So yesterday I go to a local gaming convention, presented by a good friend of mine at a community college. You know the type of con. Video games, RPGs, board games, vendors, etc.
I sign up for an FPS tourney, thinking hey, I play these games all the time. I should at least put on a respectable showing, and who knows? Maybe this old dog still has a few tricks left in him.
I proceed to get my ass kicked in every game. Embarrassingly so.
Afterwards, I look around and realize that every other person in this convention is nearly half my age.
It was at that moment that reality, time, whatever you wanna call it slapped me right in my face. I started to ask myself: Has gaming passed me by? Am I the creepy old man trying to hold onto my youth by refusing to let go of the things I've always enjoyed? Do I belong here with these people anymore?
Well that night as I lay down to sleep, I had a dream. A dream where I decide to go to college and get a degree, but I can't seem to find my dorm room. All around me I see kids half my age playing XBox, getting high, having sex, and the only thing they all have in common is that they stare at me like I'm a curiosity, a freak that doesn't belong.
My generation (I'm 40 FYI), was the 'first generation' of this electronic age. We played Atari 2600, had our black and white Game Boys, and dropped quarters whenever we wanted to play the hottest new games. Dragon's Lair was cutting edge. The only voices of violence we ever heard when we played was our mothers telling us to 'put that damn thing down and come to dinner'.
Now I'm not looking for sympathy. I just wanted to share a moment of clarity I had with my HF brethren (and sistren).
Well, I'm off to watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Maybe that will bring the smile back...
