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Am I too old to videogame?
14 points by botolo on May 15, 2023 | hide | past | favorite | 35 comments
I am almost 50 years old. I played video games for many years, starting with a Commodore 64. I stopped with the PS3 (even if technically I have a Nintendo Switch that I almost never use). I initially thought this was due to lack of time, but I feel that this is a mix of things: lack of time for sure, games getting way too long to play, use of the iPhone is taking almost all of my daily screen time.

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

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

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

Has anyone gone through the same path?




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

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


Get a PS5, buy a few (physical if you want to resell) games from a genre you're into (YouTube is full of reviews so you can check out the gameplay). Seems like you can cut on iPhone and trade it in for some gaming time.

Don't force yourself into playing. Prefer short to medium games (see howlongtobeat.com). Single player because you can pick it up and stop whenever you please.

If you decide it's not for you, sell the console and games at a small loss.

There have been so many great games since PS3 era, plenty to choose from :)


68 and still play video games. The issue for me these days is finding a game that offers something different or new. Over the years, I’ve played everything from Decathlon to Balance of Power, Doom, System Shock, Command & Conquer, StarCraft, Civilization, even several years of WOW. Recent years, I’ve tried several other MMOs, as well as frequently well reviewed games like Kerbal, Crusader Kings, etc. After 30-40 years of periodic gaming, most of what I see comes across as derivative, offering little that’s new or intriguing. In the absence of immersion and flow, video games fail to provide the relaxation effect that I look for in games to balance my more intellectual pursuits.


I'm over 50 and I play a lot of games. I do prefer longer, story-based games, but there are all kinds of games out there, including genres that you can play casually on short sessions (like roguelikes [1]).

If you have a PC with a reasonable GPU, I suggest getting a trial of PC Game Pass [2] as a quick and cheap (free?) way to try many different games of different genres. There are long and short games of all kinds and you may find a couple that pique your interest. There are equivalent subscriptions for XBox and PS5 consoles.

Or alternative take a look at a "best games" list [3] and see if there's anything there that you think you might like, perhaps watch a gameplay on Youtube as well.

[1] https://www.polygon.com/what-to-play/23313023/best-roguelike... [2] https://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-game-pass/games?xr=shellnav [3] https://www.polygon.com/what-to-play/22956981/best-games-202...


I'm roughly your age and I still play regularly, but how I play has changed quite a bit:

- I spend a lot less time playing than in years past.

- I play the whole spectrum of retro to modern games depending on what mood I'm in.

- I do retro gaming entirely with emulators because I don't enjoy messing with old hardware.

- I've significantly narrowed the games that I play. Many retro games and even entire genres like 4x just aren't fun for me anymore.

- I ditch games quickly and start new ones when I'm not having fun.

- I'm happy to cheat (single player), or play on easier difficulty levels if that's what makes a game fun for me.

If you have a yearning to play video games, go for it, but do it with some thought.

- Edited for formatting


> I'm happy to cheat

I don't mind playing football manager with the in-game editor on.

Want to make your favourite old player young again so you can enjoy another decade of amazing performances, you got it!


No. The market still thinks games are for kids and young adults. Society still frowns upon games as a hobby past your teenage years. Regardless, video games are a medium of communication. First there were pictures, i.e. paintings, photography, then moving pictures and audio, and now we have moving pictures with audio and interactivity. Of course there are still good games for adults out there, but in general the target audience skews younger but that's only because of culture, society and the momentum of industry. I'm sure that will change as the current younger generation grows older and is used to playing games.


Isn't it just because there are many more young people playing games than older people?

Market drivers demand and supply. Perhaps when the first hard core gamer generation is well and truly in retirement age we will see uptick in more games targeted for that audience...


Well, if we're to believe some of the recent reports posted on HN, the adult and elderly market for games is underserved. Many more people would play once companies start paying attention and realize the potential. I think of it like movies. There are movies for kids, but it's not about any one age group, it's an entertainment medium.

Also, yes once the current young people start aging it should change the gaming market, especially with VR (for games!) and hyperreal graphics.


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


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

Yes you can[0].

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

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


You have grown and your video-game tastes have changed. The old games were cool and bring you nostalgia, but they don't match your taste anymore, so they're not as fun. You need to rediscover what you like.

I've been through this (although I'm not 50), and while some of my childhood games are still super fun to play (e.g., Street Fighter Zero 2), others are just not (e.g., Streets of Rage 2). But for example, in the case of SoR2, I find there are modern variations of the game that are fun to play, like I enjoy playing TMNT: Shredder's Revenge with my kids.

I also find that different games require different "mental states" and so may not be appropriate for certain days. If I'm more in the mood for a "literature" game, I may replay Chrono Trigger or a modern RPG. If I just want to chill and get into flow state I may either just build something on Minecraft in my kids' world (if I'm tired) or play a few rounds of Cuphead. If I want to get my heart rate up I'll play some Street Fighter V online. They are all very different games. If I only have a few minutes I may play a match of Hearthstone.

Also, one thing I realized is that most AAA games do not appeal to me at all. They seem all like the same canned stuff with a slightly different taste. I also concluded that, due to the heavy Natural Selection process of the industry, if an Indie game surfaces and people say it's good, it's generally really good.

Anyway, experiment. Rediscover your taste! There's a videogame for everyone out there!


I was massively into computer gaming from age about 6, starting with game and watch, then vic20, spectrum and commodore amiga. The last games I remember playing regularly were in the mid-late 90s, stuff like Doom, Goldeneye etc. One thing that really put me off was when everything became 3d-like which I always found way less intuitive (difference between super mario bros and mario64. The other was that games became essentially never ending for the most part. I started doing more physical activities, sports, travelling and music. I'm now thinking about gaming as I've introduced my kids through the snes (mini) and original N64. At some point they will want something more modern like the Switch or a PS5 etc.

Incidentally I recently went to the Retro computer museum in Leicester UK and was so impressed. So much to see and play on. I feel like my nostalgia craving was satisfied and could go back to retro arcades or places like this a couple of times a year and have my fill!

https://retrocomputermuseum.co.uk/


Maybe try something not so retro and not so modern.

In my experience, many games today just want money. It's all about getting people to spend more time or spend money on loot. Many seem to be remakes or dull expansions on prior works. In-person multiplayer options suck. Portability can suck since there are no disks. Some are all about connection - somehow it seems even worse than in the past (looking at you Halo). I don't think I'll ever buy another console I'm so disappointed. Games are a business to milk as much profit as possible these days.

The really old stuff is hard to find, hard to support, hard to do any multi-player and just doesn't have the wow factor of the graphics.

There are some great games in both of those categories. It just seems like they are too much effort to find and support.

I think I like games from about 2000-2015. You can still find them. They shouldn't break the bank. They have some nostalgia to them for me. No gimmicks or time traps, just straightforward game play. Huge selection due to it being peak console years.

A couple games I like and re-play occasionally are: Castle Crashers, F-22 TAW, Comanche Gold, Hexic, Splinter Cell (not past Chaos Theory), and Halo 1-4. Newer games that I find tolerable: Destiny 2 (non-PvP, can be long due to all the expansions), World of Warships (don't expect top tier stuff without paying or extensive time), and Halo Infinite (non-PVP). I guess I should also mention that multi-player seems to be plagued with quitters these days.


I went the opposite way. I was never much into video games when I was younger, there were always other things to do. My wife was more into it than I was. About three years ago--when we were all stuck at home--she was having some issues getting Fallout 4 to run on her new pc, so I loaded it up on my pc to see what it was doing. Then like 80 hours later, I was like "guess it runs okay". (Her issue turned out to be bad RAM.)


Any hobby is fine at any age, provided you're taking care of the adult things you need to do like pay bills, your health, etc. You do hobbies because you find enjoyment in the activity, if you find yourself not enjoying your time, take a break or stop the hobby. Maybe start small and rent/borrow a console and don't sink $5k into a gaming PC.

I went thru something similar around when I had kids there was a change in how much time I had for gaming (i.e. little to zero), then as they grew older they became interested so I got back into it more. I've tried retro gaming and sequels but they don't hold my interest very long, it feels like "been there, done that". That doesn't mean you can't have fond memories of those times when you were younger. Everyone likes different styles of games, there are retro graphics games out there in likely every genre if that's what you like.


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

Here's some advice regarding C64:

>Floppy disk is incredibly slow

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

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

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

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

And about retro-gaming in general:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


I'm in my 40s and play PC and Console.

I mainly play PC steam games.

My favorite is PUBG squads with a group of dads I met during the pandemic.

Great times, way more entertaining and a better way to unwind than watching TV.

Other steam games Age of Empires, They are Billions, Minecraft.

We also play tons of board games too.


Yes. Same here with the Commodore 64 and PS3. After Skyrim that was a wrap. I tried Diablo III but it was never the same. I lost interest in gaming entirely. I'm not sure exactly why but I think it's wanting to use my time doing things that are productive. Working out, gardening, home improvements, investments. I just closed on an additional property for example. About to buy a zero turn mower...way more exciting than video games. I got big ideas for this property. I would rather be cutting grass, gardening than gaming basically. Also jumping in the pool after working out there all day.


I totally get what you mean. For example, my wife got a 3d printer for me this past Christmas and OMG that was something that sent me to the rabbit hole like nothing before! So many things to learn about 3d printing and so many things to design and create.


Modern games are honestly not as fun - they take up too much disk space, they always try to squeeze more money out of you and more fluff into the games themselves. Loading times suck too. They're more akin to gambling than entertainment.

There's some middle ground, mostly indie games like Stardew Valley.

You can probably find something that's not too retro and not too modern from https://www.gog.com/en/games?tags=good-old-game


My dad got into gaming this past year. After trying a few games out on the Xbox Cloud Gaming platform (on his old Mac!), it turned out he really likes Flight Simulator. He got himself an Xbox and plays on it daily.

Modern action games were too fast for him, especially the multiplayer ones. He didn’t have the motivation to commit himself to single player games. So it seemed like simulators were a perfect fit!


Since you mention to like nostalgic games and saving space; every PS3 can easily be jailbroken these days. And yes, it can run emulators for almost every older platform. There is more to try than you have time so the real question is; what do you like ? The least time consuming way to find out is asking people who are like you and already answered that question. I gues you already there, gl & hf !


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

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

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


I don’t play much games nor I’m 50, but I believe you can do whatever you like that make you happy and relaxed, away from comparisons against your peers, I also believe age is a number compared to your “biological” clock, I have met elderly who were fun, inspiring, and positive to be around and full of young energy, on the other hand, I have met teenagers who are completely the opposite.


Not at all. When I played EverQuest as a kid, our guild had member's parents in their 50s playing with us. Games have no age boundaries!


I also barely play games right now:

- lack of time as you

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

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

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


I'm in my 30s and playing videogames is just about the only thing I'm pretty sure about doing in my retirement age..


Nah. At a previous call center job I spoke with a fella who was almost 80 and very much into modern games. "I"m retired, did the military thing for 30 years, now I just wanna kick back and play Call of Duty"

Still one of my fondest customer interactions. Dude knew his stuff and was still incredibly enthusiastic about gaming.


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


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


It’s a quick way to reduce cortisol. Lots of stress affects physical and mental health, so it can actually be good for health regardless of age.


"It’s a quick way to reduce cortisol."

I must be doing it wrong.


Avoid games like alt-f4[0].

0. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1137460/ALTF4/


I'm almost 63. I started playing SpaceWar and Chase on my high school's PDP-11 in 1974, never looked back lol. Wrote some games for the Apple II in the early '80s, spent almost a year playing Ultima III. Bought an Amiga 500 in '89 which I still use, as well as several A3000s. I have hundreds of Amiga games, and I actually worked for Psygnosis for about a year. Played Ultima Online through the '90-'00s, as well as PC games like Quake, Death Rally, Diablo I/II, Outforce, Disciples, etc. Today I play several browser games just to fill in time gaps while doing other things (UrbanDead, Pardus, Rogule, NationStates), and when I have a few hours to kill, LotRO (on Arkenstone, fyi). I'm currently designing a massive open-world RPG in Unreal Engine 5. Stay tooned!

(An awful lot of retro games can be played in a browser these days.) (Steam is good, but I don't use it. I really don't need more games in my life at the moment ha)




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