xxZeromancerlovexx wrote:
Why do people decide that they can't play video games anymore because they're an adult now?
I'm not talking about priorities either. I'm talking about them just flat out not playing anymore because they're an adult . If you have time to play and you enjoy gaming play your heart out!! !!
People who say that are not doing it out of maturity. Odds are, they recently entered into young adulthood, and are anywhere from a recent high school graduate, to someone who recently hit their 20s, so they're still maturing. A mature adult isn't concerned about validating his or her adulthood, since he or she already knows that he or she is an adult, and that nothing will change that fact. A person who feels the need to discard a hobby of theirs likely has insecurities, and is probably afraid of being judged by others. What's ironic is that such a statement is in fact judgmental, and almost condescending, since it basically means that they think that playing videogames is a sign that someone is not truly mature, even though they couldn't be further from the truth. Also, the odds are that they either never really thought of gaming as more than entertainment, or they have recently fallen out of love with their hobby, not due to maturity, but due to other, legit reasons. The latter is highly possible, due to a number of factors, not the least of which is the number of changes videogames have experienced in the past gen. The 7th gen almost pushed me away, and I've always been a dedicated gamer. Not everyone can identify that that's the problem though.
The notion that adults don't play videogames is completely false. If it was true, the market wouldn't be flooded with M rated titles, and though I have my reservations regarding the thought processes of modern devs, their understanding of current market trends is not something I could dispute. Given that I accept that as their area of expertise, I would take their opinions on the subject over those of someone who's clearly not an expert on videogame statistics. To be honest, I would actually like to see more family friendly titles on the market, and think younger audiences are being left out in the cold, but that's a separate issue. If adults didn't play videogames, no adults would be discussing videogames on forums all over the internet. I'm 24, and here I am discussing videogames with all of you.
sacrip wrote:
I haven't given up ALL video games, of course, but certain types, like MMO's or Mafia Wars/Farmville type games I'll never play again. At some point, I just realized that, for me, playing a game that doesn't test my skill or have a definite end to work towards just isn't for me. I don't know if I'd call it growing up, but it was a change in thinking from where I was. Pencil and paper RPG's are still something I'd enjoy, though, if I could just find a good group.
There's no correlation between that and "growing up". What you are experiencing is an accumulation of all your videogame experiences over the years. You have developed a greater understanding of what it is you like, and what it is you don't like. That comes from experience. You have to play games to find out if you like them, or don't like them. Once you've played enough, you can then begin to draw your lines in the sand. If you discuss videogames with me for any length of time, you'll find that I have strong opinions on certain subjects, but that wasn't always the case. As a kid, I could play almost anything that was put in front of me and get some enjoyment out of it, even if it was widely regarded as terrible(which I wouldn't have known at the time). I couldn't do that anymore, that's for sure. I know my opinion doesn't always follow the norm, so I'm well enough informed that I can be fairly sure of what I'm getting myself into whenever I pick up a game of any sort, without having to do any kind of research. I used to gravitate towards games that were popular in my social circle, simply because all the other kids were playing them, and not because I had an opinion of my own, but those days are long since over.