Wow, after reading through 7 pages of replies i feel like i know a lot of you much better now. Thanks for input. I actually gleamed a bit of hope from this post.

Seriously, It feels like a AA meeting in here. *stands up* Hi my name is Thomas and i'm a father, student and full time shift manager at a downtown deli. *everyone* Hi Thomas!

Well Haidyn's down for her nap, and i got to read four chapters of marketing crap.

I have played video games since...they first came out. Played them on pretty much all platforms supporting them.
My youngest is 30, and I am at where I do whatever I want to do, whenever I want, however I want to. Skyrim will
svck up a lot of time, that's for sure. It's really just another form of relaxation/entertainment. Just like books, TV,
movies, whatever. Some people don't understand this and think video games are just for children. I used to try and
argue with them over this, but gave up, and now I just write it off as their loss. I think they do this because it does
attract a younger audience and also because it is such a new form of entertainment (compared to the old and
more established forms like for example the ones I mentioned above). This will of course change, already started,
given time when one day in a not too distant future all advlts, no matter how old they are, grew up with video games.
That day they will be much more accepted. Of this I am sure.

You are never too old to play games. I will keep playing games for as long as I can. Probably die with a controller
in my hand playing TES XIV at the age of 88. Plan on playing tons of awesome titles though before that happens.

Reading through the tread and its nice to see that there are some awesome people on these forums......

you are never to old for games..... playing games is a form of entertainment, so is watching movies or television...... games are interactive and you use your brain a hell of a lot more than watching a sit-com......

I am 34 and I will never give up gaming.....

In my opinion gaming is something you do to pass the time, not something you have to make time for

48 here. Married with a twelve year old daughter. I look at it this way. The next TES game isn't coming out until 2016. That leaves me plenty of time to finish this one. I am going to mod, do 3d modeling, try to get better at skinning, make Skyrim what I want it to be to the extent that I am able, and then play it. By 2014 I should be done with it - just in time to wait for the next one. In the meantime I will live life normally and play games as I can - in that order.

Take it easy, relax, and enjoy it when you have the time to do so.

Everyone has hobbies. Some people fly-fish. Some watch football. Some tinker on cars. A lot of advlts play golf. Every human being has something they waste time on. So just play the video games you want and be happy. My girlfriend tried to call me out once for playing a couple hours of games every day and I pointed out to her that she watches 2 hours of TV a day (which I don't). Both of us are wasting time, but if you wouldn't feel guilty watching an hour of TV at night as an advlt, why feel guilty if you spend the same amount of time playing a game?

During different times/stages of life our priorities change. We must make our top priorities happen. Career, taking proper care of our family, taking care of our home, ensuring bills are paid and everyone is well fed. There are times when those things fill up most of our time and we have little time left over for entertainment or for ourselves. My late Mother was an accountant and she emphasized to me that you must always include money in your budget for entertainment. What she didn't say but is equally important is that you have to budget your time as well and leave a bit of time for both entertainment to spend with family and a bit of time for yourself.

One doesn't have to finish a game withing weeks of buying it and with TES games, one could play it one hour a day for a very long time. So set aside the time you use to watch TV or to play golf or go to the pub or other such leisure activities and move that time to playing the game if that is your personal desire. Move playing games up on your priority list to nearer the top. Maybe you can set aside a two hour movie slot and skip the movie. Or give up a dinner date once a week. Just write out a budget plan for your week and try to stick to it. And yes, things will come up to mess that plan up now and then just like a well planned budget can be blown all to heck with one flat tire...but...in the end, you should be able to make time for that bit of self serving enjoyment of playing a game.

As far as being too old to play, well...ummm

One is never too old to have a happy childhood.

Sooner or later you will reach retirement and have a ton of time once again to play more and work less. That is where I am.

You poor , poor bastard (Pats you on the back)

:sadvaultboy:

I'm 22 but I feel like if I had a wife and kid I'd totally just blow them off for Skyrim , if they wanna spend some sort of quality time they can do it while laughing at how crazy I'd be acting in Skyrim instead of melting their brains out with Yo Gabba Gabba.........

You speak the truth summer. Always good to hear your take on things. And really being able to sit back an a pile of cash while my little girl goes to college and I retire with a boat is what i'm aiming for. It just seems the road ahead is so damn.... exhausting.

From a ESA report released at E3 in 2009

Around 68% of U.S. households now play computer or video games and it's not just the youngsters in the family that are doing so. While the average age of a gamer is 35, over a quarter (26%) is age 50 or over. The bulk of gamers are in the 18 to 49 year age range.

The way I see it, (19 years old), if you can somehow find the time to play Skyrim, being a 26 year old with a wife and kids (presumably a job)... more power to you, as long as you're not neglecting your family by doing it.

Your only too old for skyrim when your in the grave. Concider skyrim as a stay at home vacation.

Good for you I'm 28 years old, 29 this December and I'm going to play Skyrim. I've no children but I live together with my GF which greatly reduces my playtime. Also I work ( as everyone else I presume 8-10 hours a day ) so... yes I'll be playing Skyrim a few hours a week :sadvaultboy:

I had no idea there were so many older gamers here.The OP has to be feeling better by now.I am 25, and simply swap TV time for gaming time.If non gamers find that hard to understand...:shrug:

Yeah, you are never to old OP. Like you, I only get a few hours a week what with work, kids and all that. You just have to prioritize what games you actually want to play with what little time you have.

I am 40 years old. Single and no children. Gaming is my hobby and a hobby I will take to my death bed. I will NEVER be too old to play games.

Only medical reasons or death will keep me from playing video games.

I play a lot of games, and Im doing a master's degree, and also taking intensive German. The way I see it, is that, for other people, they spent their time hanging out, drinking, going to movies, ect. My free time I spend on games. So it balances out. Its not that I waste time doing other stuff, including games. The thing is that the time I do separate to waste it, is gonna be playing games. Long weekend on November 11th, so no studying for me that weekend.

I'm 23, i have a wife and a kid, i work 23 - 36 hours a week (darn part time job). my wife works and goes to school. when im not working im watching my daughter. I play when i can. whether its when my daughter naps or at 2 in the morning when everyone is asleep. granted i only get 5 - 7 hours of sleep when i do that. the point is many of us have busy lives when we enter the "real" world and will discover we have less time to do the things we used to love to do. So dont feel that you have less time to play games. instead you should feel that life is giving you less time to play games. so when you do play games you should enjoy it. it sounds like you have practically grown up on games like i have. thats not something you just grow out of and you likely never will. it is a part of what make you who you are. all i can say is when you do get that 50 minutes of time to yourself, make it for yourself. enjoy skyrim to its fullest while having to be the man that you have become. if you learn to balance it you should have few complaints in life and not ask what if.

I'm only 17,so I gues Im to young to understand where you're com'n from.I would still get the game though,so you can at least reap a little enjoyment out of it.Like I said,I'm younger,so my schedual isnt as jam-packed as your's is,but I will still be very busy training for track,working on music,studying for end of semester exams,and spending time with friends,girlfriend,family,ect.Im still going to get the game and spend evry ounce of free time not occupied on those things basking in the cold,windy tundras of skyrim.

I have the up most respect for you,thank you for coming on here and sharing this with us,I hope things work out for you.Based off what we've seen from this game,dont be surprised if this game swells some of those feelings up again that you got whilst playing DF,MW,and OB. :vaultboy:

You young punks get off my lawn!!!

54 with a kid older than most of you.

Kids these days. You're as old as you feel. I'm young at heart and that's all that matters. Enjoy the game in your free time.

I didn't go through and read all 8 pages, just need to ask.. What's the rush? I'm 34, have a 4 yr old, work full time Mon-Fri. Game when you can. I do it in mostly small doses to escape the busy life. If I can only get in an hour here or there, so what? That's some relaxing me time.

We all do things to escape and relax. Some drink, do drugs, go boating, or have a dip in the hot tub. I play Elder Scrolls.

I have to get ready for work and don't have the time to read through all the posts or pages, but...

I'm 34, seven months pregnant, and a happily married home-owner. Lately my life has been all about this:

Get things ready for baby.

Work on the house.

Go to work.

Work on baby's room.

Go to work.

Work on the house.

Get other stuff done for baby.

Go to work.

Work on the house.

Baby is due on Christmas, how is that going to work? Hmm.

Get the cat neutered.

Go to work.

Baby is only three months away OHMYGOD...

And Skyrim is the only thing that I have that I'm looking forward to before the sleepless, busy days and nights with a newborn. I told my husband, "We better get all this stuff done for the baby and the house by the end of October, because let me tell you, when Skyrim comes out, that's all I'm doing." I even told my midwife that when I start having contractions, I'll be playing video games (meaning Skyrim) to take my mind off it. So yeah, I'm old, I remember how video games used to be, but I am really, seriously excited for Skyrim. I loved Oblivion, I still play it. TES is one of my most favorite game series, ever. I don't think you're ever too old for something you really love and enjoy. Heck, I still love Disneyland.

I'll be 27 years old 17 days after Skyrim comes out. I have a wife, job and THREE kids. I set aside time to game by myself or with my kids. Luckily I have a great wife who likes to watch or just plays games on the PC. I usually take a day or two off after a BIG game release like this or ME3 and devote that time to playing then I get between 1-3 hours every day, and minimum every other day to play. The only problem though is I only get about 3-4 hours of sleep a night until the weekend then I crash for 10 hours lol.

Always put your family first but if you are only able to play 1-3 hours a week, this game will keep your busy for many years. Well worth the investment IMO.