Too Old to Play: Ageism and Gaming

For so many, gaming is a lifelong hobby. Why, then, is it a considered a children’s activity by so many?

Last July, I was picking up some last items for a summer barbecue and happened to run into my aunt who I hadn’t seen in several years. She’s one of those estranged family members who you are friendly with upon seeing in public, but there are never any plans to visit one another again except in passing. We were catching up with typical small talk, including the expected questions about other family members, when my ears perked up about a cynical comment made about her son. “He’s always sitting on his ass playing the Pokémon! I tell him that he’s too damn old for that!” I laughed along, not telling her that I probably play games at a much more frequent rate than my cousin while also being about four or five years older than him. Hers was the type of opinion which has been espoused by non-gamer parents since the inception of the hobby. An opinion which I haven’t become sensitive about until recent years. You know, those years in which you become an adult and start evaluating all of the enjoyments you’ve had since your youth and whether they are still appropriate activities for your age range in life.

Despite the medium exploding in popularity among many different demographics, mature gamers…