40 year old man wants to join my game

[Nyaricus]

So, despite the completely ripped off title (see: 14 year old girl wants to join my game) I'm completely serious. A 40 year old man wants to join my game.

This isn't the first time this has happened, either. I have an add on D&D Meetups, and while I'm not explicit about the ages of my group I'm trying to form, it's quite evident we're all a younger crowd of folks (for the record, I'm 19 and the other confirmed players are 16, 17 and 20) from references to university and high school.

What makes me kinda go "wtf?" though is that this guy seems to be completely comfortable gaming with a group of strangers much younger then he, and I just can't get into his mindset. In any case, I won't be accepting him into the group (I met him at a Timmy Ho's in real life, and he's frankly more than a bit of a weirdo) but can anyone explain why I keep getting hits from mid 30 to 40 year old guys looking for game? Are people really that desperate?

,
--N

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It's a shame you can't bookmark this thread until you're 40.

I suspect, if you could see most of the people on ENWorld, you'd realize that you're already dealing with lots of guys his age, although hopefully not quite so weird.

 

[Lanefan]

So, despite the completely ripped off title (see: 14 year old girl wants to join my game) I'm completely serious. A 40 year old man wants to join my game.

This isn't the first time this has happened, either. I have an add on D&D Meetups, and while I'm not explicit about the ages of my group I'm trying to form, it's quite evident we're all a younger crowd of folks (for the record, I'm 19 and the other confirmed players are 16, 17 and 20) from references to university and high school.

What makes me kinda go "wtf?" though is that this guy seems to be completely comfortable gaming with a group of strangers much younger then he, and I just can't get into his mindset. In any case, I won't be accepting him into the group (I met him at a Timmy Ho's in real life, and he's frankly more than a bit of a weirdo) but can anyone explain why I keep getting hits from mid 30 to 40 year old guys looking for game? Are people really that desperate?

::shrug:: If you're advertising for players and haven't put any age restrictions on what you'll accept, then you can't really complain when a wide range of ages answers said ads. That said, wierdo is wierdo regardless of age and it's perfectly fair to reject him on those grounds alone.

With the caveat that we all know each other outside the game at least to some extent, our current crew range in age from 10 to 47...the '10' is the daughter of the '47'; the grow-your-own-players strategy works yet again! The next oldest is about 25...still a pretty broad range.

I will, however, have to remember not to answer your ads should I ever be in a position to do so, as I'm 46....

Lanefan

 

[JustKim]

can anyone explain why I keep getting hits from mid 30 to 40 year old guys looking for game? Are people really that desperate?

It's because other people are not as offended by the age difference as you are. Once you leave university, you will find that the real world is full of people of all different ages, and you will be working and making friends with people who're 5 or 10 or 20 years your senior. Eventually you will get older and the opposite will be true.

If you say he's a weirdo, though, I will take your word for it.

 

[Darklone]

When I was ca 25, I started with another buddy in a group of 35-40 year olds. Now ten years later, they are still playing and I meet them now and then (I still play with other players from that group).

I know many players who started this game at your age... when the game was pretty new. Some of them are still playing.

 

[The_Gunslinger658]

Hi-

I'm old as dirt but my players are young evil punks.


Scott

 

[shouit]

When I was 16, the DM was 45 or so. The other players were around 20-24, I was the youngest. It was an interesting experienced, taught me well how to deal with people.

I also think the median age of gamers has increased, since many of us started in the 80's and now are in our 30's. So, I think you will continue to get hits of older people, unless you state otherwise in your add.

A suggestion is to go down to your local game store this weekend, since it is Worldwide Game Day, there is bound to be people a little younger looking for groups then.

 

[Quartz]

Aging fart checking in. You'd be surprised at how many of us there are out there.

And how willing we are to lend a hand to you young'uns.

 

[Wraith Form]

I was offended--and fairly ticked--at the snide, arrogant tone of this post.

You're pointing a finger, accusing 30 and 40 year olds of being immature (or 'desperate') about wanting to game...yet you're being intolerant of age.

Now that's immature.

Needless to say, the rules of the boards prohibit me from using several of the explatives I'm mentally hoisting your way.

 

[Glyfair]

You're pointing a finger, accusing 30 and 40 year olds of being immature (or 'desperate') about wanting to game...yet you're being intolerant of age.

I don't get that at all from his post. He is pretty clear when he says "What makes me kinda go "wtf?" though is that this guy seems to be completely comfortable gaming with a group of strangers much younger then he, and I just can't get into his mindset."

He clearly feels that it's weird to game with those outside your age group. Now, I don't get that, but it's not "you should stop gaming when you get older" mindset.

Since a year or two after I started playing I often played with those outside my age group. A friend of mine has gotten all three of his kids to game and we have gamed together occasionally. Given that he is older than me (by about 5 years I'd guess) and his kids much younger (about 15 years younger), that's a pretty wide spread.

To me being stuck in the mindset of not being willing to expand your group is weird. As long as the player is a reasonable player and meshes well with your group then I say game with them.

In my experience groups of older players have a hard time staying together. As you get older more and more things get in the way, especially if you have kids. When one person has these issues it can be handled, when everyone has them at different times, it tends to fall apart. I wouldn't be surprised if they are one of the larger groups in the "looking for a game" category (along with the "just starting and interested in finding a group" and the "everyone keeps kicking me out of their group" categories).