Does age matter?

[Altalazar]

When I was a teenager, I gamed with people in their 20s and 30s. I was by far the youngest.

In college, I gamed with people my own age.

After college, I gamed with people both my own age and now much younger (back to college age).

I haven't seen it as an issue, except perhaps when I was 14 or 15 gaming with adults - but they seemed to accept me ok. My problem then was I couldn't stay out that late, more due to a lack of being able to drive than the time. My dad just didn't want to have to drive past anything later than 10 or so, if I recall correctly. If I had some way to get home, I probably could have stayed out a few hours later. (It was always a Friday or Saturday night).

I don't think it should matter. I think other group dynamics matter more - though I suppose it is easier to find a group you feel comfortable with and "mesh" with when they are within your own age, due to generational/cultural commonalities. But that is just a generalization - individuals will vary.

 

[Desdichado]

I tend to not be as cosmopolitan as some, I guess. I get along best with folks that have more in common with me, and for the most part, that means people who are roughly the same age as me, and in the same "life development" phase. While not a strict rule per se (I do have friends the same age as my parents, and friends that are just out of their teens as well) it's certainly a strong trend.

 

[diaglo]

If he's 20, what he does really isn't her business. Unless he's developmentally disabled, of course.

She sounds like a busybody to me.

my mother still worries about me. and i'm close to your age Buttercup.

and i haven't lived at home for many years. and i'm marrried.

and...

i will always be her son. age doesn't change that.

 

[BSF]

Does age matter?

I'm 33 and have been running games for ~23 years. (Not that I did a good job with the early ones, but I was the only reading the rules.) Right now I play in one game where I am the youngest player. The next eldest player is 4 years older than I am, the next 7 years older, then 10-11 years older.

I also run a game where I am the second oldest. The youngest player is 16, then we have a 17 year old, a couple of 18's, then we move up into the 20's, then the 30's (my wife), then finally the 40's.

Does age matter to be able to game? Heck no. I have played in games where I was youngest, oldest, middle of the road, etc. If everyone can get along and operate at a comfortable level of maturity, it's good.

However, when dealing with people that are legally considered children, you really should make sure that their parents understand what is going on and are comfortable with it. Think about it from their perspective. You are playing with their kids, but you might be their age. Out of context, that might look really weird. Give them context so they understand the game and feel comfortable with you around.

 

[Buttercup]

my mother still worries about me. and i'm close to your age Buttercup.

and i haven't lived at home for many years. and i'm marrried.

and...

i will always be her son. age doesn't change that.

Worrying about is one thing. Wanting to meet and approve of the people her adult son is spending his free time with seems intrusive to me. Maybe a bit creepy too.

I guess I'm really lucky to have a mother in law who doesn't do this to my husband.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

Next time invite the mother to play. Maybe she'll be cool afterward. Glad it worked out for everyone. Hope your player and his dad come to terms someday.

 

[Ace]

Oh, I'm tipping onto the other side of the scale now. My players are all younger than I am. As a rule, I won't allow anyone under 21 in my game. By 21, you've got all of the thorny issues out of the way, and are dealing with fully-vested adults. Plus, we drink beer, so I'm not about to cross that line.

This is certainly not meant to castigate the <21 set; I know there are a lot of mature and talented gamers your age. The only exception I would make would be for someone whose parents I'm good friends with, but I'm not quite that old yet.

We set the age at 18 since no one drinks at games. We prefer 21+

Not allowing minors it saves us a lot of trouble with "minors being around adults and not unsupervised" issues . Folks are paranoid these days as you all know

The only exceptuion is occasionally we have allowed minors (as young as 10) in our games at the FLGS-- If they want to learn we will teach them. Its our give back
Also afaik we also allow minors in our card games (l5r mostly)
The only caveat is they must have the parents permission and the store staff has to be present

Minors in the company of a parent or guardian are allowed at any games though we haven't had any in a long time

 

[WanderingMonster]

I guess I prefer to be around people my own age-ish. If I had a cutoff, it'd be 21, just because we always have a bottle or two of wine going around. I'd rather not deal with the underage drinker thing. As for older-than-me gamers? I don't think It'd be a problem.

BTW, I consider my regular game a totally different issue from a game I might run specifically for my kids and their friends (when they ask me too).

 

[Arthur Tealeaf]

Doesn't matter!

Half of one my groups (including me) is 16-18, and the other half is around 30 (including my brother, which is why it's like this), and it works out great.

 

[Tormenet]

Age does not matter to me. I believe that playing with people of all ages can introduce some interesting things at the table.

Personal stability, however, does matter. I'm 34 with two daughters under five. I recruit my player's using the internet. I'm as cautious as I can be about who gets invited into my home.

Once I had a guy about half my age who seemed alright and I wanted to let him in. Then I got his PC background. I heard Jason/Freddy Kruger music while reading it. He got fired.

Tormenet