It’s because you still see gaming as a toy, and that it’s something you’re entitled to. Gaming was alive and well long before you were sperm. It will be around long after that.
lol, I actually don’t find that funny at all. If I were to see an old geezer playing in a tournament I would find that pretty cool! And I’m pretty young myself, so…
A good time to stop is when your fingers fall off, or when you die. Until then, play on!
slow clap
That was Truthiness.
I’ll stop playing vidya gaems when I’m dead. Or blind.
I, too, will stop playing vidya gaems when ewic is either dead or blind.
You know most if not all video games are made by grown people right?
Play until your heart’s desire. I’m 29 but I’m still playing though I can admit I don’t get to play as much as I like/use to when I was like 12. The good ol days of actually beating a mario game in one sitting. Now we got save points and save files. I did take the day off from work to play GOW3, but shhhh dont tell wifey that. Good thing I get home before she does, lol.
I’m 30, and I do feel slightly out of place at tournaments. Only slightly though. I mean, the average 30 year old isn’t attending tournaments, and that’s fact. And to be honest with you, I have very little in common with people in tournaments aside from gaming. I mean, your age and level of responsibility does tend to mode your personality, and things that you care about.
In SFIV, I used Guile pretty much every tournament I went to. People always told me to drop him, but I never did. For me, going to the tournament was just something to do besides club or drink. I knew that something was a bit off when gamers started complaining about $20 at tournaments. I mean, if I can have fun all day for $20, that’s good. Think about how much I’ll spend at a 25 and over club!
But I realize, though I’m serious about gaming, it’s mainly an ego thing for me at this point. I just want to show that I’m good at something, and I take joy in beating people. If it wasn’t gaming, I’d put all my efforts in some other form of competition. I’m as much as a gamer, as much as I’m a guy who loves competition. With that said, I don’t take it that serious. Younger gamers will always gravitate towards top tier, because it’s almost a career decision for them. For me, losing because I had Guile who was crappy in SFIV isn’t that big of a deal. Of course he’s better in Super, but I think I made my point.
Do what you enjoy, Ill stop playing when I get bored. Its equal to every other form of entertainment.
Age and Video Games is merely just to not look like a outcast to me.
VG is a form of entertainment, you like it? you do it.
I get my 50 y.o dad to play sf once in a while, but he’s awful at games that require quick thinking or contain complex stuff. he’s into Retro NES games like Galaga…
Lol. You’re on SRK where the golden age we all love (the SF2 era) existed before you were even born.
Here, we’re not old, you’re just really, really young.
And to the OP, what kind of 21-year-old brother looks down on gaming? How out-of-the-loop is he?? Every college guy I know plays games, and many more beyond.
Tell him to go on nature walks, watch CNN, and stop judging other people who are normal.
Video games aren’t some kiddy 8-bit games anymore. Anyone who still views it that way is seriously outdated and possibly ignorant. I will continue to play as long as my lifestyle allows it and it’s fun. Whether I can compete with my slowing reflexes is another issue. 
I know what you mean. I’m getting close to the big 3-0 myself, and while I had fun at a recent tournament, I had little in common with any of the people there. Then again, guys like Valle and Daigo (barely) are older than me, and they’re still rocking.
There is no age to stop playing games anymore really.
I see grown men and women playing DS and PSP systems all the time in airports. I mean, that is public.
The truth is, with the current generation of us early 20 to 30 year olds, it isn’t really taboo anymore. Especially since the Wii came out. You have late 30s and early 40s people playing the Wii.
And like I said, for our generation, we grew up with games. It is more of a norm for us.
For a while I thought that. But then I thought, who gives a fuck? There are people who go home and spend hours watching movies every night, or have a schedule of TV shows they watch, or a gamut of sporting events to go to. I have friends who play golf tournaments and bowling tournaments … it’s the same shit. Games are a medium of entertainment that, IMO, is far more interesting and challenging and personally beneficial than almost anything else out there. So if I want to spend my evening playing Street Fighter, who cares? If I want to go blow $20 on a tournament instead of a movie, who cares? If I go to a tournament and some kid thinks that at 26 I’m “too old” to be there, come see me. The day I’m too old to react to anything is the day I’m too old to play street fighter. Until then it’s best of 3, sucka.
Furthermore, I think we’re at a point where you’re going to see more and more “older” gamers. People who are 25-30 now are really the first generation that grew up gaming.
While we’re at it, want to take a wild guess at the average age of the people who play Farmville? Spoiler: it makes 30 look young. And lots of them probably spend more time with it than many SRK’ers do on SF!
Isn’t the average age for gamers nowadays around 30 anyway? Thought I read that somewhere.
The 12 y/os are just more vocal. 
I’m 28 myself and I don’t think video games are something I’d ever stop playing, its been a huge part of our generation(kids born in the 80’s) and is still being a huge part of generations to come, sure the games have been different “Pong, pac-man, Mario” vs “Halo, Call of Duty, Guitar hero” but the spirit remains the same, we’re all united as gamers and I would never be ashamed to admit that no matter how bad life gets.
If my hands were to ever fall off, I’d learn to play with my feet, if my feet were to go, then plug the controls directly into my brain, haha :lol:
When I was playing through Goldeneye when I was like 10 I got stuck on the god damn Library stage. Who likes escort missions? I sure don’t, and 10 year old me fucking despised them. One day, my dad noticed I was struggling, and beat it for me. I could be wrong but I want to say he didn’t really ever play that much before then. Things like this make my Dad my hero.
He wasn’t really a gamer at all, but even he could have a little fun with them and help me out and connect with me a little more because of Goldeneye. Presuming anyone would think you are too old for games because of kids? How much of a cooler parent are you if you can play a game with your kids and keep up? Sure made my Dad the shit.
So no, don’t stop playing games unless you aren’t having fun. Because if you stop, who’s going to help your little tyke out when he wants to run through the silo level with the Paintball Silvergun and big heads on?
Never.
Does someone stop doing a hobby because they are too old for it? No. Video games are a hobby, and for some people, a lifestyle/job. So why not?
Here’s the thing. For those of us around the magic age of 30, we were born right at the time when video games became acceptable household entertainment. Weren’t no 5 year olds buying Atari 2600s; the parents were. We grew up on games, and why would you give up on something you grew up with that grew up right alongside you? Shit is amazing now, which is why we’re still into it and kids get into it. But show a 10 year old Donkey Kong and he’ll be like, "What the fuck."
The video games of today are still the coolest toy on the market, bar none. The reason old people don’t still play with toys from their childhood is that a hula hoop remains a big plastic circle and they got tired of that way back then. If all games were still like Asteroids we wouldn’t have the patience to be playing them until middle age. It’s the innovations in technology, and the resulting spark in that innocent childlike glee we get when we experience something new, that keep us playing. And there’s no time limit on that.
Eventually, in a couple of more generations, gaming for all ages will be just as socially acceptable as watching television. No one thinks it’s weird when a person who was alive before TV was invented watches TV, and games will be the same way once the old guard dies off and today’s snot nosed punks have kids of their own that they have raised in a gaming environment. Of course, those kids won’t understand why we play Ms. Pac-Man or complain that today’s rap songs don’t have the same eloquence and subtlety when describing booties that 2 Live Crew used to have…but that’s another topic.
The point is, play til it ain’t fun anymore!
death