As Gamers Age, The Appeal Of Competition Drops The Most

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A recent study seems to suggest that, as we get older, competition is less important than strategy when gaming with other players online. I'm actually the opposite of what this study suggests, I've gotten more competitive as I got older. What about you?

Among the 12 motivations we measure in our model, the interest in Competition changes the most with age. In our framework, Competition is the appeal of competing with other players in duels, matches, or team-vs-team scenarios. The gender difference in Competition is large at first among younger gamers, but then disappears with age. As gamers get older, the appeal of Competition declines, but this happens more rapidly for men than for women. Thus, by the time we’re past 45, the difference between men and women largely disappears.
 
I don't really play online FPSs or MOBAs anymore...Maybe I am getting past that point as well.
 
Ihaveworms said:
I don't really play online FPSs or MOBAs anymore...Maybe I am getting past that point as well.
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I love fps games but usually only when playing with friends. Playing by myself with a bunch of random people really doesn't do much for me. I really love co-op with friends vs AI bots or npcs. I used to really work on my world rank in games, now I just like to have fun and relax after a work day. So yea, guess I'm in the group too :/
 
Darunion said:
I love fps games but usually only when playing with friends. Playing by myself with a bunch of random people really doesn't do much for me. I really love co-op with friends vs AI bots or npcs. I used to really work on my world rank in games, now I just like to have fun and relax after a work day. So yea, guess I'm in the group too :/
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This is pretty much me. It happened so fast too, dont really play FPS alone anymore. The only FPS I play is probably Halo 5 and only when my friends are on. Destiny though I play alone because I liked to loot, but lately I have hit the content wall so I dropped for now.
 
I like a certain level of competition, but not as much as when I was younger. CS used to be the shit, hypercompetitive, but now I need a bit of competition along with other things, like decent graphics (BF4). I play HotS the most now, competitive but not such a crazy curve like I hear of LoL and DoTA.

It's also time; as a teenager, I had all the time in the world to play and be at a certain competitive level. Now, it isn't as much fun when I can't whoop that newb ass. ;)
 
I'll buy this. The appeal of online competition drops, as you age, because typically you don't have the free time to practice, in order to get to the level where you can compete with younger people who play 24/7.

With two young kids my gamming time has drastically dropped to a few hours a week.
 
Steve said:
A recent study seems to suggest that, as we get older, competition is less important than strategy when gaming with other players online. I'm actually the opposite of what this study suggests, I've gotten more competitive as I got older. What about you?

Among the 12 motivations we measure in our model, the interest in Competition changes the most with age. In our framework, Competition is the appeal of competing with other players in duels, matches, or team-vs-team scenarios. The gender difference in Competition is large at first among younger gamers, but then disappears with age. As gamers get older, the appeal of Competition declines, but this happens more rapidly for men than for women. Thus, by the time we’re past 45, the difference between men and women largely disappears.
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I am very competitive at the ripe old age of 56 next month.

In fact, I get that gamer's rage with others and wind up quitting clans because I need to take a rage break for a few weeks in order to regain a more proper composure.

Last week one of my old clans convinced me to rejoin, we were kicking some pubbie's asses and the guys were in TS just bullshitting and it pissed me off cause we were still fighting and couldn't communicate properly. The moment the match was over I dropped tags and was gone without a word to anyone.

So I must be some real exception to this rule. What I think is that some older guys find they are getting too slow, their reactions just aren't up to it and they feel like they are holding back the team so they stop playing those kinds of games. Get them into something strategy related and I bet they are still pretty competitive, there is just less adrenaline involved so they are less likely to rage out.
 
This is spot on. I used to play multiplayer all the time when I was younger. Now I restrict it to playing with friends only or single player or cooperative multiplayer. I've always been really good at the games naturally but with work and home stuff, I don't have the time to dedicate to learning every little inch of every map like I did in the days of Halo 2. And I don't care to deal with the immaturity and getting my ass handed to me by a teabagging 10 year old. - Age 29.
 
I have to agree with the study and the harsh reality, at least for me, is that reaction times slow. It was a painful moment when I realized I just couldn't be a WOW top tier raid tank anymore. I was simply to slow to react.

I think for me that's what shifted me to strategy games more than anything else.
 
i got to the point that i didnt really want to play competitively as i find casual gaming more enjoyable
 
oooor, my idea of an old gamer is different then others. Like a guy that says he doesn't have time cause he has two young kids. You are not an old gamer my friend, my kids are old enough to be having kids, the oldest is 30.

I can't get to the study, but the fact that the chart tops out at 55 is already significant to me. I'm 56 and see no end in sight. I'm still upgrading my system if that's any indication. I have more than enough time and what I have lost in reaction time I have made up for in awareness, and frankly, being Old Mean Evil and Nasty.

But for me, I must say, it's team based competition that keeps me going.
 
Personally, I believe competitive gaming is a blight, it takes away all the fun elements in games by ever seeking perfect balance. This isn't new with age, its something I figured out pretty early on.

Games where fun when they had stupidly silly powers, spells, weapons, jumps, etc, with no regard for balance and full regard for fun factor.
 
Competitive gaming is where the most jerks are so no thanks. I loved coop. In coop no matter how strong you are, no matter how strong the enemy is, its you all against the computer. I love cooperative play games such as phantasy star online.
 
lostinseganet said:
Competitive gaming is where the most jerks are so no thanks. I loved coop. In coop no matter how strong you are, no matter how strong the enemy is, its you all against the computer. I love cooperative play games such as phantasy star online.
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Lol it is the nightclub of gaming.
 
Now overlay that with a chart of what a males average testosterone level is as he ages -- I suspect you will find a near 1:1 correlation, which also has a lot to do with why women are, on average, less competitive to begin with. Basically, hormones control about 2/3 (or more) of our behavioral patterns -- which the primary content of the internet is a very good testament to!
 
Draax said:
I'll buy this. The appeal of online competition drops, as you age, because typically you don't have the free time to practice, in order to get to the level where you can compete with younger people who play 24/7.
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Yup. I'm still extremely competitive, but don't have the time to dedicate to be competitive at online games that I did 10 years ago. It's actually the biggest reason why I don't play competitive online games at all anymore, because I don't want to play if I can't be good at it :p I mainly stick to single player or co-op games now (when I do play).
 
I used to be very competitive in CS when there was less to play for. Nowadays, with the amount of hackers that prowl CSGOs matchmaking system, its pretty much required to get a subscription to ESEA or the likes. However, that comes with its own set of issues. The community is just a bunch of toxic teenagers, and everyone is trying to go 'pro'. I reached a decent level in 2014, but due to tremors in my hand, I couldn't get any better at the game. That's when I decided to just give the game up and go back to mostly playing old RTS games, or playing AOE2 with friends.
 
lcpiper said:
oooor, my idea of an old gamer is different then others. Like a guy that says he doesn't have time cause he has two young kids. You are not an old gamer my friend, my kids are old enough to be having kids, the oldest is 30.

I can't get to the study, but the fact that the chart tops out at 55 is already significant to me. I'm 56 and see no end in sight. I'm still upgrading my system if that's any indication. I have more than enough time and what I have lost in reaction time I have made up for in awareness, and frankly, being Old Mean Evil and Nasty.

But for me, I must say, it's team based competition that keeps me going.
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My father is 70 and still plays computer games. He's scaled it back to only playing RTS and casual games but he plays them more than I do, I think it's all that free time retirees have ;). I don't think there is any reason to stop playing games as you age, hell I may play them more after retirement.
 
Hitting 50, I don't really want to PVP in any game anymore. I like to mess around and play games that are slower. I can't compete against these kid career gamers and deal with the nerd rage. No patience for it anymore.
 
back when quake hit i was 17 massive effect on me and i was competitive and had win/be at the top till i was around 25.

now tho i only make sure at any game my little brother does not beat me, this will remain the case till i die.

as age of gamers, i know some peeps 60-70 still play games with fps being the game of preference. one of whom is a eve nutter. aside from his kitchen and bathroom his house is like a massive lan cafe.
 
I only play multiplayer and I'm 44. Scripted games are dead boring. I'd rather shoot myself in the head.
 
I just hit 40 & probably for the last 10 years I play mostly single player or co-op. My co-op has leveled off as the 3 guys I played with all went from single to married with (multiple) kids. I just had 1 myself a few years ago & he's special needs. Sometimes I play 10 hours a week. Sometimes I don't play for 2 months.

On top of that it seems like all the youngun's pay $60 for the next AAA title play it for 1-6 months & move on to the next one. I pick them up when they are $5 and there is no community left, so better just to play single player.
 
I was never competitive. Even when younger (only mid 20s now though so I'm still young) I didn't have the time to dedicate the hours to become skilled in PvP. So most of it holds no enjoyment for me. Like CoD past level 20 or so I just can't be bothered to play anymore. Team Fortress 2 however I played until Valve made so many changes that the game just didn't feel fun anymore. Hat idling, user creations, crafting. I just want to jump into control point or 2fort and blow people up.

As it is the most multiplayer I do these days is the rare Raid on Destiny, if I'm even playing Destiny.
 
lostinseganet said:
Competitive gaming is where the most jerks are so no thanks. I loved coop. In coop no matter how strong you are, no matter how strong the enemy is, its you all against the computer. I love cooperative play games such as phantasy star online.
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I don't know, I loved L4D and L4D2, coop games, but stopped playing because seemed to me small co-op is just as filled, if not more so, with asperger suffering trolls gaining joy from ruining other people's fun.
 
Probably because we get worse as our reaction times get older and our jobs demand we actually work. In college I would get kicked out of CS servers because I was so good people thought I was hacking. Now, 15 years later, I'd consider myself above average but by no means top 10%.
 
I played a lot of Counter-Strike, TF2, and CoD when I was younger. I think I started losing interest in these kinds of games after turning 26. I'm more interested these days in coop multiplayer like PvE in Destiny or Mass Effect 3. PvP in Destiny bores me to tears. ME3 would probably still be all I would be playing to this day if more people were also still playing it.
 
I started out early with just about any game I could get my hands on like RotT, Wolfenstein, Half Life, Doom, etc through all types of games like the Falcon sims, Warcraft, blah blah blah. Now days though, I much prefer the slower games like Xcom 1/2, Diablo 3, South Park and Battlefield series. I just know that I am slower now and I don't like to make mistakes and piss off team mates.

However, as someone else mentioned, I do have a son. He is 19 years old now and in college. I had him playing since age 2ish, and he is now extremely competitive, like Counter Strike type stuff. We still play just about any new Co-op game that comes out though. I am roughly 45 years old, recently widowed, full time career in satcom so I have lots of time to game...
 
rhouck said:
Yup. I'm still extremely competitive, but don't have the time to dedicate to be competitive at online games that I did 10 years ago. It's actually the biggest reason why I don't play competitive online games at all anymore, because I don't want to play if I can't be good at it :p I mainly stick to single player or co-op games now (when I do play).
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You affirm what I am saying and not the article. It's not that you are not as competitive, it's just that you have other priorities, your responsibilities dominate your life at your age.

I figure if you never completely give it up that you will experience a resurgence of your old gaming self.
 
Quix said:
My father is 70 and still plays computer games. He's scaled it back to only playing RTS and casual games but he plays them more than I do, I think it's all that free time retirees have ;). I don't think there is any reason to stop playing games as you age, hell I may play them more after retirement.
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I'll let you know when I really retire. Right now I am just retired from the Army, not from work. My wife won't let the ox off the yoke yet :eek:
 
[H] likely doesn't have much in the way of DOB data for users (do you?), but I'd be interested in the our average/median age and its trend over time. Perhaps its skewed by forums use, but seems slightly older, say 35 average age?
 
I never was competitive - I played to have fun. I guess I would break their scale. :) Isn't the point in playing is to have fun? I prefer team vs team. A side effect of me playing was pwning people I guess (not bragging). I had even more fun by finding more creative ways to beat someone. It was even better with all the people accusing me of cheating when I wasn't. hahaha. Although when the trash talking comes out, they get the boot. If nobody else was on the server to hear the smack talk, I would ignore it and pummel them until they ragequit. hehe :D
 
ShagnWagn said:
I never was competitive - I played to have fun. I guess I would break their scale. :) Isn't the point in playing is to have fun? I prefer team vs team. A side effect of me playing was pwning people I guess (not bragging). I had even more fun by finding more creative ways to beat someone. It was even better with all the people accusing me of cheating when I wasn't. hahaha. Although when the trash talking comes out, they get the boot. If nobody else was on the server to hear the smack talk, I would ignore it and pummel them until they ragequit. hehe :D
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I will say I do enjoy a good rage moment when I kill a player, that 2-3seconds of audio that you get to hear is rather satisfying especially when it happens a few times in a row then you see "Angrykid left the game" show up after you shot them.
 
TwistedAegis said:
[H] likely doesn't have much in the way of DOB data for users (do you?), but I'd be interested in the our average/median age and its trend over time. Perhaps its skewed by forums use, but seems slightly older, say 35 average age?
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Among active users, it may be closer to 50. Just in discussion with a lot of people here on the forums I get the feeling most are deep into their careers with family. Really, though, you can't really be [H] without the means to support it ;).
 
Kinsaras said:
It's true for me. I'm all about the single player now. And I avoid all MMOs.
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I don't avoid MMOs, but I don't go for the high end of them either and mostly just enjoy the exploration.

Who am I kidding...Married, bunch o' kids, work full time+++, own a house...Who has times for games?
 
Biologically speaking, Testosterone drops with age in both males and females for most of the population as part of the aging process. Testosterone affects a lot of things, but it does have a huge influence on aggression and competition. Combine that with an ever increasing pile of bullshit that adults have to deal with it makes this study and its conclusion glaringly obvious. As with any study, there will be a few outliers.
 
This actually mirrors what studies concerning sports and staying active have suggested as well. What is surprising is that someone thought gaming would somehow differ from sport-based activities.
 
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