"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." -
George Bernard Shaw
I have been playing video games consistently for
over forty years now. I have seen some things over the decades. The '90s were the apex of this medium; going from NES to Dreamcast in one decade. Can you imagine that? These days a single static console cycle lasts ten years. Anyway, here's my top 5 pieces of "old man" gamer advice:
1.
Don't lower the difficulty. If that game's too hard now on Normal difficulty (the intended base challenge) so much so that you are considering lowering the difficulty or cheating... NO. Just play something else. Come back when you have the evolved skill set, energy, and personal determination to beat said challenging game on at least Normal. If this seems silly now, it won't when you actually do it. People who don't value legitimately difficult games are people who have never beaten one. There's only one way to enlighten that perspective. Overcoming any adversity, no matter how trivial, builds character, self-reliance, and personal esteem. Three traits well worth nurturing at any given opportunity, including by beating difficult video games.
2.
Variety is the spice of gaming. If you are getting bored with games, it's likely because you have over-indulged in one or two particular genres. You might love cinematic action-adventure games, but if that's all you ever play, then the genre will become blasé for you. There are SO many different genres in this medium. Try playing games in genres you don't normally play, and remember to mix up your platforms. You may have some natural aversion to a new genre, just because it's different, yeah some genres are acquired tastes. Doesn't mean you won't love that taste after acquiring it. Personally after I beat a game, I tend to go for a different genre and different platform for my next one. Consistent variety will keep things interesting.
3.
Moderation is mandatory. Given I have been playing video games for this long, it's clear that I love this hobby. But I have never over-indulged in it, to the detriment of my real life, or other hobbies. I know a few gamers who only have ONE hobby... yeah, video gaming. I can tell you their personal lives are not great. It's a dark life to live, that ultimately ends in unhappiness. You've got to have other hobbies besides just video games. (I especially recommend having hobbies that get you off your ass and moving around outside, as well as creative hobbies.) And it's not just about encouraging yourself to indulge in other hobbies, but also about moderating your play time. I tend to limit myself to 2 hours max gaming a day, and not every day either.
4.
It's okay to wait. I understand the allure of new gaming technology. Hell this forum is especially biased towards playing the "latest and greatest". However, that is the absolute least cost effective way to enjoy this medium. If you are buying the newest consoles and the newest games, as they are releasing, well you are paying more than your fair share. Most video games tend to depreciate in value very quickly. And the longer you wait into a console's life cycle, the less expensive said console becomes, and typically technically-better revisions of that console become available. And with modern games, waiting to buy them a year or two, means you get a discounted game, that has its final patch version available, and likely all the DLC it's every going to have. For many generations now, I have waited until the tail-end to jump in for these reasons. Yeah I might be playing games that are "old" (merely a few years) but I'm reaping hella discounts. From my perspective, the Cult of the New is a silly expensive club to be in.
5.
Newer is not always better. The video game medium has always been driven by technological advancement, and thus is especially prone to the
appeal to novelty fallacy. I'm mainly talking to the younger players here, who grew up in the seventh generation. There are some seriously amazing games from the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth generations, that do still hold up today in the GAMEPLAY department. Sure the graphics might be cruddy from your perspective, but here's the thing about graphics. Once you start engaging with a game, it doesn't take long before you acclimate to its graphics, good or bad. The graphics just melt away into the background of your mental focus. What happens is you become primarily engaged with the
gameplay. Graphics are just pixel icing on gameplay cake. There are some delicious cakes in the yesteryears of this medium, even if their icing is technically stale. I'm telling you, if you avoid prior-gen games simply because they are prior-gen, you are depriving yourself of 90% of this medium.
