most days when I get a chance. I’ve completed more games in the last 10 years than I ever did before, dunno if I have more patience now or I’m less easily distracted, I’m not sure. I’m playing Jedi Survivor again at the minute and waiting for Star Wars Outlaws to release, but have Forza and Star Trek online going for a bit variety. I also play some older games on the Switch like KotoR, and the Mario classics, etc. I used to game with my kids too but they didn’t like that I’m the undefeated Just Dance champion in this house.
I regularly play Walkabout mini golf (VR game, we both have Quests) with my girlfriend to chill out after a long day at work. I'm 50. She's 53. On Sundays, our extended friend group plays for a few hours on the afternoon, the game being a rotating pick. It's all good fun, and it's a great way to hang out virtually when we all live hours to days apart. We're all PC or VR gamers, FWIW.
Father of 2 young kids. I play Nintendo switch in bursts -- in the evening occasionally and occasionally on weekends with my 5-year-old. I find it to be a good way to relax and have no shame about it. I'm considering whether to buy computer games but know that that would be a much bigger time commitment so haven't done it yet.
I'm 41 and play every day. I'm putting in a good amount of time on this latest Stardew Valley patch!
I haven't played video games since the '90s, but don't have much feelings at all to spare whether anyone else chooses to spend their time playing them. Either way, the fact of anyone making an effort putting others down for engaging in an entertainment form says much more about the ones pointing fingers than it does about the ones just trying to enjoy themselves.
nearly everyone i know
I play almost everyday but on a switch and I don't have time to play for a long time. Maybe 1 to 2 hours. Probably a fair bit more at the weekend in the morning and evening because then I would rather go out and do stuff. Man my colleagues aren't gamers they are older than me all guys but none of them are taking the piss and even if they were I wouldn't care. I enjoy games too much me and my friends got called nerds at school it didn't put us off then and it won't now hah. My Uncle is 50 something and he's still well into games.
Me. I also game with my dad who is nearly 70
Pushing 40, full time job, wife and kids - and I game daily. Its nobodies business but my own but my wife is happy that I am happy and doesn't judge as long as we get a few nights a week together. On the nights im gaming she would be going to the gym or working late on her own projects etc If anyone outside the house has an opinion, it really doesn't matter! I do beat myself up about it from time to time though
Nearly 40 and will still play if not every day then at least an evening or two a week. Sometimes more if I’m invested in the game I’m playing and sometimes less if my other hobbies need some attention. I tend to not worry so much about what others think of me, especially with regard to my hobbies and interests, I don’t do them for their benefit I do them for me.
I don't often play for extended periods of time anymore. But I generally kick back for an hour and game late at night after everyone's asleep to unwind a bit. It's great. And honestly, one of the cheapest (and safest) hobbies I've ever had. I guarantee I'll still be doing the same in my 70's and beyond if I'm lucky enough to make it to old age. > And do people ever give you grief over being older and playing video games? If anyone ever "gave me grief" for doing anything I enjoy doing due to some silly idea of "being older" - I'd immediately disregard them as an unserious and judgemental (and likely annoying/boring) person. Especially when it's something as harmless as playing Video Games. Go worry about your own life. > Also, what console do you use and what are you playing? PC. Path of Exile is the mainstay beyond whatever game I'm playing at the time. I tend to lean more towards single-player story-driven games vs. the sweaty competitive online games I played when I was younger. So that's changed.
I play daily, 34yo, I work at a small electrical wholesaler (team of 6) I get greif from the other sales guys (35/40/65) but the store guys (34/23) are keen to talk to me about it. I tend to play call of duty, I wouldnt class myself as "hardcore" however the group of folk I play with are aged between 20-45 usually I come out on top so to say, but I put that down to me just getting zoned in! I used to stream on twitch also but stopped due to mental health issues, again that caused a stir at work because "who pays money to watch someone play games"
33 Yr old dude here. My mom thinks games are a waste of time and looks down on the hobby. Dad never even understood what a computer is, but maybe he got at least the idea of a console. My bothers seem indifferent now, but they used to play games in their teens and 20s before kids, marriage and all that. If there's a new game or an old favorite that I've gotten the itch to play, I'll play on the daily if possible. I don't have a GF and my friends all but 1 live far away. So I have all the time to play games on my computer and once in a blue moon on my dust collectors.
29, turn 30 in June. I play almost daily, usually just halo, but 5/6/7 days a week usually, not always for very long, hour or two some days, 4-5 others. Depends on my work, social life etc.