34, 2 kids, married 10 years. Fiscally, great career, but a lot of work (billed an average of 50/week last year). Don't sleep much anymore- somehow my body has adjusted to 6 hours/night. Not enough time for video games, but everything else is good. Hobbies have begun to revolve around collecting stuff, which is expensive. Joint pain.
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30+ GAF. Get in here and yell at this cloud on my lawn.
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I'm an expert
Formerly worldrevolution. The only reason I am nice to anyone else is to avoid being banned.
Are people suggesting 30 is old? lol, get over yourselves!
I'm not turning 30 anytime soon but the doom and gloom ITT is a little premature. Save it for when you're 80
Depending on where you are in your life, 30 can definitely be old. If you're a single guy, no kids, nothing permanent, then by all means continue to live like you're 18 regardless of your age. I'm not saying your life is ending soon at 30, but what you put into and what you get out of life might be viewed as old when you take into consideration where someone is in life.
GotEmRunnin
Member
Do you think you'll ever stop gaming? I don't think I will, or can for that matter. My gaming habits have changed and will continue to change but I can't see myself never gaming. I've invested to much into this hobby to just stop.
My wife (37) still games it's a lot of bejeweled, professor Layton, and crazy taxi but it's still gaming.
My father (58) is still an avid gamer. Current 360/Wii owner. He's even contemplating getting a 3DS.
So what say you GAF? Think you'll ever stop?
My wife (37) still games it's a lot of bejeweled, professor Layton, and crazy taxi but it's still gaming.
My father (58) is still an avid gamer. Current 360/Wii owner. He's even contemplating getting a 3DS.
So what say you GAF? Think you'll ever stop?
drugstore_cowboy
Member
All I play is driving sims these days, very occasionally if we have company I'll play some FIFA or a multiplayer XBLA game. I avoid games with a story. They are corny and shit.
DietRob
i've been begging for over 5 years.
I haven't stopped but over the last 5 years or so I've dramatically cut down the amount of time I game..
Example: Seeing some thread in OT about what actors are going to be in the Uncharted movie reminded me that I own but still haven't completed Uncharted 2 or 3. This is coming from a person that LOVES uncharted. I love it so much I named my freaking dog "Drake".
I've clicked on the "Gaming" tab on GAF maybe a grand total of 4 times and probably 2 on accident in the past couple of years. I imagine within the next 5 - 10 years gaming will be something I rarely if ever do.
Co-signed.
Hi, geezers!
Some tips on how to not screw up my college years would be appreciated
I'm an expert
Formerly worldrevolution. The only reason I am nice to anyone else is to avoid being banned.
I have stopped. I recently moved the family across the world and I just didn't have the time to put into it, at least not without feeling like it's a waste of time. The time I spend gaming can be better spent on other things for now. Once life settles down a bit I'll probably pick it up again, maybe in a year. Until March of this year I was a regular gamer..you can check the achievement threads on gaming side to see that..had like 6 platinums in 6 weeks haha. Now I haven't touched my PS3 since May. One of the benefits of being "old" is having the self control to do what ya gotta do and not be one of those people who sacrifice work/family to raid in WoW.
SillyEskimo
Member
I'm 37 and have been married 7yrs to a wonderful, sexy, kinky woman who makes a lot more money than me. We have 2 girls ages 5 and 3 (soon to be 4!) that make everything in life even better. My job is secure and I make good money. I'll likely retire from here. Basically, if my teenage self ever met my 37yr old self he would've been jealous as fuck. Meanwile, if my mid-20's self would have met the 37yr old me, he wouldn't think this life was really possible. My 20's were hard, man!
My advice to youngsters is simple. Do not compromise in life, love, career, or family. By not compromising you end up with everything exactly perfect for you. It may take awhile, but doing things your own way to promote, enhance, and support your personal happiness and growth is extremely fulfilling. You really can't go wrong.
My advice to youngsters is simple. Do not compromise in life, love, career, or family. By not compromising you end up with everything exactly perfect for you. It may take awhile, but doing things your own way to promote, enhance, and support your personal happiness and growth is extremely fulfilling. You really can't go wrong.
soundscream
Member
I'll be 30 in 3 weeks. Fuck this club it sucks...
You will forget all about it afterwards
no you wont
Starsunder
Member
31, feels good man. Wife's 37. Also feels good.
It's weird to think of myself in my thirties now, mainly because of how crazy it is for me when I think of movies/games/music I loved as a teenager. Also that I graduated HS in '99, and now that's quite a while ago.
It's weird to think of myself in my thirties now, mainly because of how crazy it is for me when I think of movies/games/music I loved as a teenager. Also that I graduated HS in '99, and now that's quite a while ago.
DietRob
i've been begging for over 5 years.
I'll be 30 in 3 weeks. Fuck this club it sucks...
No, it really doesn't.
InvincibleAgent
Member
Hey I go to bingo every week and I'm 25
GotEmRunnin
Member
Co-signed.
Hi, geezers!
Some tips on how to not screw up my college years would be appreciated
tip- focus on your studies first. depending on your sexual preference the coochie/booty will be there well after you graduate. I was no slouch in college but had I spent less time chasing skirts, I probably could have preformed much better academically.
GotEmRunnin
Member
More like power scooters and hover rounds. We trucking nonetheless though!!!
MickeyPhree
Member
31. Life is good. Married with one child and a second in the way. Became a home owner recently and have a great job.
Dearest Mumu, it is precisely for that reason, and that I felt like a dirty old man in a sequined bodysock trying to play with all his gay friends. I can't keep the pace. I miss plug though...
A part of me looks back and finds that a lot of time between the 2600 and the 360 has been utterly wasted. But, that was my hobby. I didn't do drugs, stayed out of trouble, had jobs, then I had a band and didn't play games for six years. I consider those my best years.
Now I have all this money and no motivation, so I still play games but hate myself for doing it, especially these GW2 marathons of late. I'll have to stop soon though to focus on writing.
It is proof that a cruel god exists that he allows X-Com to come out on the day I move.
Lucky Forward
Member
First time I felt old was when the US president was younger than me.
I'll be 52 next month, retired from the federal government two years with no debt and no mortgage and I'm loving it. Still single, I came very close to getting married in my twenties, dated a lot since then but then never had a relationship that got that serious again. So, I've basically arranged my life where I have as few responsibilities as possible. I pay some bills, look after my house, yard, and dog, and help my parents out with some chores and driving them places, and that's it...a very laid-back, uncomplicated life.
Oh yeah, my Dad turns 89 next week (he's a US Navy WWII vet) and my mom is 86, so hopefully I've got the good genes to be around for quite a while yet.
No plans to, but the two things that really changed for me as I've gotten older are that I moved from mostly console (PS3) to PC gaming (I get most of my games from Steam lately), and I've moved away from fast-paced, intense games and enjoy slower-paced RPG's (200+ hours in Skyrim) and strategy games.
I don't think I'll ever stop gaming. I think games can keep getting better and better and stuff like the Souls games has renewed my love for gaming.
That said, I'll never be able to dedicate more than 5 or 6 hours a weeks to game. Even if I have the time, I do feel like there are more valuable things to spend that time on. Gaming is a hobby, a cherry on top. What I do to unwind after a long day / week.
x Power Pad Death Stomp x
Member
35, married 12 years (together for 17), got 2 awesome kids. Life is freaking awesome.
I'm still floundering a bit career wise. I'd like a job with a better work/life balance.
Oh and I totally take a nap when my son does. Naps FTW.
I'm still floundering a bit career wise. I'd like a job with a better work/life balance.
Oh and I totally take a nap when my son does. Naps FTW.
Darth Pinche
Member
That is what my wife and I do and it is great. Our siblings and many of our friends have kids, so there are plenty of kids around when we need our fix. We call it the rental program, they stay with us for up for a week sometimes and it is great fun. But then we return to our simpler more private time together.
SillyEskimo
Member
As far as gaming is concerned, it's usually feast or famine for me. I go through times when I play all the time and then phases where I don't play at all. Right now I haven't picked up a console controller in over a month. My backlog is godly, which is awesome because when the bug bites me again I have some of the greatest games of all time at my fingertips (most of which were bought for bomba prices), covering every genre imaginable. I have been playing a lot of WoW lately though, getting ready for the expansion.
Playing video games really is a great hobby because you can pick it up and put it down whenever you want. It requires very little attention and no real maintenence. It's also pretty cheap compared to other hobbies out there.
Playing video games really is a great hobby because you can pick it up and put it down whenever you want. It requires very little attention and no real maintenence. It's also pretty cheap compared to other hobbies out there.
PepsimanVsJoe
Member
31 here.
I got contacted by somebody and I'm writing again. Still wish I was in a position where I could quit or at least work less days at pizza delivery but oh well. At least I don't have any kids though my mother has been bugging the hell out of me lately about "wanting to be a grandmother". One day I'm either just going to lay it all out and tell her I don't ever want kids or lie and say I can't have them.
Other than that not much has changed. I still look close to what I did back when I was in my early 20s. It's the insides that aren't so great nowadays.
I got contacted by somebody and I'm writing again. Still wish I was in a position where I could quit or at least work less days at pizza delivery but oh well. At least I don't have any kids though my mother has been bugging the hell out of me lately about "wanting to be a grandmother". One day I'm either just going to lay it all out and tell her I don't ever want kids or lie and say I can't have them.
Other than that not much has changed. I still look close to what I did back when I was in my early 20s. It's the insides that aren't so great nowadays.
soul creator
Member
I wrote this when I turned 30 earlier this year. Besides a few extra aches and pains, I feel like I'm in the prime of my life, actually. No kids
for me, got a decent job, and some wonderful people in my life. So yeah, 30 is the shit so far. And yeah, count me in the "I have plenty of siblings with kids, being an Uncle is awesome, I don't need any of my own" camp.
ever, I'm snipped
32, got engaged last month. Happy with my life at the moment, but I'm constantly under this fear that it can't last. No degree, very pedestrian Chinese, and finding my job less and less secure as the days pass (I'm probably overpaid by company standards). I don't have enough savings, so if I am to be laid off, my entire life would come crashing down and I'd have almost nothing to fall back on.
GAF has been a habit of mine since I was in my late teens, and I blame it for my procrastination.
GAF has been a habit of mine since I was in my late teens, and I blame it for my procrastination.
BolognaSoup
Member
Agreed. Like I'll go to a concert or game and every other person has their dumb phone up taking pictures and video (and they're recording it vertically like a bunch of numb skulls). Do they actually go home and beam that up to their TV and watch the shaky, screechy video? Do they not realize there are probably professional cameras there recording the event that they could watch later?
Smashing Drive
Banned
I shouldve bought a house or a condo when I was like 20 instead of 30.
at least in my area house prices have doubled and I'd probably be about 500k richer.
I guess I probably should've bought Apple stock too but that was a tough call.
The Take Out Bandit
Member
Did you do any research into working in comics before leaving your day job?
Can you not treat writing as a part time job and stay on at your current employer until the writing can sustain itself? I believe Jonathan Hickman held down a day job while writing for Image, and stayed on with the day job into his Marvel writing jobs.
Speaking with numerous comic creators over the years, and listening to various interviews, comics isn't the meal ticket some folks believe it to be. A lot of the small time folks you'll speak with will tell you they have other jobs in addition to doing comics. I'm glad you're going after it, but you could pursue it in a less risky manner.
If you haven't already listen to the interviews with comic writers on Word Balloon that really go into the business and lifestyle end of things.
Good luck man.
Almost identical to my situation.
Gamer since the Intellivision.
H.Protagonist
[-_-]/
I like bingo too...
Hell, I've been doing 'old people' stuff since I was a late teen. Now that the people I hang out with are older as well (30+) they join me on my beer tastings, fancy food outings, wine and chess nights, etc.! Not that I cared much being the only 19 yr old in a group of 55+ers trying out Pinots, but it did feel absurd sometimes.
Z
ZombieFred
Unconfirmed Member
Hey older peeps, to those who in your 30s what would you say to someone who's 22 on any advice you would say if you could go back to my age? I am curious, hence coming here to ask from people with their experience in adult life and lessons. I am just going through a phrase of working my ass off thanks to some big life lessons and like to see if people had some similar situations and it all paid off for following them.
ReBurn
Gold Member
Start your retirement fund now. Even if you can only save a little bit, do it. Compound interest, man. Do it.
You don't need advice, just go with your life as it turns out.
I had no idea what I wanted to do when I was young, fucked up my exams and took up an apprenticeship. Realised I wanted to do something with computers and left that to go to University then fucked that as I couldn't hold down part-time work while studying. Met an old friend who got me a job writing technical manuals and then took that experience and found a job as a web admin just as the Internet became popular. Created one of the first city based Internet portals and then lucked into a move to Switzerland, worked behind the scenes on some of the world's most popular pharmaceuticals and I still can't believe anyone listens to me in conferences as I find it hard not to burst into laughter anytime I talk about big pictures and blue oceans.
tl;dr don't pass up an opportunity no matter how odd it might seem and never do anything you might think will lead to regret in the future.
I still want to be a spaceman, but I'm content exploring cyberspace and biotechspace as I learn everyday.
Here's the deal. I have some money saved, not a lot, but it should allow me to take an extended vacation into January. After that, it's all but inevitable I'll be coming back to where I am now and starting a new job monitoring a water treatment system, where I'll be able to spend 8 hours out of 12 writing during my shift.
I don't know a lot about the craft of comic writing in of itself, but I know how to tell a story. I'm not looking to get into the mainstream industry. This is a book that's going to be published by my brother and I. And it will get published. A lot of work, time and money has gone into assuring that's going to happen, for good or ill. Besides, if everything goes according to plan we'll have a super star artist on the book and I'll get to be GAF famous.
I just need to change locales for a while to get my shit together and develop some discipline because my output is so slow.
I hope this all makes sense. Thanks for asking.
I knew my man Reburn weren't no baby.
Z
ZombieFred
Unconfirmed Member
Awesome path man. For me I work as an IT technician full time at a school right now and got about six years experience in my belt since I finished 6th form early (NVQ level 3 UK qualification) and worked in three different schools in my life so far and now just studying my Microsoft Server certification so by the end of 2013 I will be up to IT/System engineer level and can go on the server/senior network level and then the world is my oyster really. Come out of a five year relationship and was engaged, had the whole big experience on that and it made me see things and more motivated to sort out my shit right now and I would like to go to America or another country outside here for a while and enjoy the world more as I'm very independent (considering my parents live in Egypt and had to live by myself after my split and now a tenant in a house and learnt a lot of nice self sufficient skills) and want to do so much and take it as it is.
Sorry for the ramble but you can see why I come onto here to see people with their experiences and looking at good advice to help to pinpoint what feels good for me
I'm only 25, but I recently dated a woman in her early thirties; I may not have passed the threshold yet, but I'm reminded it's rapidly approaching. And that was preceded by dating a freshman I met at the school fitness center. I find my current age outstanding. I'm neither too young nor too old.
Particle Physicist
between a quark and a baryon
My wife does the same. She loves waking me up from naps
Says I should be doing something productive..
The Take Out Bandit
Member
Makes sense.
Part of the reason my creativity suffers is I'm like a sponge. My job is like a sewage drain that I'm floating along in. At the end of the day I'm so full of other people's shit that my desire to do anything other than have dinner, metamucil, and hit the sack is nil.
That's a stupid way of saying, I can relate.
You may want to start listening to the Word Balloon Bendis tapes archive. Regardless of what you think of BMB as a writer, he fields a lot of questions from aspiring comic writers that may be useful to you.
I was poking around your website, and something I may suggest rather than self publish is get several issues complete and push it to Image as the publisher. This will give you guys a greater spot in the Previews catalogue and more recognition amongst shop owners. You get the cachet that comes with being an Image published title, but you still retain all your rights to the property.
If Image isn't interested, then there's always self publishing.
The biggest hurdle to making comics is simply getting them done, and released on time.
Enjoying the thread, and now it's back to the drawing board.
I have to pretty much deliberately take vacation time off of work in order to game, so I've prioritized my hobby down to Nintendo's first-party titles (yep - I'm a part of the problem). I'll also do a week-long marathon session of an Elder Scrolls game once or twice a year.
I'll never, ever give-up gaming. (And when we have our house built, I'm going to have a few gaming things commissioned for decor.. first, a stained-glass Zelda-themed window by the staircase. Second, a Gossip Stone for the backyard garden. Gonna be sweet!)
Awesome path man. For me I work as an IT technician full time at a school right now and got about six years experience in my belt since I finished 6th form early (NVQ level 3 UK qualification) and worked in three different schools in my life so far and now just studying my Microsoft Server certification so by the end of 2013 I will be up to IT/System engineer level and can go on the server/senior network level and then the world is my oyster really. Come out of a five year relationship and was engaged, had the whole big experience on that and it made me see things and more motivated to sort out my shit right now and I would like to go to America or another country outside here for a while and enjoy the world more as I'm very independent (considering my parents live in Egypt and had to live by myself after my split and now a tenant in a house and learnt a lot of nice self sufficient skills) and want to do so much and take it as it is.
Sorry for the ramble but you can see why I come onto here to see people with their experiences and looking at good advice to help to pinpoint what feels good for me
You are doing extremely well for 22, just keep on keeping on. Good luck mate.
Heretic Kazuma
Member
Might as well clock in too, heh. 32 (33? Like others in the thread, I stopped counting after 21.) here; pseudo-married for 2 years, but together for 14; no kids; and debt free.
I'm having far more fun now than I did in my twenties, actually having money to afford all the beers I can now appreciate, fancy food I crave, and all the games and electronics I want.
What ReBurn said: Start your retirement fund now. The sooner you start, the less you actually need to save up due to compound interest. On that note, I suggest reading "The Automatic Millionaire." Great advise on financial stuff in general, imo.
Also, talk to new peopleclassmates/co-workers not in your clique, old people, someone eating lunch by themselves, etc.even if it's only a random "hello" to someone you're passing by. Serves to build up your social skills and confidence, perhaps pick up on a new fact or outlook on life, or maybe even make a new friend.
I'm having far more fun now than I did in my twenties, actually having money to afford all the beers I can now appreciate, fancy food I crave, and all the games and electronics I want.
What ReBurn said: Start your retirement fund now. The sooner you start, the less you actually need to save up due to compound interest. On that note, I suggest reading "The Automatic Millionaire." Great advise on financial stuff in general, imo.
Also, talk to new peopleclassmates/co-workers not in your clique, old people, someone eating lunch by themselves, etc.even if it's only a random "hello" to someone you're passing by. Serves to build up your social skills and confidence, perhaps pick up on a new fact or outlook on life, or maybe even make a new friend.
I'm an expert
Formerly worldrevolution. The only reason I am nice to anyone else is to avoid being banned.
Nintendo's first party crap is what you're supposed to grow out of at this age. =(
GotEmRunnin
Member
I too have pretty much reduced my "console" gaming to Nintendo's first party lineup. Everything else is own my PC.
Make sure you take pics of the window and the Gossip Stone. I'd love to see that man. MY wife and I are planning a move spring of next year. My only requirement is a basement/entertainment room that I can decorate as I see fit.
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