What age should you stop playing video games.

[stecropper]

You should stop playing video games at the age you are when you just don't care to play anymore.

[ronmexico]

You should stop playing video games at the age you are when you just don't care to play anymore.

That sounds about right, which is exactly why I responded with NEVER!

[Yankee4Life]

Age has nothing to to with it. If you enjoy something,

by all means do it.

There you go, that's the answer. And that is how I look at it too. Since I've had a computer and console systems, I have 95% played sports games. They are fun and I enjoy it. I do not get into games like Halo and stuff like that. Those kind of games you really can get involved in and it takes up a lot of your time. Give me a quick game of baseball any day, and that's what I prefer to do.

[ronmexico]

There you go, that's the answer. And that is how I look at it too. Since I've had a computer and console systems, I have 95% played sports games. They are fun and I enjoy it. I do not get into games like Halo and stuff like that. Those kind of games you really can get involved in and it takes up a lot of your time. Give me a quick game of baseball any day, and that's what I prefer to do.

w3rd to sports games...I'll take them over any game, the only game I can play with the same interest, (on PC, not PSP) is GTA3, Vice City and San Andreas. On PSP, I can play basically anything.

[RAM]

You should stop playing video games at the age you are when you just don't care to play anymore.

or when you just don't have the time anymore. which sadly is my situation for the last year.

[fanofwho]

I'm still playing at 53.

[JoeRudi26]

I'm 40 and I don't see anything slowing me down in the future. I own a PS2, XBOX, Gamecube, Gameboy, 2 decent PC's, and an XBOX360 will be under the tree this Christmas. For my son, of course. :whistle:

I can remember playing baseball games on the Atari 2600, and probably a few hundred in between. Why quit now? Games are better than ever.

I've played a ton of RPG's, and not once have I spent time in the basement with a group of nerds babbling over statistics. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just don't see what it has to do with playing RPG video games.

I'm into Guild Wars right now, with a Guild (team) of over 50 people from all over the world. It's like nothing I've ever played. The worlds are VAST, and the gameplay is superbly done.

As someone stated, as long as your priorities are in order, what's the point of quitting?

[Yankee4Life]

I can remember playing baseball games on the Atari 2600, and probably a few hundred in between. Why quit now? Games are better than ever.

That's a good point too.

[BigDaddyCool]

I'll second the opinion of others who ask, "Why do we have to stop?". Playing video games doesn't mean I haven't grown up. I'm 45 and I still play, however, I didn't start playing until about 7 years ago. I don't play a lot of video games (MVP, Medal of Honor and Call of Duty), and I find that they are just another way for me to relax.

I look at them as "me" time, where I can forget about some of life's pressures (job, mortgage, car payments, figuring out how I'll put my 3 daughters through college soon, etc.). It's a beautiful thing when I'm playing Total Classics and my biggest concern is whether I can get a 2-out hit to score the runner on 3rd base to give the '78 Yankees a win over the '78 Red Sox.....

Like everything else, video gaming needs to be done in moderation. As long as "me" time doesn't interfere with family time or "Us" time (where my wife and I spend quality time together), I don't see the harm in it.

That's exactly how I feel about it. I'm 39 and I've been playing games on my computers since I was in college. I get more pleasure out of playing sports titles than RPG's, MMO's or FPS's. Mostly it's a way for me to live out my Walter Mitty fantasies without risk of serious or debilitating injury. I can be the starting QB for the Rams one day and the starting 1B for the Dodgers the next.

Also, its a way of escaping life's pressures at least for a little while. It's not meant to take the place of real life and one-on-one human interaction. Far from it. Myself, I don't go in for the GTA's, Doom's, F.E.A.R.'s or the Half-Life's. I go in for Madden, MVP, NHL Hockey, FIFA and Bowl Bound for the most part.

What gets me is that there are people out there who think that video games are strictly for those under the age of 18, and anyone over that age still playing them need to get serious, grow up and become an adult. My response to that is: you first!

Then there are the people who hear that I do play video games and automaticlly assume that I am going to rip out and consume their livers with some fava beans and a nice chianti. Let me re-assure them that I do not like liver, don't drink and don't even know what a fava bean looks like.

Then you've got the Jack Thompsons of the world who want to paint all of us as some glassy-eyed, dirty, smelly, arthritic serial killers in-training living out meager existances in our parents basement until we get the "secret signal" from some game we are playing to go out and perpetrate the next Columbine massacre.

My response to all of these people would be this: look, if you don't want me to judge you harshly then don'y you judge me harshly, okay? I am going to pursue a hobby I love for as long as I love it. I am 39 years old and this is my hobby of choice. I don't criticise you for collecting stamps, coins, trophy bucks or whatever it is that you are into, so don't put my hobby down as a waste of time.

Now, as to the age thing - please! Why should anyone have to stop doing something they enjoy just because they reach a certain age? That is just idiotic. I am 39, I play and mod games as a hobby, and I intend on doing so until it is no longer fun for me to do so.

Period.

[Yankee4Life]

What a great post. Co-signed 100%

That's exactly how I feel about it. I'm 39 and I've been playing games on my computers since I was in college. I get more pleasure out of playing sports titles than RPG's, MMO's or FPS's. Mostly it's a way for me to live out my Walter Mitty fantasies without risk of serious or debilitating injury. I can be the starting QB for the Rams one day and the starting 1B for the Dodgers the next.

Also, its a way of escaping life's pressures at least for a little while. It's not meant to take the place of real life and one-on-one human interaction. Far from it. Myself, I don't go in for the GTA's, Doom's, F.E.A.R.'s or the Half-Life's. I go in for Madden, MVP, NHL Hockey, FIFA and Bowl Bound for the most part.

What gets me is that there are people out there who think that video games are strictly for those under the age of 18, and anyone over that age still playing them need to get serious, grow up and become an adult. My response to that is: you first!

Then there are the people who hear that I do play video games and automaticlly assume that I am going to rip out and consume their livers with some fava beans and a nice chianti. Let me re-assure them that I do not like liver, don't drink and don't even know what a fava bean looks like.

Then you've got the Jack Thompsons of the world who want to paint all of us as some glassy-eyed, dirty, smelly, arthritic serial killers in-training living out meager existances in our parents basement until we get the "secret signal" from some game we are playing to go out and perpetrate the next Columbine massacre.

My response to all of these people would be this: look, if you don't want me to judge you harshly then don'y you judge me harshly, okay? I am going to pursue a hobby I love for as long as I love it. I am 39 years old and this is my hobby of choice. I don't criticise you for collecting stamps, coins, trophy bucks or whatever it is that you are into, so don't put my hobby down as a waste of time.

Now, as to the age thing - please! Why should anyone have to stop doing something they enjoy just because they reach a certain age? That is just idiotic. I am 39, I play and mod games as a hobby, and I intend on doing so until it is no longer fun for me to do so.

Period.

[Dom2662]

Games are fun, I would never give them up!

[brutushayesosu]

its just something that we all grew up with. How can one grow out of it. My dad 50s is hooked on any golf game or racing game. He bought a wheel for himself!

[paulw]

I'm 50 and I've been playing video games for 25 years. Used to love the old games like Centipedes - and can't believe how far we've come. Video games are such a wonderful distraction from so many of the frustrations of life. I can't even count the number of times I've come to this site or sat down with my MVP and could just clear my head with something I enjoy so much. I hope to be playing until I'm 80 and I won't ever let go of the dream that better things are still to come - at least in the world of video. They're THE great escape - and sure beat some of the alternatives.

[NYM]

I'm going to be 15 soon, and I like video games. When I was 8 I was a fanatic of video games lol. I bought everyone there was, but it was just a phase that lasted just a year.

I don't play them as much as I did when I was kid, mostly because I have more school work, hang out with my friends more often, and sports.

I stick to mostly sports games and Call of Duty. The only game I play that is "fantasy" is Halo. I'm not into that kind of stuff, but for some reason that game is just addicting to me lol. When I get a new game for the first couple of days I'll pay with it a lot, but I try and stay away.

I'll probably be playing till I die, but I like to limit myself so that I'm not obsessed to the point when I come home from school, play till dinner, eat dinner, play until 11PM and then do homework. I like playin maybe an hour or something after dinner.

But kids in my school (cough nerds cough) all they do is play video games. They read these game magazines and are so facinated by them. They aren't even sports games, or good games. There these fanatasy games that an seven year old would enjoy. The majority of these kids are obese, have maybe one or two friends, and during gym everyday, are the ones reading these magazines trying to get to the next level.

[paulw]

I'm going to be 15 soon, and I like video games. When I was 8 I was a fanatic of video games lol. I bought everyone there was, but it was just a phase that lasted just a year.

I don't play them as much as I did when I was kid, mostly because I have more school work, hang out with my friends more often, and sports.

I stick to mostly sports games and Call of Duty. The only game I play that is "fantasy" is Halo. I'm not into that kind of stuff, but for some reason that game is just addicting to me lol. When I get a new game for the first couple of days I'll pay with it a lot, but I try and stay away.

I'll probably be playing till I die, but I like to limit myself so that I'm not obsessed to the point when I come home from school, play till dinner, eat dinner, play until 11PM and then do homework. I like playin maybe an hour or something after dinner.

But kids in my school (cough nerds cough) all they do is play video games. They read these game magazines and are so facinated by them. They aren't even sports games, or good games. There these fanatasy games that an seven year old would enjoy. The majority of these kids are obese, have maybe one or two friends, and during gym everyday, are the ones reading these magazines trying to get to the next level.

Video games are like everything else - you have to do them in moderation. They can get to be literally a sickness. You do have to walk the line between pleasant escape and enjoyment or complete social withdrawal, isolotation and obsession.

[TheMadcap]

Great post Mo!

I too am in my twenties (26) and have thought about this very topic quite alot. Not because I feel as though I "have" to give up video games but much like yourself I find that very few games really wow me. I am starting to wonder if I am growing out of them. I am currently playing MVP, of course & Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. One thing that I can say is practically any game that I get into MUST have a mod community. I love modding & seeing what other creative people come up with. I find myself spending more time surfing mod sites than I do actually playing any of the games.

I have played COD 2 & like it quite alot. I'm up for any type of game but it must have that "can't put the controller/keyboard down type feeling." Games are getting prettier to look @ but at the cost of depth/creativity. I find it difficult to get into most games these days but as long as they keep comming out with quality games that I enjoy, I WILL keep on playing.

[TheMadcap]

On another note I think that somebody is OBSESSED with facial hair!

Just kidding Mo, I do love your mods! If you're gonna quit playing atleast keep modding!

[spitoon]

I'll second the opinion of others who ask, "Why do we have to stop?". Playing video games doesn't mean I haven't grown up. I'm 45 and I still play, however, I didn't start playing until about 7 years ago. I don't play a lot of video games (MVP, Medal of Honor and Call of Duty), and I find that they are just another way for me to relax.

I look at them as "me" time, where I can forget about some of life's pressures (job, mortgage, car payments, figuring out how I'll put my 3 daughters through college soon, etc.). It's a beautiful thing when I'm playing Total Classics and my biggest concern is whether I can get a 2-out hit to score the runner on 3rd base to give the '78 Yankees a win over the '78 Red Sox..... :smile:

Like everything else, video gaming needs to be done in moderation. As long as "me" time doesn't interfere with family time or "Us" time (where my wife and I spend quality time together), I don't see the harm in it.

Great post Jim...I agree fully. I'm 36 and started playing video games as a kid (Atari 2600 era). I certainly don't play as much as I did when I was younger (and without family), but I still play. Primarily sports games, but I will dabble in a little COD, Far Cry, etc...

I enjoy the release, I can play a baseball game and totally forget about any of my 'real world' problems for 1/2 an hour or so. I never play when my family is around. My wife works a few late shifts, so I'll get the kids off to bed and play a game or two when it's just me.

I don't see myself quitting any time soon...in fact I'm actually seriously thinking about getting myself an XBOX 360, or upgrading my old clunker of a PC so I can enjoy some of the new titles.

[Sidewinder]

I'm 45 and played my first video game in '73 with Pong at home. The novelty wore off pretty fast though. I did play the hand held electronic football game in the late '70s(high school) for a bit, but really didnt get into video games until Mattel Intellivision and the sports games came out and I got hooked in college in '83.

I remember watching a couple buddies and their Asteroids addiction in '80/81 and never really understanding that, until I was working graveyard shift at a deli/liquor store in '82 and we had a Robotron. Now that was intense and very addicting.

Basically, following my sports video game passion in college led me to have one of the first computers there in the dorms in '84, a Commodore 64, followed by a C128, Atari ST, and then an Amiga up until I got my first Wintel computer in '92. I played Earl Weaver Baseball on the Amiga for 5 years until Tony LaRussa got to be good and then in '93 the Genesis had World Series Baseball and I liked that alot.

Anyways, it is a hobby and being there from the start pretty much and seeing technology evolve over the last 30 years has been really interesting. I do remember an older family friend(40) back in '83 being consumed with Nintendo and thinking that was weird. I didnt know any older people at that time that played video games, so it seemed really unusual. But for those of us that have grown up with the industry and enjoyed the technology advances over the years, it is really a natural progression to watch and enjoy the latest.

The other side of the coin is the competitive aspects of gaming really honed my mental athletic skills and I believe gave me an advantage in my career. Because really it is just like practicing after you leave the field. You are still exercising your eye/hand coordination and making it game-like if the game was done right. Being a pitcher, I was able to re-inforce my pitch patterns/selection/location on the video game over and over, so that when I was actually on the field, it was automatic.

Because I tried to play the game on the computer like I would on the field, it really honed my managerial/strategy skills too, to where it just became automatic and natural. Now that my legs and back dont allow me to play consistently anymore on the field, I still get my fix on the computer!

Having followed the tech/computer game industry since the beginning, I am always fascinated by what the future holds and probably always will be. It is always exciting for me when one of my favorite games has a new version come out and to see the latest changes and updates or to have a great mod come out!

[Rabbit4Heisman]

You're never to old for anything. Games could make you seem old, I mean you could get arthritis from it.

[nutts55]

I'll reinforce waht everyone has said. Play until it is no longer fun or your priorities don't allow it. I'm 27 and have a son who is 1 next week. My viceo/cpu game playing time is usually 10 pm to 11pm, after my son is sleeping and my wife and I have spent some time together. I nolonger will play to 2 am like i would in college, because now I have to wake up for a job at 6:30 am. Like everyone else on this board My game selection has shrunk. It's Basically MVP, Madden, NCAA FB, and NHL. Mostly. Fifa, NBA, and ncaa BB sometimes. I have tried the Sims series and FPS and it's not for me. I enjoyed the final fantasy series but I no longer have 100 hours to burn.

[Trues]

I'm about to turn 41 and have no plans to stop.

[drovebykeptgoing1]

I'm with you Trues I'm 47 and have played half my life with no plans to quit till they pry the contr. outta my sweaty hands! Our kids would suck at them if it was'nt for peeps like us.

[patrickdron]

there should be no limit to playing video games play them as long as you want and as long as you feel like you can.

[medric822]

Well, my Dad plays games, and he's 39. My mom plays them too, usually only majong or solitare, but she's 47. I dont think that there's a listed age limit yet. Maybe that'll be the next budwiser "Man Law" ad.