Older gamers

46 here and still loving every minute I play. I am a lot older then most of my friends but it doesn't matter one bit

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Originally Posted by Kennar

I'm reminded of a time when I asked my aunt, who is in her late 60s, why she thought The Big Bang Theory was so funny, and she answered with, "Because they're grown men who play video games." I gently reminded her that I am a grown man who plays video games.

To her generation, video games have always been toys for children, and the marketing of especially the '80s and '90s worked way to hard to reinforce that notion. As far as I know, the majority of gamers have always been in that 18-34 range, which makes sense considering which demographic has that magical combination of free time and disposable income. I'm not surprised that there are so many of us (relatively speaking) in our 30s playing FFXIV. After all, we grew up with games, they've grown up with us, and we generally aren't too put-out by a monthly subscription fee.

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Despite my "old age", I'm the youngest in my FC and they sure do love to make me aware of that fact. They constantly toss out some old references and colloquialisms leaving me saying, "Huh?" xD

When I reflect on a lot of the gaming commercials even of today, it's usually males in the 18-25 range, which probably does make up the overall majority of gamers today, or at least the target demographic. But there are so many people much older and females playing games today, but no complaints here. I prefer to live in the shadows!

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Originally Posted by Gemina

When I reflect on a lot of the gaming commercials even of today, it's usually males in the 18-25 range, which probably does make up the overall majority of gamers today, or at least the target demographic. But there are so many people much older and females playing games today, but no complaints here. I prefer to live in the shadows!

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Oh yeah, there are a lot more of us females playing video games than media would have folks believe. XD

Helluuuuu just you wait start to like to be alone too ;)

I'm in my forties and enjoy outing myself by telling the young 'uns about the dark ages of video games when we walked 20 miles uphill in the snow just to get to the Space Invaders machine at the roller skate rink. :) I still have my fold out Donkey Kong game tucked away somewhere lol!

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Originally Posted by HappyHaunt

I have no idea if I'm considered 'old' in FFXIV, being 32 (but hey I grew up with FF games, at least played all of the main games except 13). But I often find myself somewhat lonely on this game; I was wondering if there are other older folks who would want to add me as a friend? Just for chatting or random duties etc. I feel pretty pathetic that I hardly have any friends on the game. XD But yeah... only adults please!

I'm on at random times, and main astro... trying to level everything else though right now. Character is who I'm posting as.

Also looking for a mature laid back FC too; but obviously need to be on the right server, I'm not planning on changing any time soon.

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Hmm i think it has to do with how you interact with others and with who because i never had this issue once.

When playing ffxi there was some punk kid 14 or 15 that laughed at my wife and I for gaming in our late 20's said we where losers. I'm guessing he went on to get 3 or 4 PhDs wait nope he is likely living at home realizing being an adult isn't easy as kids think it is. Sure the amount of time gaming I could have gotten a better education but we're happy. Having a 200k house and 3 rental property we are doing ok.

Back in my day, if you wanted to play a video game in the dark, you had to sit under a light source to see it.

And if you wanted to "pvp" you had to connect them together with a cable.

And if one of them didn't turn on, you had to take the game out and blow in it and in the console and then try again!

Oh, and they weren't rechargeable either. You had to constantly replace *four double A batteries* inside the thing.

Thinking about people who were used to say adults don't play games... Well... An expression says the difference between adults and children is the size (and the price) of their games.

And after all, the ones who define official rules or official games and often create them... aren't they the adults?

34 here, played through every single Final Fantasy.
Can't say I feel lonely, have an amazing FC of adults.
Except they don't always behave like adults.

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Originally Posted by NekoNova

34 here, played through every single Final Fantasy.
Can't say I feel lonely, have an amazing FC of adults.
Except they don't always behave like adults.

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I feel attacked.

I was expecting you to be older from the title haha. I am almost 29. Feel free to friend me if we see each other in duty etc. I'm kinda in the same boat, my FC is lovely but most chat in discord and I am not always able to do so.

I’m 35 myself

By the sounds of it, seems like we should make a linkshell or something for the more mature gamers to hangout in, do duties etc :)

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Originally Posted by Eldevern

There is a fourth then. I'm God and my Miqo'te is just a doll I play with like a puppeeter. Some kind of eye candy too :p

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Have you read the description fer the Wind-up Cursor minion? Anyways, as a Miqo-girl I feel like it is my duty to not only be eye candy, but to be absolutely ridiculous doin it. My solution is to sometimes cosplay Velma from Scooby Doo in game, particularly in the DF or where ppl don know me. I find stuff like that to be a great ice breaker too durin harder content. Suffice to say the reactions have been positive xD. I also keep the Summer Halter on my glam plate fer that one FC mate who makes fun of catgirls all the time....at least I haven got a long neck >.>

Most of the active members of my FC are in their 30s now, with a couple of us pushing 40.

Guess I'm at the far end of the age bell curve.

My first console was an Atari 2600 - I have one that still works.
First computer game was Colossal Cave on a PDP-10.
Started gaming playing Avalon Hill blitzkrieg.
Been gaming ever since. Hah.

Oki, so...erryone weighed in on their firs console, how about us PC players...first beige box? Mine was a Tandy 1000TX (for home, Da brought it home all proud xD) and at school we was usin Apple IIE. Home PC was quickly upgraded wit a 44meg HDD which had to be broke into 2 partitions, you poor, poor 8 bit bus you. Played various computer games of the time, mostly of the Sierra variety

(Edit) To add, I also got a Commodore 64 later on for about $5 at a garage sale that included EVERYTHING, monitor, 2 floppy drives, even a tape drive! Many hours of copying code from the included books into the machine so I could pay various games. Spoiled rotten kid I thought switching disks and typing executables was hard xD

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Originally Posted by Kaelah

I was expecting you to be older from the title haha. I am almost 29. Feel free to friend me if we see each other in duty etc. I'm kinda in the same boat, my FC is lovely but most chat in discord and I am not always able to do so.

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Thanks! And yeah likewise, if you recognise my character's name feel free to add. I'm not great with names and often forget them. XD I'll try remember though!

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Originally Posted by Kurando

By the sounds of it, seems like we should make a linkshell or something for the more mature gamers to hangout in, do duties etc :)

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That would be super useful. Shame we can't add friends on the lodestone site... would make things easier.

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Originally Posted by Arrhin

how about us PC players...first beige box?

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An AST brand PC clone in the late 80s. My parents bought it for work, but I got to use it too. Besides playing games I started learning programming at the tender age of 4. That turned into a hobby and eventually into a profession.

The first one I bought with (mostly) my own money was a self-built machine in 1999. It had a 333 MHz Celeron CPU, 64 MB RAM, an S3 graphics card, a 3.2 GB hard disk and a CD-ROM drive.

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Originally Posted by Arrhin

Oki, so...erryone weighed in on their firs console, how about us PC players...first beige box? Mine was a Tandy 1000TX (for home, Da brought it home all proud xD) and at school we was usin Apple IIE. Home PC was quickly upgraded wit a 44meg HDD which had to be broke into 2 partitions, you poor, poor 8 bit bus you. Played various computer games of the time, mostly of the Sierra variety

(Edit) To add, I also got a Commodore 64 later on for about $5 at a garage sale that included EVERYTHING, monitor, 2 floppy drives, even a tape drive! Many hours of copying code from the included books into the machine so I could pay various games. Spoiled rotten kid I thought switching disks and typing executables was hard xD

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Eh first PC? Some IBM cloned 186 that had a built in turbo button that could make the computer run in slow motion if pressed on when the PC was booted then released. I remember the original kings quest, police quest, space quest series of games and leisure suit larry. I'd still have it if it hadn't eventually caught fire. Now the like 60lb steel block that was its HDD is my doorstop. I do still have a working Atari 2600 and a collection of games that contain the worst game ever made that they buried in a landfill for decades until they were forced to dig them up and dispose of them properly and possibly the most offensive game ever created that was one of the reasons the ESRB was created. >.>

My first home computer was made by Bally. It was sort of a hybrid of a primitive game console and a primitive computer. It hooked up to your TV, and used cartridges and controllers for its (IIRC) 4-bit games, but also had the capacity for BASIC programming using a weird shift-system to input text on its built-in number pad. It had an external cassette drive for saving your work. Nothing I ever tried programming into it (referencing a dot-matrix printed newsletter) ever worked.

Edit: Oh, here it is on Wikipedia! Astrocade. I remember that name now. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bally_Astrocade It was given to me as a kid by some relatives after it was discontinued.

Another edit... here's a little mood music for this thread. https://youtu.be/qFG_rNfgevk

I'm 33 (34 this year, yikes) and I definitely feel like I'm a "senior citizen" in this game. I have people in my FC who complain about how they're "almost 30, omg I'm going to be so old!" and I just sit there grinding my teeth (I'm also the FC lead, so I have been tempted to make a "Whippersnapper" rank just for them lol).

It's kind of a weird situation to be in, though. I find that when I do meet up with people around my own age, there's still a massive divide sometimes in where we each are in terms of life experiences/priorities. You either get people similar to you, or you get people who are very opposite of you and it's a bit frustrating. I do know that I sometimes (often) have trouble empathizing with people much younger than me because they're at a point in life that I no longer am and it's hard to mentally go back to that. It's also hard to empathize with people much older than me, too.

Gaming in your 30s is just weird overall I feel. I mean, I'm not going to stop, but it's still weird.

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Originally Posted by Arrhin

From my experience most players seem to be in their late twenties, early thirties. The oldest player in my lil neck of the woods is in their late 60's, the oldest I've played with, late 70's. The youngest I've played with was fourteen *groan*. Myself, I'm -REDACTED, never ask a lady her age- So I think you are probably in good company! Anyways, I'm on Zalera trying to remember where I put that damned faerie...

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Hmm....... I wonder we have the same friend. I’m also on Zalera and have a friend who told me she was a grandma and plays with her husband and her college aged children. Very cool person. Plays a nice looking Elezen.

In my FC we had a guy in his 70s who recently passed away. I had no idea he was that old! Sad. He will be missed.

I actually wonder if my FC knows how old my wife and I are. I act a fool all the time telling dirty jokes and just having a good time when they’re on and active. I don’t act my age. My wife and I actually met when I was 11 and she 14. She was my older sister’s best friend. We use to play Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter II when she came over sometimes. We didn’t become a couple until years later into adulthood, but everything turned out great. Marry a gamer girl and you’ll be happy the rest of your life!

I’m actually a loner in game though, so I wish I had more people to chat with as well. My FC is kind of dead, but I refuse to leave it since I’ve been there since October 2013.

Um, I'm turning 48 this year. And there's one other member of our FC that I'm pretty sure is older than me.

If your old, I must be ancient boss.

You need to go spend time on Shirley Curry's YouTube channel if you think you're an old gamer.

In 1982, I took my first computer course in college. At that time I was finishing up an AS degree at a junior college, and the budget was limited. The course taught programming principles using BASIC and pascal. The computers were TRS-80s. Over the next few years as I worked on degrees in computer science and music composition (yeah, I know... but they really do have a great deal in common), I learned my way around such gems as DEC and VAX systems, and COBOL, Fortran, and assembly language. The first computer (PC) I bought myself was an Apple ][-c and I added a CPM card to it so I could do some real C programming.

I looked up the specs on the Z-80 chip just now... 2.5 to 8 MHz clock speed. 8-bit. Smokin'.

In college, when we could get time, we played Hack. It wasn't really multi-player, but you could communicate via the Unix mail system and would occasionally run across someone's gravestone and were able to read how they died and their stats at their time of death. For those who don't know, Hack was a rogue like game. When you died you died, you found out what all the mystery stuff you were carrying was, and you started over. Usually after at least whimpering in frustration. Sometimes screaming and waking up the TA.

Slightly later, I found myself standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door. From that day to this, I've been gaming. I'm 57 years old, and the only thing I feel separates gamers of my age from 20-something gamers is 30-something years. I have met people my age that really do think that gaming is for "kids," but those people are typically leading stoic and boring little surface lives, and have their own "secrets" they keep from everyone else. In other words, people are just people, and really don't change a great deal as they age. They just learn to hide their habits better.

So whatever your age, keep on doing what makes you happy. :D

--Lightning Bunny

I played Everquest II for a while. A friend of mine got me into his guild, where the leader was a 62-year-old woman. She'd be in her 70s now; I wonder if she's still playing?

One time, the three of us were out questing together. The leader and I were both playing ratonga, which are these little rat-people. Mine was male and hers was female, so we were greatly amusing ourselves by tossing /flirt emotes back and forth constantly. The spoken lines were pretty funny! And, hey, how often would we get to hear them otherwise? My friend (who is gay) was laughing, too, but also rolling his eyes and sighing the whole time.

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Originally Posted by Kakiko

Gaming in your 30s is just weird overall I feel. I mean, I'm not going to stop, but it's still weird.

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The thing is I don't feel any different about gaming now than I did when I was younger; if you enjoy gaming I don't think people should tell you not to keep playing just because you're getting older.

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Originally Posted by Antonio_Xul

I’m actually a loner in game though, so I wish I had more people to chat with as well.

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I'm usually a solo player in MMOs until I get too lonely then look for a guild. Sometimes this can be years though.

Very sorry to hear about the person in your FC though; that must have been very sad.

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Originally Posted by Keddera_StormMoon

Um, I'm turning 48 this year. And there's one other member of our FC that I'm pretty sure is older than me.

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Outside of gaming I don't see anyone younger than 80 to be very old personally. Its just when video games are concerned people tend to think you'll stop playing them when getting to a certain age... which is... strange.

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Originally Posted by Molniya

So whatever your age, keep on doing what makes you happy.

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I agree, thanks for the advice!

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Originally Posted by BiffWellington

I played Everquest II for a while.

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Never played it; heard a lot about it being good though.

Also I didn't expect this thread to get so much attention.

Everquest II is a fun game, but it's extremely group-focused. By the time you level past the 20s, you'll pretty much start needing a group to do anything.

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Originally Posted by Keddera_StormMoon

Um, I'm turning 48 this year. And there's one other member of our FC that I'm pretty sure is older than me.

If your old, I must be ancient boss.

You need to go spend time on Shirley Curry's YouTube channel if you think you're an old gamer.

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I mean, all these kids these days! In their 30s, feeling old and venerable indeed! Oof. Reminds of When Harry Met Sally: "...And I'm going to be 40!!" "When?" "Someday!!"

I am 40 mind, I really have no place to say anything. XD

I did love the petition to get Shirley Curry into TES VI, mind. That lady is a legend.

Also, I remember 20 or so years ago, I asked a woman in my then-workplace what it was like to be 42. It seemed so far off! She just turned to me and said, "I feel exactly the same inside as I did when I was 16". I can now attest to that. I think the fact that we keep on playing games such as this actually help to keep us a little younger-at-heart. It's not a bad thing at all.

This has been one of the nicest threads on here! I am so pleased to see older male and female gamers. I have often had the odd look because I game but its a passion for me and always will be.I am lucky because my hubby plays games also in between us having work and real lives...also nice because our grown daughter works as a character and environment artist for a games company haha I guess it rubbed off. I will say enjoy your life as you choose you only get one sadly and nobody can you give a phoenix down lol.

Back in my day we had to walk to Jueno!!! You rotten millennials and Gen Z'ers get off my lawn!!

jk

God I feel old.

LOl the walk to Jeuno wow haha took us ages and the fear of the monsters was real!

32? I have pants older than you.

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Originally Posted by BiffWellington

Everquest II is a fun game, but it's extremely group-focused. By the time you level past the 20s, you'll pretty much start needing a group to do anything.

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Ah so might not be good for somebody who solos a lot then?

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Originally Posted by Ceridwenae

Also, I remember 20 or so years ago, I asked a woman in my then-workplace what it was like to be 42. It seemed so far off! She just turned to me and said, "I feel exactly the same inside as I did when I was 16". I can now attest to that. I think the fact that we keep on playing games such as this actually help to keep us a little younger-at-heart. It's not a bad thing at all.

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Yeah, I don't know why some people would think it odd that we'd want to keep gaming as we get older... if we enjoy gaming we're not gonna give it up, right?

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Originally Posted by Anienai

Back in my day we had to walk to Jueno!!! You rotten millennials and Gen Z'ers get off my lawn!!

jk

God I feel old.

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I only found out recently that being born in 1986 means I'm a Millennial... it depressed me... I thought I was the generation before that.

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Originally Posted by Ultrazen

32? I have pants older than you.

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Maybe you should buy newer one dude/dudette. o.O

I'm 32 here, turning 33 this summer.

My first PC was a Packard Bell tower with a big tube monitor. Had a few CD games I could play on it that required putting the thing into dos mode and then putting in a disk with a mishmash of games on it from Apogee.

Raptor

Blake Stone

Wolfenstein 3D

Biomenace

Mega Race (Lance gave me nightmares)

And of course... Dialup. I think I was a late bloomer.

Old is a frame of mind. I know people years younger than me who act and feel old. I also know people older than me who will never "grow up". You just have to figure out the whole "mature without being old" thing.

And, how to ignore your knees. Or back. ;)

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Originally Posted by Ceridwenae

Also, I remember 20 or so years ago, I asked a woman in my then-workplace what it was like to be 42. It seemed so far off! She just turned to me and said, "I feel exactly the same inside as I did when I was 16". I can now attest to that.

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This is what a lot of younger people I don't think realize, I know I didn't when I was still in my 20s.

For whatever reason, age discussions have been popping up for me several times these last few months. I've tried explaining that you really don't change that much as you age. Your personality is more or less set, your hobbies, interests, behaviors....it's still the same 'you' from 20 years ago. Of course some things will change, and maybe some maturing along the way, but it's not like you're suddenly a drastically different person now that you're older.

But yeah, I think that realization is just something that comes with age. It is a little bit disheartening in a way, because you will be viewed and dismissed as just another old person by many, but I guess that's life :P

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Originally Posted by HappyHaunt

I have no idea if I'm considered 'old' in FFXIV, being 32 (but hey I grew up with FF games, at least played all of the main games except 13). But I often find myself somewhat lonely on this game; I was wondering if there are other older folks who would want to add me as a friend? Just for chatting or random duties etc. I feel pretty pathetic that I hardly have any friends on the game. XD But yeah... only adults please!

I'm on at random times, and main astro... trying to level everything else though right now. Character is who I'm posting as.

Also looking for a mature laid back FC too; but obviously need to be on the right server, I'm not planning on changing any time soon.

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Of course there are players your age and way older than you, but the age doesn't really matter when it comes to playing together. The important part is that you get along.

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Originally Posted by Ilan

Of course there are players your age and way older than you, but the age doesn't really matter when it comes to playing together. The important part is that you get along.

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One of the people I used to play Diablo II with regularly was 87 years old at the time and literally on almost 24/7 and enjoying his retirement. :3