Video games, getting older, and escapism

[larch]

I am approaching 36 now. I grew up immersing myself in the world of video games. It was and still is a source of real joy for me. From my first Golden China console to my Playstation 4. I read about games, talk about them, and generally love them. So far, only two hobbies have been with me the majority of my life, gaming and writing and gaming was around when I was too young to write, so I have longer history with it. When I play games, the real world falls away. It is much more intense than any book, or movie. You operate and function within these worlds created by the developers, and you are actively effecting and participating in it, and now, as games become more hyper realistic, the effect is becoming more and more intense.

This is really an incredible thing if you sit back and think about it for a minute. There has never been a period in my life that I have not been enchanted with video games and their promise of further and deeper immersion. Gaming is much easier to see as escapism because you put yourself in a fictional person’s shoes and live in their world and tackle their challenges. You have agency in video games that you lack in other forms of media like movies and books where even if you can’t ultimately change the ending, there’s a lot of different ways to get there in video games. Like most people I have had phases come and go in my life.

Things I loved for years I lost interest in almost instantly. I used to be hard-core Otaku/Anime nerd, like obsessively so. Then one day I just lost interest. I used to be a Goth, then grew out of that. My tastes in music have changed, my taste in movies, etc. And yet, through it all, I have always been a gamer. Gaming has always been my joy, my passion, my escape, and my release and the one constant in my life. I see people the same age as me and all they talk about is kids, sports, building things on their house, finances, and other things that I have literally zero interest in. Don’t get me wrong I have no intention of over-doing gaming, or using it to avoid responsibility. And I do have an “adult list” of things that I do and attend to on a weekly basis.

But gaming is my “go to guy” when I want to switch off and relax. I have also noticed as I have gotten older, the hardest thing for me is finding a block of time to immerse myself in a game. With a family wife and child vying for my time. It is almost impossible to do anything anymore at home that requires solitude or quiet. My house is “busy” 24/7, and that lack of privacy and “me time” has seriously disrupted my ability to enjoy most any hobby that I used to enjoy. I still enjoy gaming, it’s just way, way harder to do it the way that I want. But after years of trying to get it right I think I have found a balance, I do however now and then yearn for my younger years were I could play games for hours on end and ignore/forget all my responsibilities.

I think a lot of us older gamers have run into that issue of maybe feeling too grown up for games, even if we didn’t necessarily stop playing. Perhaps it’s the stigma attached to video games. Even though it is the most popular entertainment medium out there currently, it still has that stigma of being something for kids. So maybe we slowly drift away because we end up thinking that in some form or fashion. And many of us come to the realization that a fun hobby is a fun hobby, regardless of how others view it. Just like any other hobby or passion, it’s something to have fun with and relax you and get you away from the stress of the rest of your life.

I also come to realize that you can be a responsible adult and contributing member of society who also loves to play video games. And each new game I experience is just as exciting as it was when my parents got me my first Golden China console for Christmas when I was 12. I am also extremely thankful to be alive through this period of history, specifically because of video games and what they represent to me. For me to go lose interest in the medium would be for me to lose a piece of who I am. My life does not revolve around gaming in a tangible way, I have an active social life and job with no basis in gaming. I’m just some guy that, at his very core, loves video games…

Via: https://g33kp0rn.wordpress.com/

 

[ninjah@<ker]

nice, reminds me why I'm never having kids XD

 

[D3TTOL]

nice, reminds me why I'm never having kids XD

My exact thought!

Don't want kids, I use myself as a point of reference. My parents had to put up with a lot and pay a crap load for school, and I wasn't particularly a difficult child.
That is my absolute one rule in my relationships, If you want kids then I'm sure you won't let the door hit you on your way out.

 

[DominionZA]

Never too old.
44 here with 3 kids. Just clocked over 1200 hours in ARK. Think I am getting me time right And this while my I still spend time with my wife, take my boy for a ride, etc..

My Dad is about to turn 70. He is also still a gamer!

 

[PCUSER]

I've read once that playing games can extend your life and reduce the risk of dementia. So I see nothing wrong with older people playing games

 

[Rishen]

38yrs old, 2 businesses, 2kids and will be buried with mouse in hand because of the rigor motis.

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[Migs]

My Dad is about to turn 70. He is also still a gamer!

What does your father enjoy playing?
Any specific genre's?

 

[crackOlicious]

Pretty much the story of my life lol. Although I'm finding lately games aren't capturing or captivating me as much anymore. Weather it's me or the games, I'm not sure.

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[Harmonic]

Although I'm finding lately games aren't capturing or captivating me as much anymore. Weather it's me or the games, I'm not sure.

Same here. With new movies as well.

 

[DominionZA]

What does your father enjoy playing?
Any specific genre's?

Still old school stuff. UT99, Shadow Warrior, Duke Nukem, etc...

 

[The_Jelly]

Pretty much the story of my life lol. Although I'm finding lately games aren't capturing or captivating me as much anymore. Weather it's me or the games, I'm not sure.

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[MENTION=24613]crack2483[/MENTION] don't think it's just you and i'v often thought that way. I just find that alot games have moved into open world environments, and developers are still trying to get a sort of balance right with how the story, side missions and collectibles come together. I find with most open world games there are collectibles just scattered all over the place to extend the games play through and the story falls by the wayside and I lose interest. Developers should extend the story missions and spend time and effort in designing and integrating plot twists and amazing visuals, rather than design a world with 10 story missions that accumulate to 5 hours game play and give the user 50 hours of collecting and repetitive side missions.
Other genres such as racing, are almost none existent on pc, strategy is dying off as games are more third person orientated, and no one has realesed a first person shooter that has really made waves in a long while. So to answer your question I feel as though it's the games that are not as cutting edge as they used to be. I'm spitting out a figure now that's not accurate but use it as an example: 65% percent of games being released nowadays are sequels, remakes, or franchised releases and people already no what to expect from them. The other games being released are often lower budget releases. So there are only a select few that have a proper budget, have a proper developer with a new idea and that has been thought out and made to be amazing (first and foremost)with the aim in giving the gamer the best experience and allowing the game to sell its self, rather than riding a title wave such as assassin's Creed, or farcry. Anyway sorry for the wall of text just my opinion, there are many ways in looking at it.

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[crackOlicious]

[MENTION=2037]The_Jelly[/MENTION] . That's well put. That's why I'm excited for VR and the possibilities it potentially has. And not only for games but the prospect of interactive software and I guess by extension, websites etc.

(This is silly) I remember how excited I was when I first used encarter 95. The clips and sounds attached to the articles etc. We have the Internet at our fingertips now, but imagine taking a vr tour of any place you want and not just on rails but actually interact in that world.

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[jaxx]

I'm a sim nut, and with the recent revival of the space sim genre, there's actually quite a bit to look forward to, like Star Citizen and Elite Dangerous.

Something else that has caught my eye has been Adr1ft - pretty unique concept as well. And something I'll definitely buy.

Finally, the initial gameplay vids of Firewatch looks pretty good - set in 1989, unique gameplay once again and the story line looks pretty captivating.

All three of the above are fairly unique and a nice change from the usual franchises. So there is still a fair amount of 'innovation' - problem is that mainstream games bring in the big bucks these days, so that's were most of the focus remains.

Another game I enjoyed quite a bit was mirrors edge - again something different to the mainstream. Didnt do as well as it could've, but I see that they're finally working on a sequel.

My point being that there are still unique titles out there that keeps me coming back for more.


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[The_Jelly]

VR is definitely a really exciting prospect and hope it becomes insanely good and not gimmicky. What i'v seen so far looks mind blowing! Haha and I haven't heard the encarter word being used in so many years! I think I still have an original disk lying around somewhere! Let's hope that great things happen in the VR development!
[MENTION=22286]jaxx[/MENTION] I agree with you completely that there are still some good lookin games out there that still peak my interest, star citizen being one definitely, I just feel they so few and far between. And alot of upcoming releases don't live up to thier hype unfortunately. But I do agree that some recent games have had me hooked for once and I'm hoping for some upcoming games to do the same. I'll never stop gaming, I think we are all waiting for the next revelation in game tech, and VR could well be that.

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[Pyro]

I'm hoping I can get a few games in with my son when he grows up. Though with the free time kids have, he'll be kicking my arse soon enough
The reflexes and eyesight aren't as good as they used to be, and with things moving to 4K and above, it's likely that eyesight could become a deciding factor in some long-distance fights.

What has changed, is that I'm less keen on games that include a lot of grinding just because it's a relaxing time-sink.
I simply don't have the time to put in to progress through those.
I also don't have time for those loong gaming marathons. I'm more likely to play something where you can get away with 20-60 minutes chunks.

The internet sure made things easier for multiplayer though! No more pack-it, move-it, unpack it, play. Just hit a button and jam. Way easier to find a server full of players for a game than it was 15-20 years ago at any hour of the day.