Am I Too Old for Playing Games?
On Friday, August 16, I’ll celebrate my 55th birthday?!? That’s so crazy to me, but not really what this post is about.
I’ve been playing video games since the early days of Asteroids and Space Invaders in pizzerias and Atari 2600 and Commodore 64 at home, and still actively play games on my Xbox Series X and occasionally on my laptop. I recently upgraded my tablet and have also been unexpectedly enjoying the mobile version of Risk.
I am by most definitions an Adult Gamer, but I’m starting to feel a little like Murtagh: maybe I’m getting a little too old for this shit?
It started a couple of years ago when I noticed some first-person games would make me feel a little queasy after playing a while, particularly Halo Infinite, which I was trying to belatedly get into but couldn’t last more than 30 minutes. The movement felt too floaty, and I thought it might just be specific to that game because I’d been playing the hell out of Battlefield 1 and Destiny 2 with no problems for more than a year before that.
Then, it was Cyberpunk 2077, shortly after its big 2.0 update. I tried to push through the queasiness, but the story was too boring to ignore it, and I bailed after finishing the first act. Oddly, Titanfall 2 never bothered me at all, and it’s currently the only FPS I still play without any discomfort. Fortunately, it’s also still one of the best FPS’ ever, so that’s a bonus!
Beyond the FPS queasiness, my tolerance for difficulty has changed, too. I was never into the Souls games, but I respect the skill and patience they demand from players. I’ve unsuccessfully dabbled with a few Soulslites, most recently Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, which I was really enjoying until I hit a skill wall I didn’t have the patience to overcome and couldn’t progress the story any further. Same with Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, a surprisingly fun mashup I was loving until I reached Mukadejoro, an early boss fight so ridiculous, even the best advice I’ve found says it takes 12 minutes — IF you get everything just right.
Ain’t nobody got time for that! Both games have now been deleted from my Xbox, but thankfully they were on Game Pass, which has been a great way to diversify my gaming mix, and the best way to find out a game isn’t for me.
Other than running, gaming is my ME time. It’s how I like to unwind and relax — despite how it may look and sound to others! — and while I love a fair challenge, I no longer have the patience for intricate combat, unexpected difficulty spikes, or non-platformers randomly throwing in a platforming level. I also don’t care about amazing graphics, preferring distinct art styles over “realistic” faces that rarely consistently pull off the intended realism.
I appreciate strong narratives (or at least settings that suggest them) and solid mechanics, and generally love strategy, simulation, ARPGs, and roguelikes, in particular. Slay the Spire, Balatro, Dead Cells, Titanfall 2, Football Manager, Diablo 4, and inexplicably, For Honor, are all still in regular rotation for me, and I’m currently enjoying casually playing through El Paso, Elsewhere.
I used to love RPGs but I simply don’t have the time nor attention span for the modern 80+ hour commitments you have to make these days if you want to experience a full story. Oddly, while JRPGs have never worked for me, I did just download Persona 3 Reload out of curiosity, and plan to jump into it when I’m back from my birthday trip next week.
I’m definitely not too old for playing games, yet, but I’m okay with letting FPS’ go since I was a latecomer to them anyway, and I suspect I’ll still have Titanfall 2 for a couple more years.
Discover more from As in guillotine...
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I’m 71. Never mastered consoles. Strictly a keyboard warrior here.
After having burned up my MMORPG inclinations after 7,300+ hours of Ark Survival Evolved, and 2,500+ hrs of Eve Online, I’m letting Fallout 4 provide my “blow stuff up” fix. Factorio satisfies my “build it” urges.
I don’t think we get too old for playing games. I think we get too aware of how little time might be left to play so much less willing to spend time and effort on games that don’t scratch our specific itches.
Play on!
Football Manager is the only game I play regularly on PC, although it’s my preference for CRPGs, too. Most are just too damn long these days! I can’t handle movement and shooting on a keyboard, though, especially not an FPS. I’m amazed by people who can, including my son and his friends.