People can spend 4 hours at a bar getting wasted, but god forbid you stay in and play an interactive story.

I felt this was a very important video to make. I hope you enjoy it!

I'd rather play hours of games than watch hours of TV..

Saying games are for kids is same as saying that movies are for kids

*Gaming has literally saved my life when I was going through tough times. I've been and always will be a gamer. Age is just a number.*

I'm 25 and have been gaming all my life and wont stop just because of a number.

When my Parents see me play games they call me a kid im 25, but my mom plays games on facebook on her phone 24/7 ,talking about being hypocritical.

I am 49 and an avid gamer. I have every PlayStation platform as well as XBox One. I also live with chronic pain, muscle problems, intractable headaches and chronic fatigue. Gaming is my escape from the pain. HOWEVER! I started gaming in the mid 70s and have stayed with it as it evolved and I feel hip and relevant with not only the piss poor games, but the most amazing AAA titles. Would I still play if I didn't have health issues? HELL YEAH! Do I have the time to make most people jealous?HELL YEAH? Do I neglect my home,my wife, my pets and other things that I am able to do?NO WAY! I know what is important and I understand reality.

people make fun of us for gaming, but these are the same people who sit on their ass watching american idol for 4 hours

Playing video games all weekend is just as "anti-social" as reading Sherlock Holmes all weekend.

part of being mature is doing what you want to do.

I game, watch anime, read manga, play VN's and i do this publicly. People mock me? Sure fine, but i stay healthy, clean, gym, have a fiance, and I'm an engineer. I just don't watch TV, i don't go on Facebook, i don't go party (aside from with my Fiance to do shit like Karaoke), and i don't drink alcohol. I play sports but i don't WATCH sports. If you can't handle that i do this shit? you aren't my friend and this has been my rule all my life. I learned not to give a social fuck. And i have friends who don't game...we go play pool and talk about movies. I have friends who play games and we still go play pool and talk about games. Nothing wrong with games.

I'm only 17 and my relatives are pressuring me to get off gaming. Why? I have a GF, I go out with friends, I have a normal life. But not to them. They think I'm a freak. My girl doesn't care. My friends don't care. My sister doesn't care. Just my older relatives.

I'm only 16, but I've been gaming since the age of 4. I grew up with gaming and nothing, not even work will stop me in my spare time. Has it made me an anti-social shut-in? No. I'm with my girlfriend of a year and four months, got plenty of friends and we hang out all the time. Has it made me a loser? Fuck no! Would a loser study hard to get the best grades he can get? Would a loser have the ambition to pursue a career in science and be willing to follow every step needed to achieve his goals? If anything, some games even helped to spark my fascination with science. Sure I play games and sure I spend a lot of my spare time doing so, but maybe that's for the better, because there are definitely worse things to do.

I am 34 years old and still play games that many consider 'childish' like Mario Kart, and even Animal crossing. I enjoy them...I don't care what anyone thinks of me. I will not stop playing games because idiots consider them 'childish' as i would rather be happy than 'grown up'.

I'm 31, my mom is 56, and we have been playing games since the late 80's. It was bonding activity when I was a kid, we both have always loved J-RPGs and Zelda games. We both still play, although I am more into the retro stuff. Neither of us fit that "fat virgin basement dweller" stereotype and I am proud to break it often. Growing up playing J-RPGs made me a better reader and expanded my vocabulary, not to mention my imagination. I will never stop playing games even if I can't find anything new that I like. Anyone who doesn't like it can pound sand.

As a new parents to our baby boy, my husband and I have been continuously told by others to drop gaming and focus on raising our kid. Obviously, both of our time spent on gaming has been cut down quite a bit these past few weeks, and I've accepted that things will never be the same (though having a son who I hope to be very proud of is very much worth the sacrifices). I do hope, however, that we can still keep games as much as we can in our lives. Games have been central to our development, and we have no intention to drop them. It's weird, though. Both of our parents are comfortable with our lifestyles (since they know we're responsible enough), it's the extended relatives who resort to subtle condescension in telling us to stop gaming. Guess they're projecting their problems with their own kids onto us. We're quite the successful young couple, I can see why we piss other people off.

26 years old, gonna game till I die.

Life itself is a waste of time so do whatever you feel like.

"So Bill, what are you doing this weekend?" ~ "Oh I'm going to do a bit of gaming, nothing special" ~ *Burning eyes of contempt* "...Your gaming?" ~ "Sorry did I say gaming? I meant to say hardcore pornography and heavy drinking." ~ "Oh that's quite alright, I thought you were a weirdo for a moment there."

I'm 22, my sister is 20, and my parents are 57 and 60, and we all have time, every single day, to play some kind of video game. We aren't poor or unsuccessful by any stretch of the imagination. The same "adults" who say that gaming is for kids/losers usually consider it acceptable to veg out and watch TV for 5 hours a day. I don't understand.

Most people who judge gamer's, are the same people who waste their times watching tv or movies, Games are a form of art, I will always game I don't care what other's think never have never well. The people who also judge are the people that waste 24/7 on facebook talking to fake friends I have more true friends on PSN and Nintendo Network than their fake thousand friends on facebook.

I'm 50 and still game. I have since 1976 and pong

This hit home for me, my gaming hobby is never going away. I am 35 years old and I will game til I die. I avoid most adults because of that 80's way of thinking. I am a proud big kid with 4 college degrees and you can be successful and be a gamer.

i will still be gaming when im 60

Thank you Rich for putting this out there. My mom has been telling me to quit gaming because I'm in high school and don't have girlfriend. She thinks that me gaming is "repelling" girls. But whenever I say that most girls in my school are sluts, or the ones who aren't are just my friends, she still doesn't stop. She will find any way to make me stop gaming. I guess it's time to show her this.

I'm 42, got a good career and great family. We are a family of gamers. My wife likes Guildwars 2, my daughter plays LBP and I enjoy stealth games (Assasins Creed, Hitman, Ghost Recon) Where other people watch TV, we play games. I've been waiting about 30 years for an Elite to come out. (Elite Dangerous still not out for PS4) I can't wait for No Man's Sky to release.

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." -George Bernard Shaw At 26 years old I have had people tell me to grow up or ask when I was going to grow out of gaming. But quite honestly? Games have become as much an intrinsic part of our culture as television. It seems ironic too that these game machines that are hooked up to the TV are not thought of as entertainment devices like the TV is. Reading that article it was interesting to read how he responded to people questioning his hobby. How is wasting/spending time playing a video game any different from watching TV for 3-5 hours after work? Games are not unlike TV, movies, and books. They can take us to different worlds, tell us stories, and yes they can even teach us. They can even provide an outlet for people. Watching a documentary called the Smash Bros. A professional Smash player called Mango said if he hadn't gotten into playing Smash; he could have ended up very different. They also can provide a social outlet for people. In the Looking for Group WoW documentary; a player revealed that her mother couldn't go outside due to medical issues and that the game allowed her to talk to people and a way to 'go outside' when she was phsyically unable to do so. And I think Brian Altano of IGN made a good point on the NVC podcast. "Playing the worst game ever is more mature than making fun of or bashing someone for their hobbies." On the bright side; I wear a Legend of Zelda ballcap sometimes and have had both men and women compliment me on the hat. I also have the Mario overworld theme as a ring tone and people at work recognize the tune. I think that is one of the coolest things about gaming. You can have a simple 8 bit chip tune or wear some form of video game iconography and it resonates with someone. I won't stop gaming...not until they pry the controller from my cold dead hands.

My dad still thinks gaming causes violence and is antisocial :(

We live on a planet where you can spend 5 hours drunk off your ass watching sports on T.V. having parties about said sport, but god forbid you have a video game console/handheld game, or else you're a man child.

I'm 17 and i've been gaming since i was 4 or 3. I'll be gaming till i die or no longer have the motor skill or until i get old and forget to.

I'm 30 and I will never stop gaming. Loved it when I first booted up the original Mario on the NES, and still have the passion now. Nothing can transport me to a different time, place or experience the way a video game can. I have a loving girlfriend, young daughter, full time job, maintain regular exercise and socialise with friends... And still find time to game. It's all a balance. Here's to many more years enjoying this artform.

Video games are the ultimate escape from the illusion we call reality. I find it really angering that people like me get criticized for playing games.. When we have adult men and even men in their 50s obsessing over some men in tights tackling each other. See the hypocrisy here? I'm 21 and am getting a pay raise soon at an already substantial job. I don't feel it's right to say what I make. But I will say it's not minimum wage slavery and it's not a louzy $11/hr. I am making enough to enjoy gaming, but also be responsible with my bills and maybe in the future get my own place.... Also bonus, a college degree can blow me. Nothing but a debt sponge for nothing.

Damn right ! IT'S ENTERTAINMENT, just because it might not be someone else's idea of entertainment (mostly because they are simply ignorant on the subject) it is just as legit as movies, sports, fucking stamp collecting, if you enjoy it and it is not hurting anyone else then FUCK what anyone else thinks, if they have a problem with that it is not your problem it's THEIRS ! If you give up something you enjoy to please someone else you WILL regret it and resent the person you gave it up for.

im 39 and i still play games and watch anime and cartoons theres nothin wrong with that i think and most of them stuff are directed for mature audiences

always lived my life for myself, not for others

I'm 43 years old, I've been gaming for decades, and I'm proud of it. I will talk about my gaming to anyone, anywhere, anytime. When some asshole tries to make me look like a child for being a "gamer", I can quickly make them look like a fool. I plan on gaming until I die.

I'm glad I'm young, because the generation after mine, or at least the 20 or 30 year olds, doesn't mind gaming. People who used to go to my high school and are in college or working still buy games. Going to the local game store now doesn't really feel as awkward anymore. Even the gender difference is a little better, still not equal, but better.

I'm 40, and I still play games, you do not have to 'give up' on fun things to do. These games keep you young and centered

Gamming is my passion , I know how you grow out of things at a certain age but I will never grow out of gamming even if everyone tell me to stop and do something better I won't. Live your life how you want to live your life

When I'm a senior citizen with a cane, I'll still be playing games.

I'm 13 and my parents question me and my friends being gamers makes me mad. It bullcrap and I agree with Rich. My dad recently told me that if I kept playing games I would be forced to sell them all. This would be understandable if I was failing in school, but I'm have straight a's and I'm in advanced 10th grade classes. Everybody treats me like I'm the outcast because "oh you got a platinum trophy over summer break! You don't have a life!" It's stupid and I think all gamers should too. I just got a 3ds and my dad said if I bring it anywhere but home it will be sold. Isn't that the point of a portable system? To bring it with you? Please tell me how you feel about this.

I totally agree. I'm 29 and ever since I got steam my interest in gaming has been completely reinvigorated. When I ask friends and family around my age to play games with me online I always get the "I don't have time for games anymore" which I find ludicrous. I'm a PhD student and a college professor with plenty of responsibilities and I still always have time at the end of the day to relax with a good game.

An anti-gaming attitude is pretty philistine. Games can be powerful works of art.

You nailed it Rich,Ive had the exact same debate with some of my wifes friends,they were giving me stick once over being 31 and still gaming,like I should have better things to do in my spare time, I was quick to fire back what hypocrites they were as all of them have huge DVD collections and spend hours watching crap on TV,they had no comeback at all.

I blame Nintendo and their commercials saying that games are build for kids.

i´m 29 and i love gaming, i love my games. Console gaming or pc gaming has been around since i can remember. As the years pass, i feel a bigger and bigger pressure to abandon gaming. This pressure comes from my parents "do you still play that kids stuff...", some of my older friends "do you still game, get a life...", and from the woman i am about to marry "I can´t believe that you are still around those games, that´s for kids..." yet she plays candy crush on her smartphone for hours... That annoys me so much. But i don´t want to abandon gaming, i love it. Very few of my friends (3 to be exact) that still game are the only ones that support me and understand me, we play together online 2 or 3 night sessions per week and that makes us happy even if we are getting constantly criticized by parents, girlfriends or wives...

I am 44 and I can't imagine my life without video games! All of the guys that I play with online are all around my age and it's a great way to wind down after a long day at work. Great video!

Well im 24 but i completely understand where yoyr coming from. I feel that gaming as a whole has evolved " matured" with our generation over the years. Its a serious hobby of mine. My wife thinks that its childish but i just tell her that this is a serious hobby of mine. Ive been playing games since atari so i feel ive been in the " click" since the beginning. Just because everyone frowns upon us for our hobby hasnt and wont make me stop. With a full time job, wife, and two kids i still manage once they go to sleep at night to play my games because it is my "cool-down time". So long story short, i dont plan on quiting just because everyone else thinks its imature. Games have grown with me and it being my #1 hobby i have decided that i will stop when the time is right but by then ill prob be 70+ years old... hahaha so i got a long way to go

You couldn’t have said that last part better. I have family members that question my hobby all the time.

I will NEVER give up gaming. Without gaming my life has no joy. I don't care if I'm 20 or fucking 60 I'll keep gaming

If gaming is only for kids why is the ao and M rating's on games.(think people)

I find some adults to be rather hypocritical. They tell us "aren't you too old for this", and yet they play what, Diamond Digger or Candy Crush Saga? I don't understand that. I not only see people play console and PC games, but I also see people play social games too. I've seen people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s playing the games I mentioned. But I'm not calling anyone out here though, I'm just saying that you shouldn't be ashamed of it. In fact, I find that some people have improved their relationship by playing video games. And for that, I believe it's okay because it's also bringing us together.

This is what scares me about Anime and Manga (Japanese Comics, and Comic adaptations) I am 16 but fear that when I am an adult I will be shunned by others. People have this concept that you grow out of it, but in reality, they are an entertainment medium which have a variety of genres for All demographics.

I met an elderly couple in their late 60s that love gaming. They love Grand Turismo, Skyrim, Ratchet and Clank and Forza. I was quick to befriend them. I like how they were open to the fact that they game.

I'm 48 and a happy and proud gamer. My Diablo 3 partner for the past 2 years is 73 years old. There is no age to be a gamer and only the grave will stop me from gaming. Funny that my kids have no interest in games...

Fuck everyone else!! Shit I still watch cartoons. If I like it I like it. Never let anyone tell you to stop doing something. Gamer4Life!!

I dealt with this kind of attitude recently. Someone started a conversation with me like this: "I know you're still gaming..." Wow really? Approaching me about my "problem" like I'm a goddamn drug addict or something. Yes obviously I'm wrong for choosing what to do with my leisure time rather than conforming to your miniscule world view. Absolutely infuriating.

Isn't the average gamer 35 or something?

I'm 42 and I LOVE GAMING...STILL!!! NEVER EVER I will give it up!!!

Since I will officially become an adult in my birthday in 2015, I can already see those problems coming to me. I've been growing up playing video games since the N64 days. I was 4 when I was introduced to gaming. My family thought I was gonna grow out of it, but they where surprised what I wanted for my 15th birthday. Middle school was a struggle for me. Everybody hated gaming, except playing Call of Duty on Xbox. High school is better. Some people are still like those stereotype people. I don't care what other people thinks. I'm proud to game.

I will be a gamer until the day I die, be that tomorrow or in 70 years.

I'm right there with ya man! I was also born in 81 so I'm 33 now and I still game. The important thing is I don't let gaming overwhelm my life, I put health and fitness first, then gaming. I see a lot of very unhealthy and overweight gamer's such as yourself that give us a bad name. I chose to play games in place of TV, I play only on a high end PC, no more console gaming for me. Rich I hope you will realize your unhealthy diet/lifestyle will catch up to you very soon. You need to eat more fruits/veg and start working out. Lay off the junk food and get active, peace brotha :)

WHO SLEEPS AT A FRIENDS HOUSE AND PLAYS FANTASY FOORTBALL???

im 15 years old and my parents keep telling me that video games will make me violent but when i see the news there was people over 30 making riots just because a soccer game

My dad was born in the late 60's and he's in his 50's and he still plays video games, as well as he even still watches cartoons.

I will GAME until I die, period.

People point out the children when bad shit happens to make people feel bad. They go like "how.could you do this to a poor.innocent kid?" That's all they do it for. You do it to an adult and it's just like oh well get over it. You know??

I stopped caring about what people think of video game ! Now,I remember having a conversation with a girl that was playing Candy Crush on her phone,it was a nice conversation and that girl had some prejudices about games until I lend her a copy of Portal,she loved it and said that she didn't think a game like that could exist !

I grew up playing games. As a child I’d study, do homework, pass tests and in the end graduated high school. Playing games is my me time. I’ll play till life leave my fingers. I have a job, have bills, responsibilities. How I live my life is for a scenario that may never happen which is, if my adult self met my child self and my child self asked me “I always dreamed to be an adult to do what I wanted, yes be responsible and in the end of the day play games I love. Do you still do that?!” I’ll proudly say “Yes, I do what I want and be responsible and in the end of the day play games I love”.

My friend and I hit the gym every week, ride bikes, have families, travel but we also play games. We Love Games! We are now in our 40's as well. Thanks for your views, videos and support sir!

Im quit gaming when i'm 18............Million years dead.

Y'know, I've considered quitting gaming before not because of peer pressure (though one could argue that this is part of it), but because of the people that try to turn gaming into this huge competition to show off how their preferred company, platform, etc. is the "master race". Y'know, the people that are like "PC Master Race" or "Nintendo sucks ass, Sony is best company". These people just make me scratch my head and wonder why we can't all just shut the hell up and let us all enjoy gaming how we wish. But then I realized that petulant fanboys shouldn't stop me from enjoying gaming how I want. This is really your best video in a long time Rich as it showed me that we shouldn't let what naysayers stop us from doing what we love. So thank you.

People say it's childish to do something that kids do, but it's actually childish to do something BECAUSE others do.

I'll play video games as long as I feel like they will hold my attention, no matter my age.

Exactly. If gaming is a waste of time, what does that make TV? At least with gaming you're thinking, and interacting.

I'm 46 and I have gamed since I first laid my hands on an electromechanical arcade game (Sega Missile) back around 1972. I find myself fairly sickened by the business models and practices being employed by manufacturers/publishers these days, which mean you don't really own or control the games you pay for these days. So I may not continue to buy the main systems if they continue down this path... but I will still game. I own many of the systems that have been released, from as far back as home Pong consoles and the Commodore PET, through to the PS3 (around 130 systems)... and I use them, and will continue to use them for as long as they work. I continue to buy (or if I'm lucky... be given) new systems, if they aren't crippled by restrictions... like Android gaming portables, as they offer a relatively open gaming experience, like that provided by the Amiga, back in the day. You know what? It's still fun. It was fun back when it was a new thing, and it is fun now. Why on earth would I stop? When there are so many bad things that a person could do with their time, and that it appears on the news that many actually *do* do with their time, often for want of something better to do.... the idea of criticising people for gaming seems rather stupid to me.

I am a 44 year old male that has been gaming since 1986. i will game until my body and mind tell me i cant do it anymore... hopefully that wont be for a few more decades... love your channel. keep up the great work.

Hello from the UK and well said. I'm in my 60's and when I buy a game it's....."Is it for your son/grandson" and get strange looks when I say "No, it's for me".

I'm only 13, but I agree with Rich when he says that gaming is a hobby just like everything else. My family treats TV and movies differently than games. Whenever I game, my family tells me to stop, yet they have been watching TV for 4 hours that same day. I plan to game for the rest of my life, I don't care if I look like a man-child in front of people, because, believe it or not, men-children are usually happier with their life than "normal" adults.

Hey there are plenty of adults who still do LEGO and it sure hasn't grown up like gaming has! I always got pressured to drop the little bricks (starting in 3rd grade) but I didn't and now I'm skilled enough that my buildings look like scale models of real ones! I do put gaming in a slightly different category (the same one as TV and Movies) because you don't really have as much to show for it as you do in woodworking or something, but as far as mindless entertainment goes, it should actually be ahead of movies and TV since it is interactive.

My dad turned 44 on the 16th, and he still plays games..hell, the people on Xbox live he chats with are in the 50s

I'm a 34yr old Nurse and I grew up with the Nintendo. The games that exist today could have only been dreamt of when I was a kid, so I embrace games because they represent a pinicle in our society and technology. There are some games that feel like wastes of times but other games such as The Last of Us, Breath of the Wild, Dark Souls and Horizon Zero Dawn that are incredible acheivements. I want to start balancing gaming better with my other hobbies (Landscape photography, reading) but I don't regret the time I spend gaming.

44yo here and still playing

“Games are for babies!” Me: playing a visual novel that has a self aware character, two suicidal characters, and a pink haired loli

This is a legitimate video; a much needed video. As a professional in my late-20s, I am often on the defense when having to explain that my choice of hobby is not the social pariah of hobbies. Thank you for posting.

Really great video Rich. Reminds me of a quote from CS Lewis, *"When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."* Being 21 and in college, this quote has really hit home with me. For a while in my teen years, I stopped playing things like Pokemon and Trading Card Games. I stopped watching cartoons, heck i didn't even get into anime until my junior year of high school. I figured that I had grown out of them and saw myself as too mature to enjoy them. Now, as a 21 year-old college student, I play Magic and Pokemon and I love to watch anime. Do I care what people think, no not really. A part of me has some fear of it, but part that's of growing up. That need to grown up only shows the insecurity of a child. The loss of that insecurity is the sign that you have officially "grown up".

My dad is almost 50 and me and him play gta5 together

I'll probably die with a controller in my hand.

8:15 Yes!! Seriously. I love this video, found it in my recommended watch. I'll never forget my first gaming system, 1992 and my dad finally broke down and got me the "lazy boy toy" I wanted so badly. I'll always remember my grandpa, a WWII veteran and retired engineer, picking up the duck hunt gun and blasting them birds to pieces, saying he still got it. Playstation totally made it cool. What a decent observation. For me it was Golden Eye 007 and the first GTA. My dad would hear us playing games and having SO much fun with other kids and seemed to change his mind when he remembered back what his pack of friends would do for fun back in the 70's. "Remember when kids would play outside?" ummm my dad remembered. They did some F'd up shit running around their neighboorhood with no parents around watching after them.

I'm a 27 year old male, and video games and cartoons are my primary hobbies. I'm planning to stick to them until the day I die or the end of time, whichever comes first.

Ive been gaming since the dawn of time and i aint gonna quit till im an old man and my reflexes and hands fail me:)

Adults should game i mean they have video games just for adults.

Good video. 32 yrs old here and know exactly what you mean. I am a high school health and P.E teacher and I have played students in Madden in particular and fighting games and just annihilate them. lol. I also still play NES games, travel for Madden tournaments and am now getting into speedrunning. In my line of work (teaching and personal training) no one really games at all and they always find it weird that I do. I could careless. I am more active than 99% of people I know. The stereo types of gamers being out of shape, anti social weirdos is just that.... a stereo type. Again, great video. I just subscribed.

My parents have my little sister watching TV for 8+ hours on weekends, but *GOD FORBID* She sits down and plays Bioshock for a few hours.

I am 16 years old, and I recently bought a Wii U. It was so frustrating to me, how many people thought I was a nerd or somebody with no life, just because I like to play happy games for all ages. Sure, I've played plenty of Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto, but ultimately Nintendo makes the games that give me the most enjoyment. These days, I'm frightened to even tell other people that I own a Wii U, because they'll say I'm not mature enough. Rich, I would like to thank you for making me realise that people who feel the need to be 'mature' just for maturity's sake, are just insecure little man-children. Thankfully, I have a best friend and a teacher (yes he's an adult who loves Nintendo, big SHOCK!) who enjoy the same games that I do. I hope this stupid stigma ends, because the idea that gaming is for children does not only lie on gaming as a whole. All these 'bro-gamers', are saying that only their games are mature and ruining the fun for me. Sorry for long post, just wondering if some people felt the same way.

never gonna stop....NEVER!

Nothing can stop me from doing what I love. I love gaming. I’m 23 and don’t ever see me stop playing games

A hobby is something to pass your time and clean up your mind at tough times or after long days so yeah... its not really wasting time. Playing a story driven game is like watching a film or series but you control the way things are done. Sure, there is a story that you follow but the battles and the way you get to places is your way. A hobby is not a waste of time because you do it for relaxing, cleaning up your mind and just having fun after a long or frustrating day

I will never give up video games, just like how I will never give up animu and mango. #gamersnevergetold