RE: not enough time to game

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Post originally by Chris Farrell at 2005-12-14 16:27:26
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Obviously, I think you are oversimplifying. "I just don't have enough time" is, I imagine, usually just code for "I don't want to do that" or "I think your hobby is childish" or "I played in a campaign with the worst GM ever in high school and still have emotional scars. Let us never speak of this again".

Being closer to 40 than 30 myself and being a part-time roleplayer, I have to agree that roleplaying is a tough sell for older gamers. Let's be honest, it *is* time- and attention-consuming if you to try to play at a reasonable rate of once every 2-3 weeks. But the main problem IMHO is that most mainstream products are in fact geared for teens and twenty-somethings, and quite honestly *do* seem to lack the minimal sophistication and quality level older gamers want - and given that we are in the minority, there isn't much help in the anarchy of the internet to get us pointed in the right direction.

So anyway. It's a complicated problem. I think there might be a whole market niche here. Personally, I like Arcana Unearthed/Evolved.

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Post originally by Matt David T. at 2005-12-14 20:58:48
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Chris - are you honestly trying to say that people who are 30-40+ are going to simply have a more sophisticated taste and lower tolerance for bad-gaming than 20-somethings?

Because that's totally ridiculous.

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Post originally by runester at 2005-12-15 06:47:37
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[The author here ...]

To be fair, my first paragraph acknowledges that there are other, valid reasons and that (sometimes) 'not enough time' is a valid reason.

If people want to speak in code, fine - they should be prepared to be ridiculed when their flimsy excuses can't stand scrutiny. Besides, what ever happened to just standing up (like an adult) and saying, "I don't want to play, thanks anyway." No need to have or make up or mask some reason - an excersise of will is more then enough.

Finally, there is no requirement to play some mainstream game aimed at 14 year olds. They can play Everway, Over the Edge, The Window, Universalis, Sorcerer, or any of the hundreds of alternative or free games available [many at The Forge].

In general, people do what they want to; they find the resources and time and community when there is enough desire too.

~runester~

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Post originally by Old Geezer at 2005-12-15 08:31:34
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runester wrote:
-------------------------------

In general, people do what they want to; they find the resources and time and community when there is enough desire too.

~runester~


DINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDING!!! WE HAVE A WINNER!!

People find time to do what is important to them.

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Post originally by The Godess, Herself at 2005-12-17 09:24:29
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Steve (runester) is right on with this one. He IS a friend of mine, so I'll allow for some possible bias...but as Old Geezer plainly stated, people will make time for what is important to them. There is no limit to the possibilities of quality RPGing; the amount of material out there is staggering, and I'm not even thinking mainstream. The Forge has some amazing, creative, innovative games written by gamers, for gamers, and anyone that enjoys games should at least check them out. As for us, my husband Jim and I have not only very little time (four kids and two jobs will do that), but we also have very few gamers that we know, anymore. As you get older, people move away, make new friends, discover other interests and eventually lose touch. It's life. It sucks, yeah, especially when you look back and remember what fabulous fun it all was, but no one is to blame for the natural progression of things. Meantime, we're gaming here and there, job and kids allowing, amazing games created by Jim and enjoyed by all (that's three of us total, including Jim), and hoping to eventually find some sane & seasoned "new blood" to add to the mix (and hoping Steve hurries up and moves back to the area - :) - come home Steve!!!) And when it's just Jim and I, we play console RPGs together, like we've done since we started dating, twelve+ years ago. The NES and SNES systems we used to play on have moved to the children's rooms, and the mighty PS2 and XBox have taken their rightful place in the front room. He mans the controls, we discuss the choices to be made, and we both participate in something grand together. No, it's not the same as sitting around a table with friends, weaving a collective epic together, but it IS "us" time, interactive, fun and engaging, much more than our favorite shows or movies. With console gaming, my husband and I are able to enjoy the characters, art and story together, and make new memories just as significant as those shared with our gaming friends. Gamefly has also liberated the process from negativity, freeing us up to send a crap game back after just a few sessions and get a new one without having to discuss what we'll have to financially sacrifice to be able to play a game we can both enjoy.

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Post originally by brian at 2005-12-21 11:47:36
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actually, i agree with the earlier post: i think gaming - specifically, WOTC - needs more product/attention aimed at older gamers. i sort of thought that eberron might fit that bill, but the adventure modules really haven't hit that mark. the truth is that writing good stories is hard, even within genre frameworks, so i tend to be forgiving - i do a lot of rewriting and reshaping of modules. but i do think the over-35 crowd would grow if there were a specific product line written with a slightly more literary polish. i understand that this will never be a mainstay. but just as hollywood has their niche "quality" brand lines, it would be great to see the major game designers do the same.

[AragornDd]

Perhaps what adults may be seeking is more than hack-n-slash with chrome. I for one, am more interested in a good interesting story with puzzles and options other than annihilating things.