I was out with a lady friend of mine today, as well as some of her friends (too bad she had made reference to a boyfriend towards the end of our time out though) and we had done some window shopping, looking at expensive watches, suitcase, clothes, and the like (usual woman fare). When we were looking at the watches, I just felt so juvenile inside, thinking "Damn, for that amount of money I would rather buy a Gimmik, and have the trade-off being owning a cheap watch." When thinking about this though, I suddenly felt very childish, like I had never moved beyond the stage of the kid that wants to go into the toy shop.
Does anyone else ever feel that way? I usually don't feel this way (or care what people think of my games hobby, everyone needs to have a hobby) but for a few moments I just felt childish.
I too feel a little childish when thinking about all the money that I spent on games when I could have spent it on something "a little more useful."
my answer to that is never stop feeling childish. It's one of the only things keeping me sane right now, lol. It could be way worse. You could be blowing it all on drugs and alcohol.
Did the lady friend do anything to make you feel that way?
When buying anything, I often think, how many games I could have bought instead of that.
Don't feel bad about. Just feel passionate about your hobby.
We're pretty complex animals. I like to think of myself as one of those Russian dolls that's filled with smaller dolls. If one of those inner-mes is still the 8-year old sitting on the floor in front of the TV with an NES controller-in-hand, that's ok. Feed your inner child; it'll keep you young.
I mainly feel like that when we have guests and they see our living room, which has a Famicom hooked up to the TV and a shelf with about 100 carts on one wall, which is very conspicuous. Most of those folks have more `grown up` hobbies, but on some occasions people say `Oh neat, Famicom! Lets play.` and I feel better about myself.
I always make sure to close the door to the room where 90% of my collection is housed, its more or less wall to wall games and toys in there.
Quote from: MaxXimus on July 27, 2014, 09:19:14 am
I too feel a little childish when thinking about all the money that I spent on games when I could have spent it on something "a little more useful."
my answer to that is never stop feeling childish. It's one of the only things keeping me sane right now, lol. It could be way worse. You could be blowing it all on drugs and alcohol.
Did the lady friend do anything to make you feel that way?
I don't think my friend did anything in particular to make me feel that way, but it was more about seeing a bunch of "normal" people (for lack of better term) together, checking out expensive watches and stuff like that, which made me feel a bit funny to myself when I stood there and thought about it. I think I especially felt this way since I could care less about owning and maintaining a fancy watch, and would prefer to own and play some 20 year old game software.
Yes, I feel that too when I'm around people with no interest for games. But then I often realize that there's lots of people my age with the same hobby.
I feel childish a bit but then again I look at what so called mature people do and I laugh. The mature crowd always complain about everything and never have fun. I know you need to do some things you hate in life but in your free time have fun. This is the main reason I have remained single for most my life. All the girls I have been involved with leave me because I wont get rid of my video games and manga. One girlfriend gave me an ultimatum " get rid of the games or get rid of her". I looked to her and said I am gonna have to break up with you. She was pissed.
Quote from: senseiman on July 27, 2014, 09:37:59 pm
I mainly feel like that when we have guests and they see our living room, which has a Famicom hooked up to the TV and a shelf with about 100 carts on one wall, which is very conspicuous. Most of those folks have more `grown up` hobbies, but on some occasions people say `Oh neat, Famicom! Lets play.` and I feel better about myself.
I always make sure to close the door to the room where 90% of my collection is housed, its more or less wall to wall games and toys in there.
That's pretty cool, I love to play famicom whenever I have a chance... Should invite me some day.
As a coincidence, today I happen to read about
otaku and got into The Otaku Killer (http://www.crimelibrary.com/blog/2013/01/05/serial-killer-spotlight-tsutomu-miyazaki-otaku-killer/index.html).
Personally though, no I don't feel juvenile but I am mainly into old games for the cultural value. Some people enjoy old movies and call it culture. I enjoy old games. Don't see the difference.
Now, if you ask me about people who sit for hours with stuff like XBox, now that is a waste of time, IMO. It is something completely different. Like comparing an Orson Wells movie to some repetitive mindless Crime Detective series (like
Bones ).
I feel for all you guys. Being a woman I still don't get women either! I see retro gaming as a special sort of history that you just can't learn about unless you play them and some of it is personal history. It might seem juvenile to some but you know what who gives a fuck I see it as preserving history. Sadly my bedroom tv isn't compatible with the famicoms and superfamicoms but I have my NES and SNES hooked up to it and hurrahs the supergameboy lets me play tekkaman blade :D Which is also a part of my personal history
Collecting games has made me feel silly haha but not in a bad way. It is practically all i spend on, but that's what collecting is, it means knowing what you want. I like buying other things here and there, i also collect vinyl records. My friends have always loved that i have obscure and retro game consoles and games. They usually ask to play if we're hanging out at home.
It's a shame to hear about those girlfriend horror stories though... My girlfriend has always shown a legitimate interest in my games and what i do. She's always the first one to jump to the game room, and even when we're not near each other she likes battling me on the pokemon showdown simulator, which ends up being really fun. I wouldn't even think about dating someone who was incapable of enjoying what i enjoy, whether it be music or video games.
I really didn't want to touch this topic but I am. Please be warned I'm gonna rant. I've been collecting video games for 20+ years. I've always been interested in classic gaming because i never really transitioned well with the 3D games N64 era. I've always craved the side scrolling and platforming games, yeah The 3D games are cool don't get me wrong I love the N64 Zelda games, all the resident evils, grand theft auto etc. but I've always been drawn back to the platform games. I craved them so much and I've developed such a mastery of them. When the 3D era hit they Literally became extinct. Bottom line is there is no way it's Juvenile cause Juveniles don't collect or play these games. Its a great hobby that i take a ton of pride in and never in my life would I be ashamed of it. I've never had anyone walk into my apartment and not be impressed by my collection of games that takes up an entire wall of my living room. usually they get hit with a face full of Nostalgia and you can't put I price on that. I spend a lot of time researching playing and collecting vintage games but it's not my whole life, there is so much on my plate between partying, women, and work but I still make time to play. There are so many people out there with no hobby it's sad. be proud that your Passionate about some thing and have great knowledge in the subject cause there are so many people that just eat, sleep, work, watch tv. They have no outlet, no hobby, not passionate about anything. I feel like anyone that would knock you about a hobby no matter what it was is Jealous because they think in there head they have no way to Identify them selfs from all the cookie cutters in the world. It's not about growing up cause I'll tell you what I'm no bum I'm doing really well in life and my hobby has never interfered with me being an adult and being Responsible for myself. I kind of think the a reason I'm able to do this is cause I've chosen not to have kids not knocking anyone that has them but after my bills are paid I have a fair amount of money to spend on whatever I want and with that money I've chosen to Pursue my passion by acquiring an epic collection of vintage games that I play very often. Also when I do play games I'm trying to do an epic run on ever game I fire up. I know I've ranted but never ever let some one make you feel like your hobby or something you like is Inferior. Plus I really didn't want to mention this but are collections are worth a great chunk of change. It's an investment that you can interact with and use there are not many collecting Hobbies that you can do that with most of them all you can do is look at them.
I feel that retro gaming is the opposite of juvenile. As retro gamers, we usually research what game products we buy before buying. Modern gamers can be very ignorant and just aimlessly buy the next COD or whatever and laugh at you for playing 'bad-graphics games'...Uhh if you care about graphics soo much then watch a damn movie. Old school, 2D gameplay is simple to learn and hard to master. It's much more skill based in some cases. That's why I love old skool games, you can just pick up and play right away!
One of my other hobbies that people think is totally kiddy is LEGO. I've always had a passion for it and always will. LEGO isn't just a toy, it's an art-medium, like sculpture or model building. I usually keep this hobby a secret except to family and close friends who understand. Deep down inside, everybody still has a fascination for it. Society just tells the average person LEGO is just for kids.
Well said Jay-ray! ;D
Hahah that's right, I even kind of feel the opposite way- other people are juvenile but not me ;) . Especially those XD HD 2989042182p super blue-purple-golden-platinum-holographic-ray players that only bitch about GRAPHICS. Does the gameplay matter?? No because GRAPHICS counts ONLY. OMG ahahah this pixelated shit has so bad GRAPHICS.... (and so on).... But as they say, there's no cure for stupidity, so I won't even bother explaining a few important things to those idiots
Maybe not only this is the case but also there are many other people completely not gaming-related. I laugh at people (who actually laugh at me at the same time) who say buying retro games is so stupid and senseless while they spend their whole salary on bitches, alcohol and parties ;)
Oh and also if we started that stupid GRAPHICS topic, here's a very useful information for all gamers:
GRAPHICS≠GAMEPLAY
Quote from: MaarioS on August 07, 2014, 02:12:09 am
Hahah that's right, I even kind of feel the opposite way- other people are juvenile but not me ;) . Especially those XD HD 2989042182p super blue-purple-golden-platinum-holographic-ray players that only bitch about GRAPHICS. Does the gameplay matter?? No because GRAPHICS counts ONLY. OMG ahahah this pixelated shit has so bad GRAPHICS.... (and so on).... But as they say, there's no cure for stupidity, so I won't even bother explaining a few important things to those idiots
Maybe not only this is the case but also there are many other people completely not gaming-related. I laugh at people (who actually laugh at me at the same time) who say buying retro games is so stupid and senseless while they spend their whole salary on bitches, alcohol and parties ;)
Oh and also if we started that stupid GRAPHICS topic, here's a very useful information for all gamers:
GRAPHICS≠GAMEPLAY
So if I spend a lot of my salary on my girlfriend, booze, and retro games, where does that put me?!? :o
I just wanted to get you the idea. In my opinion buying retro games is an investment, you don't waste your money whatsoever. Hell, you even earn that money because retro games increase in value after time!! In my opinion it's better than spending it only on bitches, alcohol and parties since that's kind of a waste, I bet most of us here will agree
That reminds me of one situation when my class-mate asked me why I'd wanna buy some "senseless" Dreamcast game. So I just answered I don't waste my money and I want that game and even if I don't want it anymore, I can always sell it. So after that he answered "well if you have too much money, give me some and I'll make better use of that". I still wonder what his "better way" was ;)
This comic right here (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2013/07/01/arcadia). Middle panel. That's pretty much my adulthood.
I don't feel juvenile. I simply don't have an interest in cars or sports or whatever else it is guys are supposed to like. *shrugs*
I also lack those interests. :)
I never really feel like that when I'm getting older systems and such, no. It's a passion that we all happen to love, why not follow it?
Meh I get told all the time that because i'm female I shouldn't like this or I should like that. I'm a stubborn bitch and I will like what I want to like and retro gaming is something I LIKE AND WILL CONTINUE TO LIKE!
I don't think that's childish.
Everybody has different priorities.
Liking expensive watches and fashion doesn't make you an adult, just like liking video games doesn't make you a child.
But that's just my opinion...
Quite the opposite, I see young people playing supermodern videogames, laughing at me being so "horny" when I see a bunch of "yellow" cartridges in the chinese market ;D
I feel old :crazy:
Are there many of these Chinese markets where you live?
Sounds awesome!
I sometimes went over the boarder to the Czech Republic, but the stands there only had bad DVD and CD bootlegs and nothing gaming related. :(
I feel much *less* juvenile when I'm browsing retro games than when I'm doing the same with newer titles. The people looking for Famicom carts are usually around the same age as me, with others being considerably older. Retro collecting is, by its very nature, something that kids don't often take an interest in.
Now, when I'm standing in line to pick up the latest 3DS Mario game and many of the people in line are like seven? *Then* I feel juvenile.
Only a little bit. I'll admit the Famicom is a bit fisher-price looking, which they did away with on the NES. None of my friends are really into older video games, so they don't know much about them and don't comment on my collection. To them it's seen as just another random hobby.
Modern gaming makes me feel a bit juvenile. It's blanketed in consumerism and there's barely anything out there that can hook me anymore.
It does feel like a huge time waster, as it's usually not very engaging, with the occasional exception.
I've replied to this thread already, and forget what I said.. but I do feel a little embarrassed about games shopping, with an increasing amount of grey hair.
Early grey runs in the family, but I'm still getting used to it, as the last 3 years is when I started noticing it wasn't just a stray here and there.
Anyway, aside from the grey, I look young. Maybe 23 years old or younger, even though I'm 29. I have a boyish face and build.
When I was in Japan, it was 'do what the romans do', so I died my hair like everyone else did, but back in the USA, and the hassle of dyeing, I've decided to try to embrace it and get over it.
It's a little awkward though. I've felt like a kid all my life, and generally look like one. So I guess feeling like a kid out in public, AND showing my age makes me self conscious.
Gonna just face it though. I think part of it is gaming culture in general is a little embarrassing, what with the relentless spending and DLC and a lot of stuff I disagree with.
Just found this post. Interesting read about all of your thoughts. The new/Famicom and the 3rd/4th generation of video games was the best, should never be forgotten and is something worth being nostalgic about. Nobody can challenge this. :star:
hm, an interesting question. i dont feel juvenile when i am actually playing the retro games (NES/famicom/N64/Super famicom) BUT i do when i spend (hundreds) of dollars on mint condition hardware/software :-[ (when it should have gone into the bank....) still trying to justify to myself i need two (or more) copies of the same game, one for playing and one for keeping mint condition..
American masculinity is increasingly juvenile due to the upper classes' lack of ritual & sacrifice.
There aren't any 'maturing' experiences.
This weekend was one of those times that really puts the retro vs current gaming issue in perspective.
I maintain that I don't feel immature playing retro games. Largely because when I go shopping in Akihabara or at whatever Book-Off or any other place, the other customers are generally my age or older.
But this weekend, I picked up Smash Bros for the 3DS and (since I didn't do the midnight release) MOST of the people picking up the game were like 20 years younger than me.
It's a bit of consolation that literally NONE of those kids will know who many of the game's hidden characters are. In a perfect world, they'd ask their parents who they are and the gap will be bridged a bit.
Uh, 43 out of the 46 characters in the game either still consistently appear in newer games, are from newer games, or have had their games re-released on the Wii U's Virtual Console or something on that order. Not sure where you're getting the sense that kids wouldn't know who they are.
Quote from: Bob-Bob on September 14, 2014, 08:32:28 am
Uh, 43 out of the 46 characters in the game either still consistently appear in newer games, are from newer games, or have had their games re-released on the Wii U's Virtual Console or something on that order. Not sure where you're getting the sense that kids wouldn't know who they are.
Most, yeah. But most kids aren't going to know about Mr. Game and Watch, Duck Hunt, or the Robot.
"Many" was the wrong word to use.
But I don't think most of the young kids are following games like Metroid, Punchout, or even Zelda. They may vaguely be aware of them, but no way they're intimate with the characters like the older generation is.
Quote from: tappybot on September 15, 2014, 01:35:28 pm
But I don't think most of the young kids are following games like Metroid, Punchout, or even Zelda. They may vaguely be aware of them, but no way they're intimate with the characters like the older generation is.
I think most kids who play games know Zelda. Not sure about Metroid, tbh. I think it'd be safe to say that Punch-Out is probably a bit of a deep-cut among elementary school kids in Japan.
Did you see the recent 'teens react to NES' video?
Apparently some of them were oblivious to Zelda. They may have just been hamming it up, though.
Those "kids/teens/seniors react" videos are disingenuous at best.
I agree, they are definitely acting because you can see retro NES games on emulation everywhere and even on Wii/Wii U. There is no possible way for those kids not to know about NES especially with YouTube reviewers constantly showing the NES and how to use one...
That's like the kids reacting to the old computer, they somehow didn't know that you need to turn on the monitor and tower yet computers still need to be turned on exactly the same way...
Sorry for the bump, but I think I should revive this topic:
I don't feel juvenile because of retro gaming, mainly because I am pretty juvenile in the first place.
I'm almost 12, and I actually discovered the NES (and later the Famicom and whatnot) because of the Virtual Console. I saw games like Super Mario Bros. 1, Zelda, and Metroid, and eventually I just became hooked on that sort of thing.
And now I'm some sort of famicom geek or something. But anyways, it's cool that adults are playing these games too, although I really have no idea what nostalgia for these games is like because I have none.
I just wanted to say this because when I first saw all these things I was surprised how many adults there are interested in video games.
A few weeks back I did a lesson at my job on the history of Nintendo, and all of the adult students dismissed it as kids stuff, basically. A few had mentioned that they would play wii, if they had the time. But since they don't have time for stuff like that, they don't game. The only gamer there (he had mentioned to me previously about playing online computer games) had kept mum the whole time, when I asked if anyone played games. He was embarrassed to share this with the rest of the class, and he would always say "Oh when I was a kid, I blah blah blah" He never mentioned the PC gaming or anything in the present. On another note, although this guy claimed to not really play games at all, when I had asked the class if they knew what Mario's occupation was, there was silence...then the guy that sometimes games quietly spoke up, "Er, aren't they plumbers?" Hahaha, he wanted to feign ignorance initially!
To go along with that theme, the other day I was sitting in 7-11 and playing Game Boy, just killing time before going to my evening job, and I saw one of my adult students there. The woman came up to me, with her little boy (about two or three years old), and the woman saw I was playing Game Boy and was surprised, asking why I like to still play that kids stuff. I felt pretty childish that day.
Weird, considering how much those same people probably play games like Candy Crush on their cell phone.
It would be especially weird if you were playing Tetris, because that's a popular phone game.
But yeah, one time I was playing a (duh duh DUH) Game Gear while waiting in a dentist's office and one person said (despite me being 10 at the time) being "too old" for video games and that she didn't know "big kids" played them too. By the way, I was playing Mortal Kombat, so....
Yeah for some reason people want to sound ultra-serious all the time or something.
I've never felt very juvenile about collecting games at all.
I have always managed to balance my everyday-life between game-collecting and "adult behavior" kinda stuff. :P
I've heard a few times that I'm a nerd and shit, but I just reply with something like "Yeah, so what? I'm still more bad-ass than you'll ever be." :D
Famicom <3 x)
Quote from: maxellnormalbias on October 12, 2014, 12:02:16 pm
Weird, considering how much those same people probably play games like Candy Crush on their cell phone.
It would be especially weird if you were playing Tetris, because that's a popular phone game.
But yeah, one time I was playing a (duh duh DUH) Game Gear while waiting in a dentist's office and one person said (despite me being 10 at the time) being "too old" for video games and that she didn't know "big kids" played them too. By the way, I was playing Mortal Kombat, so....
Yeah for some reason people want to sound ultra-serious all the time or something.
Well I was playing a crappy unlicensed Lord of the Rings game on the Game Boy that day, not Tetris.
The thing that surprised me though, is exactly what you mentioned above. These people are all playing phone games - I see grandmas playing fun games on the train, as well as all of the middle aged folks. I personally find those games to be less engaging, but no one would say a thing if I were playing on the phone, but suddenly bring a Game Boy into the picture and it is seen as childish or juvenile. I just don't understand the difference, aside from the fact that the GB games are good and the phone games suck ;D
Oh. Yeah, I find phone games way less engaging, especially if they're those money-stealing games that try to rob *cough* *cough* sorry, "monetize" you.
Although I find that since my NES broke I've really been gaming less and less, not even on portable consoles. (I don't have a Game Boy just a Game Gear, maybe that's why)
Anyways whenever I travel to America, nobody "plays NES". They "used to play" it. Before my NES broke (which, incidentally, happened roughly the same time I moved away from my friends) lots of people played Virtual Console, my best friend owned a Retron, and some other kids had a NES frontloader. Keep in mind these were ALL kids.
But, yeah. Weird stealthy idea: use a GB emulator on a phone!