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[sphinx]

This year I turn 40 and beside the usual "I have less time to play because work and life" I have noticed there are some rules I abide by as a gamer, only recently though.

for example, I won't go for subsequent "just for fun" playthroughs of big adventure games I have already finished.

the reason is literally "I am running out of time" in life and I wanna experience more of the medium. I'd love to replay Bloodborne or TLOU, not gonna happen. I may do quick speed runs for a trophies or so but at most I will play the NES mini games when I just want to chill.

I also avoid games that are huge time-sinks according to the internet, like some RPGs (Pokemon, Xenoblades, Witcher)

Multiplayer games... I avoid them to, they just have no end.

how about you?

 

[Captain Tuttle]

Easy mode all day long

Edit: I'm 49

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

I only buy maybe 5 games a year total.

 

[lucebuce12]

I really used to enjoy shooty-man games when I was younger but now, I barely ever play them.

I've come to realize I love games with melee combat and fighting games in particular is a genre I've really been playing a hell of a lot of over the years.

 

[redcrayon]

40 next year. Like the OP, I avoid anything that doesn't have an ending, particularly online games that require regular commitments. I don't really play games online at all, but part of that is probably not having grown up with it, so it doesn't really feel essential to me. Having kids changed my gaming habits more than growing older, I actively look for stuff my daughter might get something out of at least as much as I do for myself.

One thing I have noticed is that I have less patience for mindless violence for the sake of it than I used to. It's not that I find it disturbing or anything, just that I find it a bit boring after seeing so many big action games use the improving graphics each gen to revel in it.

 

[ponpo]

for example, I won't go for subsequent "just for fun" playthroughs of big adventure games I have already finished.

Multiplayer games... I avoid them to, they just have no end.

These are some weird points. Provided you would enjoy them, why would being 40 prevent you from replaying them? Do you avoid eating foods you have already eaten once because you will die at some point and you need to try other foods?

You have a bit more time than that.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Depends on what is considered "old" but at 31 I tend to buy a few less games and spend more time with the ones I have. I also find myself playing more things like Rocket league or even Splatoon, where I can jump in and play for 25 minutes and then move on.

On the other hand, my single player games recently have been Yakuza 0, Persona 5, Gravity Rush 2, and Horizon, so it depends on if I actually get a few hours to play or not.

 

[Dr. Buni]

It doesn't, but I am only 26. Still considerably older than a lot of folks who plays games nowadays.

 

[Vincent Grayson]

These are some weird points. Provided you would enjoy them, why would being 40 prevent you from replaying them? Do you avoid eating foods you have already eaten once because you will die at some point and you need to try other foods?

You have a bit more time than that.

Food is not even close to the same thing as a lengthy game.

It's a given that you, no matter how much time and money you have, cannot play every good game, listen to every good album, read every good book, and so on. Spending some of that precious time replaying a game makes little sense if you realize how much you haven't gotten to experience yet, IMO.

Of course, that's not for everyone. Plenty of people do the whole "master a single game, play it forever" thing.

 

[Danjin44]

for me its opposite. the fact i have less time because of work i like to enjoy and get every thing out game as much as possible, I'm in no hurry to move on to the next game.

 

[Dog Problems]

Easy mode all day long

Yep, definitely this.

I also have very little patience. If a game doesn't hook me immediately then I'll drop it.

 

[Fancyarcher]

Getting older and am less able / less interested in gaming like I once was. Basically typical.

 

[KaidoRacer7]

36 years old here... my time and money reduced drastically. Now I tend to buy games that doesnt require much dedication.

 

[AmuroChan]

I prefer SP games that have defined endings. As such, I almost never play MMOs or games as service where you can theoretically play forever.

 

[Raven117]

I usually only buy one game.

I don't mind time sinks (actually prefer them) as I can build a little routine around them and don't have to worry about finding my next game.

For me, I have about an hour a night I can play video games after its all said and done. I have been chipping away at Persona 5 since April. Its been great actually.

Next up will be Destiny 2. Can fire it up, chip away at the grind.

I find that if Im playing alot of video games at once, they start to not standout.

 

[GlamFM]

39. I play games on easy these days.

I buy fewer games - although that might be Destiny's fault.

I also drop games with no regrets after a few moments if they don't grab me immediately.

 

[RoyalLaFlame]

I only buy maybe 5 games a year total.

Ah, almost 25 yo here and I don't even buy 2 games a year.


But it's probably because I just can't find gaming that fun anymore

 

[Jaded Alyx]

I used to very much be a single player game junkie, nowadays I spend hours playing solely multi-player games. Very strange turnaround.

 

[Malawhur]

I also avoid multiplayer games as they require serious commitment. I realized lately that I prefer games where I can feel progression with short sessions. Story driven games (like Uncharted) are my favorites because of that.

 

[Crumpo]

I still have the luxury to buy almost any game I want, however I'm no longer afraid to abandon a game I don't enjoy.

To other's points I would rather replay TLOU than play a boring game fresh. Precious time works both ways.

And yeah, no MMOs and limited dudebro games these days.

 

[morpix]

35 here. I don't buy games at launch ever. Last one was Zelda, cos I needed something for the switch.

You become way more financially focussed, so I only buy games on sales these days. Just recently got Yakuza 0 and Mafia 3 for less than a full-price launch game.

 

[herbchamberz]

33 y/o here... Or 34? How old am I again?

I have a higher appreciation for tight controls and refined game design. Also, I don't mind long games (loved BOTW and Horizon), but I don't want to feel like I'm wasting my time (FFXV).

 

[Darklor01]

I don't think my age is my main factor to this point as much as where I am in my life and what my priorities are.

Since I work a lot, have a wife and home, no kids, but we don't have a lot of money. Gaming is my main form of entertainment/escapism since my wife and I just can't afford to get out a lot or entertain. I mostly play solo games, preferably those which I can pick up and put down. Some of my friends around the same age in similar situations are gaming less and less while prioritizing hanging out with friends/family.

I often think I should game less and see friends/family more before it is too late and time runs out for family, and friends stop wanting to hang out for lack of effort.

 

[MicroByter]

42 here. I find myself enjoying more arcade style, twitch games more than ones that I have to be fully invested in.

I did put a lot of time into Zelda BotW, but definitely find myself enjoying games like Graceful Exposion Machine or even Binding of Isaac more so than ones with long drawn out stories.

Also, having a Switch has helped immensely with getting more time to play.

 

[Raptomex]

I'm 27. I used to play CSS religiously in my high school days. Around 17 I stopped caring for multiplayer altogether. I'm all about SP. I still follow game development and games, I could just care less about "social gaming".

 

[MoogleMan]

I just turned 37.

Bascially I learned to be an open minded gamer and not fall for the gaf hype/hate trains.

For example, the almost universal hate The Order 1886 gets. It wasn't perfect, but I enjoyed my playthrough of it.

And on the opposite end, gtav and skyrim. I like some aspects of them, but they're certainly not the best open world games I've played.

I also tend to not get caught up in review roller coasters either. I've been gaming since I was 7. I know what kind of games I'll consider good, bad, great, etc. I don't need a "review" telling me what kind of games I like.

35 here. I don't buy games at launch ever.

Same. I did get RE7 and tekken 7 at launch however, but got both on PC and paid well under retail.
These days I work through my backlog and pick up things as they go on sale.

 

[Metalmarc]

Putting a 4TB external hard drive to my PS4, so I can download ALL my digital games, because of Lack of time, i can just turn on my PS4 and now no longer have to wait for the Long download and install times, also becoming slightly lazier as i get older this helps a lot too, e.g no getting up to change Discs when playing Digital games, i'd say 75% of my ps4 games are digital now

Buying My games in sales, because i now need money for other stuff like food or bills, i guess its trying to be slightly more responsible.

My reaction times seem to be worse for fps and fighters, so i tend to not play them as much as i used to.

I don't play online, one cos i am old and can't be arsed to deal with the immature trolls, two because i have always been an awkward anti-social git anyways, so speaking to someone online or indeed even bothering to match up and with somene online at certain times, i cannot be bothered, and most onlne titles you can't pause this one really bugs the old git in me, in my days if i needed to pause cos i need the loo, eat, drink etc i'd pause the damn game, now i'm older i have to do other things too like answer phone calls, door calls, cook meals etc.

Sometimes i do the easiest mode that will let me see the most of the game so i can just get though it without much of a challange, but sometimes if i am in the mood i may bump it up a notch or two.

I have actually found myself using guides/walk throughs, watch youtube videos how to get past or use etc certain things more as i age, whereas when i was younger i used to avoid this sort of behaviour cos i wanted a challange, i'm not saying i never did before, but now i find i'm turing to these guides quicker into the games.

 

[DAHGAMING]

This year I turn 40 and beside the usual "I have less time to play because work and life" I have noticed there are some rules I abide by as a gamer, only recently though.

for example, I won't go for subsequent "just for fun" playthroughs of big adventure games I have already finished.

the reason is literally "I am running out of time" in life and I wanna experience more of the medium. I'd love to replay Bloodborne or TLOU, not gonna happen. I may do quick speed runs for a trophies or so but at most I will play the NES mini games when I just want to chill.

I also avoid games that are huge time-sinks according to the internet, like some RPGs (Pokemon, Xenoblades, Witcher)

Multiplayer games... I avoid them to, they just have no end.

how about you?

I'm 29 but am slowly realiseing that I can't play games for the sake of it anymore due to lack of time. I'm playing Killzone shadowfall and I'm not enjoying it, I'm now stalled as I'm not in the mood to play it but I can't move to the next story game before finishing it. I need to be more picky and only play the cream of the crop or else il miss out on them.

I really do think you should make an exception for Witcher 3 aswell, I was lucky I had 6 weeks of the easiest work il ever do last year and I had a lot of spare time so I managed to play it, if you ever get the chance I recomned it.

 

[ultrazilla]

I'm 45. I often find myself looking for quick play games. Shoot em ups like Resogun and Nex Machina where I can just have some fun without really going deep into story. Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Destiny and Diablo 3(all PS4 Pro) are my main games I like going to for quick play sessions. Shoot some stuff, have fun and leave.

It's hard for me to invest any substantial time into big "story" games. I'm still getting through Uncharted 4 on my PS4 Pro(haven't finished it yet).

I try to educate my two sons, 14 and 16, who game along with me on how the video game industry "used to be". Cartridges, no dlc, no season passes...stuff like that which I find important to pass along.

As I've gotten older, I tend to get tired of "shoot everything in the face" games. Don't know if it's because of my age or the fact I have kids, but I've tried to impart on them that you don't need to be a mass serial killer in games for them to be fun. This is why I'm such a fan of Nintendo. They "get it". A great example of a company that knows how to make games that are good looking, fun and for the most part, non violent.

Perhaps it's just me getting older and the "get off my lawn" mentality. I don't know.

 

[Jaguar Victory]

I'm 37 and I still enjoy everything. Single player games are like interactive movies. Multiplayer games get me all riled up (looking at you Overwatch) and fill my need to compete like sports do.

I mean its either that or watch more HGTV with the wife.

I also play some Minecraft with my 6 yo. He's a gamer too!

 

[//DEVIL//]

I am turning 36 this Oct. I also avoid big games unless it has some sort of infinite health or ammo in a super easy mode.

For example, there is some sort of (trainer) in FFX Remaster on the PC version where you can obtain infinite spheres to power up. So I did that from the start just to beat random enimies from 1 hit. I just wanted to experience the story only really. and if FFx2 has the same on steam( I didn't even have time to check it out yet, then I will do the same)

Nier for example, I only finished the game once. have no interest in playing it again for different stories.

Horizon is awesome. but I got no will to continue where I left off kinda 3 hours in only )

I tried to enjoy persona 5. finished the first part. But to me that was like that's it . I don't want to play anymore I got bored.

Zelda BotW is the same thing for me. Got bored. this coming from someone who think OoT is like one of the best games ever when it was released and still holds a memory for me but there is no way I can play that again.

Right now I just want a game that has story and one bath to follow. think like MGS 1 2 3 4. 5 is complete No for me.

its kinda sad that people goes the open world approach. I mean I understand from a young gamer perspective. But for married people with kids / work / etc, I cant spend that much time on a single game.

 

[Avallon]

I'm 30 and I have a 7-month baby. My only gaming time is after 8:30 p.m. Persona 5 took me about 2.5 months to beat.

 

[sphinx]

These are some weird points. Provided you would enjoy them, why would being 40 prevent you from replaying them? Do you avoid eating foods you have already eaten once because you will die at some point and you need to try other foods?

You have a bit more time than that.

because never before have we had so much variety of games.

I only own a PS4 and 3DS as current gen systems, later this year I plan on getting a switch and I am not sure how I'll handle all the games.

I can't keep up with the PS4's release schedule, on the other hand 3DS is on it's way so that's good. Switch does't have many games yet so it kind of fits in my life.

I used to play with the idea of replaying short games like zeldas before BOTW and the resident evils, I really like them but the idea that I am missing out on something else immediately comes to mind and I cease

 

[lcd]

42 here and like others easy mode is my go-to. Also no PvP, reflexes aren't what they used to be and don't enjoy the hectic nature of modern multiplayer games.

Also, co-op every campaign if it's possible. I don't care if it makes sense in terms of story, I want my friends along for the ride.

 

[nowai]

I'll be 35 in December and I play just as much as I always have. Having disposable income and no kids means things like "oh VR looks neat, okay I'll bite." I buy far more games than I ever had when I was younger with a lesser paying job.

I can see how you could have no time if you have kids though. I recognize that I'm selfish and I love the freedom to play a game all Sunday if I want.

 

[MetalSlug]

26

Losing interest in games much quicker and as I result I don't finish 99% of them.

 

[Akuun]

deleted

 

[danyboypremier]

Easy mode all day long

This.

I play a lot of single game. But got a 200+ games in backlog (not counting PC games). I try to have 1 or 2 full days per year with friends to play multiplayers games in the same room. I need that kind of "non virtual" contact.

 

[Damaniel]

Easy mode and more casual games.

The last 'major' game I played and beat was Persona 5 (on 'Safe' mode, no less). I bought Final Fantasy XII but only played it for a couple hours. Other than those two, I don't touch a ton of AAA stuff anymore. I spend a lot more time playing games on my phone, or the occasional retro game (I have an in-progress game of Lufia II but I haven't touched it in a week or so).

Also, I buy a lot fewer physical games now (and probably fewer games in general). For instance, yesterday I pulled my DS collection out of storage (checking to see if I owned a particular game) - 120 games, lots of RPGs and more obscure stuff, and nearly all of it sealed - I'd never buy like that these days. I used to buy a couple games a week or more, even if the game looked remotely interesting. I still buy the occasional physical game, but it's generally one a month or fewer. I accepted the fact long ago that I'll never get to even a fraction of what I own, so I only buy games I actually intend to play.

 

[Lylo]

33 y/o here and i:

1 - Have the money but not the time;
2 - When i have the time i don't have the patience;
3 - Still buying games that i barely play;
4 - Play most games on easy;
5 - Dedicate 98% of my gaming time to Rocket League;
6 - Spend more time reading about games than playing them.

 

[Obi]

The big thing for me is pain. I have wrist pain so I don't really play anything that you can't play with a controller. So MOBAs and lots of competitive FPSs are a no go for me. Even games I used to love, like FTL, I don't play because they are mouse only.

I make an exception for playing multiplayer games with friends. It's worth the pain. I mean that's kinda one of the important things in life for me, being with friends and family.

35 here. I don't buy games at launch ever.

Same. It's weird because I have way more money now and could afford it, but it just seems like a waste. I feel like I'm throwing money into a hole.

 

[AdmiralMikey]

33 here.

10 hour long games are my lifeblood. I'm almost 70 hours into Persona 5 and I'm really enjoying it, but it's killing me that it's been the only game I've focused on for a couple months and feel like I have a couple more months ago.

When I was younger, I'd take a 100 hour game on anyday. Now I prefer compact experiences.

 

[bosseye]

Easy mode all day long

Yep. 37 here, don't have the time or inclination any more to git gud.

 

[SuperOrez]

I don't feel like there's a whole lot of "new" in the gaming world so I pretty much stick to games I can get good at. The last few month I've just basically played Pokemon and have been fine tuning my teams to compete online.

 

[PaulBizkit]

I don't play competitive games anymore (except fg when i'm at a friend's house) and, if I'm stuck, I just look for help online* (unless the game was released BEFORE the internet).
It's not about age as it really is about spare time, though.

My quintessential example of this was the puzzle at the end of Remember Me. After an endless 8-hour brawl across several levels, they put me some fucking pillars to align to form a word when the light reflects????? hell no! I gamefaq'd that shit right there

 

[finalhour]

Another 37 here. I've found I play almost exclusively on handhelds, and tabletop games. More generally, I find I try to play 'single sitting' experiences, where it doesn't matter if I ever play the game after that one session. I have enough commitments in my life!

I still like deep, challenging games. Monster Hunter has been a big one for me. It is engrossing and rewards continued play, but at the same time it doesn't really matter to me if I ever play it again. There is no story I feel obligated to see through to the end.
When I was younger, I loved long, involved storylines, RPGs, etc. Now I tend to get that more from books.

Boardgames are similar in that they can be really deep and challenging, but they are done in a few hours. Plus they double as social time which is good (as a parent I don't find enough social/gaming time).

 

[cyborgnumberblue]

30 here, I really only focus on singleplayer, but that's nothing new. I only enjoy playing fighting games competitively. There are few triple A games that I am actually interested in, and I've got a lot of older/retro consoles that I end up playing more.

None of this easy mode nonsense, though. I've not found games to be any more challenging than they ever have been.

 

[Krooner]

35 this November.

Long games terrify me. Nothing will put me off a game quicker than an 80+ hour campaign. knowing I'll probably never complete it puts me off ever starting it at all. In my younger days I loved JRPGs, would play anything I could get my hands on in the genre. (not easy being in the UK until the PS2 era) it's a complete u-turn in my gaming ideology, and one I would have scoffed at had you told younger me it was going to happen.

 

[Vuze]

Yep, definitely this.

I also have very little patience. If a game doesn't hook me immediately then I'll drop it.

Same and I’m not even in my 30s heh.

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

lol love how this thread has turned into an age confessional. 42 here, and my gaming tastes/how i play hasn't changed because of my age. I still love everything i used to, it's more my available time than anything else.

Like many of us here, having a full time job and a girlfriend and other things going on, sometimes getting time to sit and play is a challenge, but it has nothing to do with my age. I platinumed two more games already in the last few months lol