# Will you be gaming in 20 years?



## Crothian (Jan 25, 2003)

Kaiyosama asked me this question and I thought it was good enough to poll the community


----------



## BigFreekinGoblinoid (Jan 25, 2003)

I'm looking forward to teachimg my (future) children to play. What a blast that will be.


----------



## HellHound (Jan 25, 2003)

I've been gaming now for over 20 years, and will be for another 20 at least.

I've already taught my kids to game, and they ALSO write gaming books now, which is awesome!

Hopefully I will be teachng my GRANDCHILDREN to game, and maybe one day produce a book written by three generations of gamers in the same family.


----------



## Kaiyosama (Jan 25, 2003)

I will be, and hope to write some rulebooks or work a game store.  and if i have children, they will be too (i hope).  not so radical for me, as i'm only 17.


----------



## Kaiyosama (Jan 25, 2003)

HellHound said:
			
		

> *
> Hopefully I will be teachng my GRANDCHILDREN to game, and maybe one day produce a book written by three generations of gamers in the same family. *




three generations of writers... that would be interesting...


----------



## NiTessine (Jan 25, 2003)

Well... They read me Lord of the Rings as a bedtime story when I was a toddler. I played the Lord of the Rings RPG first time when I was... Nine, I think. I got my first of RPG rulebook when I was ten. Started playing Warhammer when I was eleven.

I don't think there's even such an option for me as 'not gaming for the rest of my natural life'.


----------



## EricNoah (Jan 25, 2003)

I wish there were an I don't know option, because that's what I'd select.  There are many things unforseen that could change the way I choose to spend my spare time.


----------



## Mark (Jan 25, 2003)

EricNoah said:
			
		

> *I wish there were an I don't know option, because that's what I'd select.  There are many things unforseen that could change the way I choose to spend my spare time. *




You seem to have been sad lately, EN.  I hope that all is well.


----------



## Psychotic Dreamer (Jan 25, 2003)

I have to agree with Eric on this one.  While I voted for the second Yes option, I more likely would have choosen, I do not know.  Life has away of making radical changes that one can not expect.


----------



## Crothian (Jan 25, 2003)

EricNoah said:
			
		

> *I wish there were an I don't know option, because that's what I'd select.  There are many things unforseen that could change the way I choose to spend my spare time. *




I think that a "do not know" option might be a little to populiar as who can really say what they are doing in 20 years?  So, I left it off hoping that people would back the tough choice.


----------



## EricNoah (Jan 25, 2003)

Mark said:
			
		

> *
> 
> You seem to have been sad lately, EN.  I hope that all is well. *




Would a sad guy be whipping up a new character for City of the Spider Queen??  Yeah baby!

http://webpages.charter.net/ericnoah/noahrpg/etchars/Tace.html


----------



## hammymchamham (Jan 25, 2003)

I have been playing for 2 years, I hope to be able to in 20. My father had his poker nights, so I hope to be able to have DnD nights. That is, if I where to get married, but until then I'll be single and play some DnD


----------



## Bendris Noulg (Jan 25, 2003)

My answer now is the same as it was 20 years ago: Hell [Expletive] yes!!!


----------



## Kilmore (Jan 25, 2003)

I voted for the first choice, if I live that long.  I'm fat but healthy.


----------



## Paradoxish (Jan 25, 2003)

> No. I imagine by then family/work/etc will keep me too busy.




What's the point of working or having a family if it takes away all of your favorite stuff to do?


----------



## Ranes (Jan 25, 2003)

Given suitable advances in medical science, I hope to be DMing for the rest of my days. This year is my 25th DMing anniversay. Who knows; if I make it another twenty years I might even get to play!


----------



## shilsen (Jan 25, 2003)

Definitely. The day my brain's old enough that I can't create characters in my head is the day I shoot myself. And then there'll be a new game in Hell


----------



## Sanackranib (Jan 25, 2003)

*20 years gone*

If you had asked me that 20 years ago I would have thought no, yet I'm still here. given that fact I will likely still be playing in another 20


----------



## WayneLigon (Jan 25, 2003)

Been playing for just about 25 years, now. No reason to stop


----------



## Celtavian (Jan 25, 2003)

*Re*

As long as I can find a decent gaming group I will continue to play. I know for sure that I will always write stories and enjoy fantasy.


----------



## Garmorn (Jan 25, 2003)

HellHound said:
			
		

> *I've been gaming now for over 20 years, and will be for another 20 at least.
> 
> I've already taught my kids to game, and they ALSO write gaming books now, which is awesome!
> 
> Hopefully I will be teachng my GRANDCHILDREN to game, and maybe one day produce a book written by three generations of gamers in the same family. *




While I don't write my daughter might once she is finished with collage.  I to am looking forward to a three generational game.

Garmorn.


----------



## Zarthon (Jan 25, 2003)

EricNoah said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Would a sad guy be whipping up a new character for City of the Spider Queen??  Yeah baby!
> 
> http://webpages.charter.net/ericnoah/noahrpg/etchars/Tace.html *




Cool character EN, which program does that character sheet come from?

I vote for role-playing forever, I have often joked with my gaming friends that one day when we are perhaps sitting in an old age home somewhere that we will be sitting around a table rp'ing.


----------



## tleilaxu (Jan 25, 2003)

this poll needs more options 

where is

"No, I'll be dead"
"Maybe"
"No, because 5th edition won't be availible for tabletop. But I -will- strap on my latex virtual reality suit to play in the online 3d environment."


----------



## Gnarlo (Jan 25, 2003)

On my birthday this March I will celebrate playing for 23 years, ever since my mom looked all over town for that weird hobby store with the game I read about in the local hippie newspaper (where you explored dungeons and killed monsters "on a board you made out of graph paper") and got it for me for my 15th birthday. The other day she was visiting my house and flipped through one of the game books lying around, and asked me whether I'd like something special gaming-wise in a couple of years when I celebrated my 25th anniversary   My wife just rolled her eyes 

Yeah, I think I'll be gaming 20 years from now.


----------



## John Crichton (Jan 25, 2003)

I don't see why not.  I can see taking some breaks in there, but yeah.


----------



## s/LaSH (Jan 25, 2003)

If I'm not gaming, I'll still be creating worlds and characters in my head and figuring out how they interact, which is like gaming only with no friends. Honestly, I don't think my brain would be functioning if I weren't. I simply cannot imagine a life that doesn't involve gaming or game-related creativity in one form or another.

So yeah. Double my age (almost), triple my gaming experience. It's a sure bet.


----------



## Teflon Billy (Jan 25, 2003)

Well, I've already passed the 20 year mark. Barring any huge personality changes, I think I'd say yes.


----------



## ForceUser (Jan 25, 2003)

Yeah, barring any huge changes, I'd expect to be gaming in 20 years. But you never know.


----------



## Trevalon Moonleirion (Jan 25, 2003)

I sure as hell hope that I'll be gaming to my heart's content in 20 years!  Maybe I could be the sponsor of a D&D club at the high school I end up teaching at.... or maybe.. just maybe....

Mild-mannered history teacher by day, FIENDISH GAME STORE OWNER BY NIGHT!

LOL


----------



## GnomeWorks (Jan 25, 2003)

I won't stop gaming until someone pries my dice from my cold, dead fingers... and then I'll come back as an undead and take them back!


----------



## Olgar Shiverstone (Jan 25, 2003)

Been gaming (off & on) for over 20 years now.  I don't expect that'll change much in the next 20.


----------



## Silver Moon (Jan 25, 2003)

Hell Yes!   Our group is now on its 21st continuous year, with four founding players and two who have been around for almost that long.    We have a running joke about how we will all wind up in the same nursing home, and have the nurse's aids bring us down to the lounge each night to game.  

Seriously though, I figure in another decade our next generation will be at the table as well, since one player has started a group for his 13-year-old, and my 9-year-old has been having a blast helping me create NPC's and stories for my current module.


----------



## Elf Witch (Jan 25, 2003)

I am a late bloomer. I did not start gaming until six years ago when I was 39. It has become such an important part of my life so I have to say yes I will still be gaming twenty years from now.


----------



## Sam (Jan 25, 2003)

As someone who took a near 20 year break (took finding the gold box 3E adventure game in the WotC store at the mall to get me back into gaming), I don't see myself stopping.  I regret all the years that have passed that I could have been gaming.  

I've gotten my kids into the hobby.  They like playing D&D.  My son loves CCG's.  I just started getting into Warhammer and hope to get him involved as well. 

So, I'm definitely going to be playing in 20 years.

--Sam


----------



## ced1106 (Jan 25, 2003)

I think I'll have more time to game in 20 years than I do now... :/


Cedric.
aka. Washu! ^O^


----------



## seasong (Jan 25, 2003)

Roleplaying is my primary passion, my creative outlet, the oral tradition by which I intend to pass stories on to my descendants. Something could change that, but it would have to be something that I can't even imagine now.


----------



## Buttercup (Jan 26, 2003)

Like Elf Witch, I came to the hobby late.  But I was born to game.  I can't imagine not doing it.  If I can't find players in the real world, then I'll DM and play online.  Unless my mind goes, I will continue to game.


----------



## Olive (Jan 26, 2003)

i said yes, but i don't really know. but i've been gaming longer than pretty much anything else in my life, so i imagine its a yes.


----------



## the Jester (Jan 26, 2003)

Yep. 

I started in '80 and haven't stopped for more than three months the whole time since.


----------



## Corinth (Jan 26, 2003)

If I live another 20 years, then I'll be gaming another 20 years.


----------



## Lizard (Jan 26, 2003)

I was gaming almost twenty five years AGO, so I see no reason why I wouldn't be gaming in the future. My wife and I plan to spend our golden years driving the staff at the nursing home crazy. "Nurse! The die rolled on the floor! Tell me if it's a 20 or not, I'm trying to kill this damn dragon!"

Think about it:RPGs are perfect for seniors. They require little physical exertion, they can be played sitting down for long periods, they keep the mind active, and provide an 'escape' from a life of lukewarm oatmeal and trying to remember which pill to take.


----------



## Knightfall (Jan 26, 2003)

I pity the person who comes to my home to try and force me to give up my roleplaying.


----------



## caudor (Jan 26, 2003)

Buttercup said:
			
		

> *Like Elf Witch, I came to the hobby late.  But I was born to game.  I can't imagine not doing it.  If I can't find players in the real world, then I'll DM and play online.  Unless my mind goes, I will continue to game. *




Buttercup, don't forget if we'll have plenty of time to play in the old folks home as well.  Sure will be beat playing checkers.  I'll be looking for ya.


----------



## Henry (Jan 26, 2003)

Eric's not sad; Eric's a realist. 

Truth is, (not to be a total downer, but) no one can say what they'll be doing in 20 years, or if we will even stil be on this earth; ask our formerly beloved and dear departed "Chairman Kaga" this question, and he probably would have said the same thing many here are - "teach my children, grandchildren," etc.

But Lord willing and fate withstanding, I'll be gaming until the _*nursing home attendant pries the twenty-sider from my cold, stiff fingers.*_ 

It's my hobby and my passion for 20+ years now. I may migrate to and fro, but I will never give it up totally.


----------



## Shadoe's Lady (Jan 26, 2003)

See, the thing we need to do here is start pooling resources to invest into retirement homes geared towards gamers.  No shuffleboard for us...we'll have the nice tables to roll dice on, an extensive gaming library, volunteers would come play or DM (we'd never be short on volunteers), all night gaming sessions (heck, all week), computers in every room (with DSL-or whatever they get up to by then).  Ooh, and wait till you see the murals (no icky pastel walls for us).  Who's with me?


----------



## Mr Fidgit (Jan 26, 2003)

Buttercup said:
			
		

> *Unless my mind goes, I will continue to game. *



i was thinking, "_When_ my mind goes, i'll be _living_ the game!"


----------



## Lizard (Jan 26, 2003)

Shadoe's Lady said:
			
		

> *See, the thing we need to do here is start pooling resources to invest into retirement homes geared towards gamers.  No shuffleboard for us...we'll have the nice tables to roll dice on, an extensive gaming library, volunteers would come play or DM (we'd never be short on volunteers), all night gaming sessions (heck, all week), computers in every room (with DSL-or whatever they get up to by then).  Ooh, and wait till you see the murals (no icky pastel walls for us).  Who's with me? *




Not so silly as you might think. The curve of the population is towards increasing age. There's a lot of old-people-to-be out there, and some of the work being done with nerve regeneration implies we'll have sharp minds even as our bodies start to require more attention. 'Themed' rest home (gamers, sports fans, cat people, etc) may be a big thing.


----------



## Shadoe's Lady (Jan 26, 2003)

Lizard said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Not so silly as you might think. The curve of the population is towards increasing age. There's a lot of old-people-to-be out there, and some of the work being done with nerve regeneration implies we'll have sharp minds even as our bodies start to require more attention. 'Themed' rest home (gamers, sports fans, cat people, etc) may be a big thing. *




Exactly-we need to get in on the ground floor.


----------



## Daiymo (Jan 26, 2003)

Yes vote here too. And I think those of us who came of age in the 80's will probably be playing in our twilight years. Like many have already said, its a pastime that requires little physical exertion, is social, and uses the imagination. I mean I can't imagine playing video games when I'm 65(barring any big leaps in gaming technology), as much as that pains me to think about.


----------



## WattsHumphrey (Jan 26, 2003)

I don't know.  I'd like to think so, but after college I may move across the country (or wherever jobs beckon) and I may not be able to continue playing.


----------



## megamania (Jan 26, 2003)

ah yup!  play forever...be buried with me books....ah yup!

seriously,  family and friends coming and going alters how much I play and the depth of play but the game remains.  Soon my kids will be big enough that I may even run games for them and their friends.


----------



## thalmin (Jan 26, 2003)

Yes, if I can find anyone who will play with such an old fossil!


----------



## Mark (Jan 26, 2003)

thalmin said:
			
		

> *Yes, if I can find anyone who will play with such an old fossil!  *




LOL  I have a feeling that you and I will be scrounging up players together.


----------



## thalmin (Jan 26, 2003)

I guess we can always look forward to Chicago Game Day #64.


----------



## DungeonKeeperUK (Jan 26, 2003)

Been gaming for ::cough cough:: 33 years...
Got a few things published and more to come...
Teaching my child, her brothers and a friends children to play..

So think I'm stuck within D&D now, in the best possible way...


----------



## Lizard (Jan 26, 2003)

DungeonKeeperUK said:
			
		

> *Been gaming for ::cough cough:: 33 years...
> Got a few things published and more to come...
> Teaching my child, her brothers and a friends children to play..
> 
> ...




I'm assuming you're including non-RPGs in that, since D&D hasn't had its 30th anniversary yet. (Close...)


----------



## DungeonKeeperUK (Jan 26, 2003)

Lizard said:
			
		

> *
> 
> I'm assuming you're including non-RPGs in that, since D&D hasn't had its 30th anniversary yet. (Close...) *




oops... I really should get more sleep.. I am 33, that should have been 23 years gaming... though with some of my groups I'm sure thave added years onto it in a metaphysical sense...


----------



## Quickbeam (Jan 26, 2003)

You betcha!!

If I'm lucky, perhaps I'll find a way to get one of my small side adventures published too!  And my oldest boy is just now reaching an age where his intellect is catching up with his curiousity about gaming.  So there's little doubt in my mind that I'll be playing and teaching RPGs to my family as well .


----------



## Buttercup (Jan 26, 2003)

caudor said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Buttercup, don't forget if we'll have plenty of time to play in the old folks home as well.  Sure will be beat playing checkers.  I'll be looking for ya. *




Yeah, baby!  We can take turns DMing.  And hey, maybe by that time there will be a 'retirement community' for aged gamers!


----------



## Hand of Evil (Jan 26, 2003)

Well, I have been doing it for over 20 years now and I hope I am still doing it for another 20 but I do think I will have given it up by then or be dead.  

Over 40
Over weight
Short (5' 4")
Stress
Male

Mmmmmmmm, odds not looking good.


----------



## RangerWickett (Jan 26, 2003)

What's scary is when I think of whether I'll be playing Magic in 20 years.  I've been playing for 8 already, sold all my cards once, and I still have thousands of cards.  The thought of a collectible card game going on for 20 years is almost nauseating.


----------



## Zappo (Jan 26, 2003)

I'll be dead before quitting gaming. If there's an afterlife, make that _long_ before.


----------



## Garmorn (Jan 26, 2003)

My wife reminded me, in twenty years we will be retired (her for the second time) and almost in our seventies.  So if any one finds, starts a nice nursing home for gamers lets us know.  Being able to game more the twice a week would be great.


----------



## chillrb (Jan 26, 2003)

Could you imagine that? I can see the schedule right now.

Mon: 6ed AD&D Really Forgotten Realms campaign 5-8pm
Tue: Discussion of Dragon Magazine issue #2455
Wed: Minitures for Seniors

Where can I sign up?!  

Now to answer the question. I've been rpging almost 23 years now and couldn't imagine ever quitting.


----------



## blackshirt5 (Jan 26, 2003)

F'heck yeah, I'll still be gaming!! And writing my own stuff, even if it doesn't get published, for me, that's not what this hobby is all about, it's about fun with my gaming buddies, and destroying people in the tradition of Black Mage(and I don't think that in 20 years, my fondness for the Artifact "Spellbook of the Lejendary Black Mage" will have cooled off either).


----------



## Silver Moon (Jan 26, 2003)

Silver Moon said:
			
		

> *I figure in another decade our next generation will be at the table as well...*




It looks like I have early confirmation on the statement I made before, and that my gaming group will be in good hands with the next generation. 

My 4th grade daughter is doing a book report for her class.  She picked the Legend of King Arthur for her book, and instead of just writing a report she has decided to act it out for her class using miniatures.   She spent the last hour choosing appropriate plastic figures for each of the main characters.   She also seems to have developed my warped sense of humor, as for King Arthur she decided to use Arthur from the PBS children's cartoon, which she then covered in tin foil as armor.


----------



## Creamsteak (Jan 27, 2003)

GnomeWorks said:
			
		

> *I won't stop gaming until someone pries my dice from my cold, dead fingers... and then I'll come back as an undead and take them back!  *




Yep, same here. And once I get myself off the ground (FFT D20 and such) it'll finally be time to start writing material of my own. That'll be fun, afterall I'll be the same guy who designs software for what I write... at least, in my dreams.








			
				Lizard said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Not so silly as you might think. The curve of the population is towards increasing age. There's a lot of old-people-to-be out there, and some of the work being done with nerve regeneration implies we'll have sharp minds even as our bodies start to require more attention. 'Themed' rest home (gamers, sports fans, cat people, etc) may be a big thing. *



Great idea... but a sports themed retirement home doesn't sound that wise... er... oww...


----------



## mr.brown (Jan 27, 2003)

no. i think im the first to say that. i love gaming but would like to stay out of the life style because i find it is unhealthy to base ones life around a fantasy world. but im speaking from my experience with gamers for abut the past 4 years and i have found that most of the older gamers are fat unhappy and live for one thing(the oppertunity to game more). im not trying to insult you folks though if you love it enough to spend your life on it well more power to you.


----------



## TeflonBilly (Jan 27, 2003)

I have to say that i hope that i will be playing D&D in the future. and i really hope that one day i have kids that i can teach the game to. Every one talking about their kids reminds me of my very first experience playing D&D. my mom brought the AD&D board game sometime when i was in the third grade. we started to role up and my brother roled 3 or 4 stas under 5. and so he started crying. it is probably on of my fondest D&D moments ever. i hope in 20 years that i have a good group hopefully my brothers who i still play with when they are home from college, an maybe come kids to teach as well


----------



## Templetroll (Jan 27, 2003)

I met my wife at a game of D&D, our daughter has gamed with us since she was 10 (she's 13 now) and in 20 years it is possible there will be grandchildren to be gaming with in some fashion.  I know I plan on reading them The Hobbit as a bedtime story, just like I did with my daughter.

Roleplaying doesn't get stale if you bring fresh eyes with their own imagination to spark yours.  I know my daughter has shown me that it is not a bad idea to choose "Run away!" as the first option when suddenly faced with some horrid unknown thingie.


----------



## Templetroll (Jan 27, 2003)

mr.brown said:
			
		

> *no. i think im the first to say that. i love gaming but would like to stay out of the life style because i find it is unhealthy to base ones life around a fantasy world. but im speaking from my experience with gamers for abut the past 4 years and i have found that most of the older gamers are fat unhappy and live for one thing(the oppertunity to game more). im not trying to insult you folks though if you love it enough to spend your life on it well more power to you. *




It's not insulting so much as dismaying that you took the question to mean "I'll make gaming the main focus of my life".  I didn't get that idea from it at all.

Even during the most intense gaming period, when I had more free time and money, I didn't limit myself only to gaming.  My social circle was mostly, but not exclusively, gamers.  We found that doing things like movies, Christmas shopping, visiting nearby tourist attractions with our friends was more enjoyable than doing it without them.

In future, I expect this to continue.  Having kids alters the amount of time that can be spent on gaming and brings along lots of other activities for an involved parent to participate in with their child.  Gaming happens to be a cool way to spend time with your family, to be surprised and delighted by them.

I've found that the TV is much more like to interfere with a relationship since it requires more concentration from you.  People who base their lives around a TV schedule are also likely to be fat and unhappy, from what I've seen. 

 Anything in excess is bad for you, although excessive exercise isn't likely to make you fat.   Those people you refer to are making a decision to limit themselves, which is unfortunate.


----------



## zero skill LPB (Jan 27, 2003)

*Dude! Save your teeth!*

I can't *wait* to be a gamin' oldie!

Just think of all the money we'll save using our rotted out teeth instead of WotC minis! YES!

It's a fine thing, by crackey.


----------



## Lela (Jan 27, 2003)

I hope you people don't really expect me to find any other way to relax.

I've tried.  It doesn't work.

Oh, and I love it.


----------



## Ranger REG (Jan 27, 2003)

Will I continue my RPG hobby 20 years from now? I honestly do not know. I'm already thirtysomething. The only way I can continue my hobby past the fiftysomething/midlife crisis phase is to be professionally or actively involved in the RPG community: write articles that will be published in well-known gaming magazines, become a gaming event organizer, operate a local gaming society club, or run a small FLGS.


----------



## Zander (Jan 27, 2003)

Hand of Evil said:
			
		

> *
> Over 40
> Over weight
> Short (5' 4")
> ...




Ceteris paribus short people live longer. Your other characteristics are risk factors though.

With regards to whether I'll be gaming in 20 years, the answer is 'yes' barring death, disease or injury that prevents me. I've been gaming for 20 years. When I started, I was sure I would still be gaming 20 years on - and I am. People don't normally change their personality much during adulthood. I liked it when I started, I like it now and I'll like it when I'm old and grey (if I ever am). 

Some posters have suggested that they'd like to be playing when they're in retirement homes. Gaming does have some risks for the elderly, however. The shock of your character dying might actually kill you.


----------



## Shadoe's Lady (Jan 27, 2003)

Zander said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Ceteris paribus short people live longer. Your other characteristics are risk factors though.
> 
> *




MMMM...ceteris paribus-my favorite economics phrase!


----------



## arwink (Jan 27, 2003)

Probably.  I've clocked up twenty years since my first game.

Do I want to be gaming in twenty years?  I've tried giving up gaming a couple of times, but something keeps luring me back again and again.  I'd want to be gaming less in twenty years, that's for sure


----------

