Am I too old for Wii U or Nintendo?

I am 29 years of age and rarely play games anymore. I used to play games like 15 hours per week when I was 10 - 24 years old, but then stopped. I played a few games here and there for the past 5 years, but now want to get a next gen console. I had reserved the PS4, but just couldn't find a compelling reason to buy it now, so I returned the reservation. I just couldn't get myself to spend $400 on a system that doesn't really have any must-play games on it now.

However, I am now considering getting a Wii U instead. The price is more friendly, and the game lineup actually seems like it's improving! I would love to play SM3DW, and just love Mario and Zelda in general. Plus, now that I work a full time job and have limited time to play games, Nintendo's games are just much easier and more appealing to pick up and play when you're tired after a long day of work. PlayStation/Xbox games tend to be more time consuming and serious.

So, do you think 29 years old is too old to be playing Nintendo's games? It's funny, because when I was 5 years old, NES was my first exposure to gaming ever. As I got older, I also played PlayStation systems a lot, but now I feel like I'm more interested in Nintendo's games again, because they're like a breath of fresh air and have undeniable fun factor.

It almost seems like Nintendo might appeal to people aged under 13 and over the age of 25. And PS and Xbox attract teenagers and college bros.

Thoughts?

"Too old" to play something is just a matter of how much you care about what others think of you. As a 30-year old who picked up Pokemon again after not touching it for 10 years, I have no regrets, and the 3DS is my most-played system these days. As long as you're not avoiding games on other consoles just because they're not made by Nintendo, then there's nothing strange or odd about preferring Nintendo's games.

Besides, there will always be things on Nintendo's consoles and handhelds that you just won't be able to play anywhere else.

I'd say you're too young for Nintendo games.

I am 22 and I love Nintendo consoles and games.. I hardly get a lot of time to play games and many times I continue games after weeks of inactivity.. in that regard Nintendo games easy to get into in that being not story focused u would not lose continuity unlike some of the story focused games on the other consoles..

I enjoy anything that is fun to play both solo and with a couple of friends over.. And you cant beat the fun factor of Nintendo games

You cant out grow videos games. Play games that put a smile on your face. I'm 23, I play Mario, Pokémon and most Nintendo games. They are the most fun games in industry. Age has nothing to do with gaming except if your to young to play Rated M games lol. People in Japan in their 40's and 50's play games. I'll be 80 and still rocking out Zelda lol.

I'm 26 and I have a Nintendo Wii U, I think it is great fun. I don't have a lot of time to play games either but its always there for when I do have the time.

If your into graphics and shooter games get an xbox one or ps4.

If you want to play Mario / Zelda / Donkey Kong / Kirby / Yoshi / Smash Bros / Mario kart and many more exclusive characters you should get a Wii U.

With the Wii U you can also play Wii games on it with the backwards compatibility it has.

I recommend getting a Wii U

Support the company that started it all for you.

Quit making your age relevant, you are not an old man, you are not even considered middle age. The other day, there was a 40 year old guy who looked close to 50, partying at the bar, harder than most of the younger crowd, guess what, he works also. Just go get what u like, either a PS4 or a WiiU, as long as YOU like the games, age does not matter.

your Never to old to play Nintendo games. Nintendo have botched their advertising campaigns so im not surprised people think its a 'Childs toy' but that is far from the truth.

Assasins creed 4, Call of Duty ghost & Watchdogs will/have been released for Wii U, so the best third party games will be on the console anyway. hope that helps

@blaaksheep:

The best 3rd party is on Wii U? No...not yet. The best 3rd party game we want on Wii U IS DESTINY!!!

@nep321a: Wii U i also plays Wii games so you can pick-up mario galaxy 1 & 2 and zelda twilight princess/ skyward sword if you haven't played them. they are an absolute must for anyone

The notion that Nintendo games are for children is, dare I say, completely wrong.

Nintendo games are incredibly different from most of the titles Sony and MS produce because they are family-friendly. They can be enjoyed by anyone of any age.

Like Pixar movies, you are never too old to sit back and enjoy them.

Yeah I know. Nintendo's games usually trump almost anything else on other consoles. And even though the Wii U is less powerful and lacks more advanced audio/video formats, I'm okay with that. It prevents me from wanting to spend insane amounts of money on super expensive audio/video electronics. And it's nice that Nintendo hardware is more affordable.

But yeah, Nintendo games are more memorable and timeless than most games on other consoles. They have higher replay value, too.

I'm 24, and Nintendo platforms are the only consoles I buy these days. If you like the franchises, get the system. Don't bother yourself with the idea that you might be "too old" for them

Well just know that if you're over the age of 12 and under the age of 50 that Nintendo doesn't care about making their games to suit your needs or marketing them towards you.

They're a company built on children and casuals. That's their bread and butter and they're never going to change that focus.

There's a lot of good games you can play (on the 3DS, the Wii U lineup is awful currently) but you're always going to find a disconnect unless you fit in one of their two demographics.

29 here and I have both a Wii U and a 3DS. I enjoy the games so that's all that matters to me. You should be at an age where none of your friends really care either. Strangely it's mainly kids who say Nintendo is for kids and who avoid the games.

Yeah very true. I don't care what others think of what I do at this age, of course. I stopped caring about that years ago lol. But I feel like if I'm going to date someone and they find out that I enjoy Nintendo games at my age, they may have an unfavorable opinion of me. My parents sometimes still think that video games of any kind are for kids. There is no denying that video games in general are targeted toward a younger consumer base. But the reality is, when you are an adult with a full time job and other responsibilities, there is simply less time and less desire to play games. I used to play games avidly from age 10-24. After that, my interest in gaming dropped like a rock as I became more interested in other things in life. I used to play about 20-25 games per year. Now I only play about 1 game per year. I guess that makes me a casual now?

That makes the WiiU the perfect console for you. It's relatively cheap, and the few games you'll actually have time to play need to REALLY be worth the time. It sounds like Nintendo's games will do that best for you.

I'm 29 as well, but I'm still more of an avid gamer than you are. But even I could get by with just a WiiU. I have a 3DS and PC as well, and there's way too much for me to play.

And about what people think about you for playing Nintendo games.... don't worry about it. If that's the reason for a girl to lose interest in you, then good riddance, right?

I think you're worrying too much, most girls I know just lump video games into one big pile anyway. If they think they're for kids that likely applies to all of them regardless of brand or genre. My mrs doesn't really care for games that much but the games she is usually up for playing always tend to be the Nintendo ones.

Sounds like a Wii U would be perfect for you to be honest. It will get plenty enough top quality games that will keep you more than busy when you fancy a stint but shouldn't cost you an arm and a leg.

Well, actually, I don't have to worry about girls, since I'm gay. But still...there are plenty of other dudes out there who look down upon gaming. They think it's nerdy or kiddy or something. I feel like I have to defend myself if they find out that I play games.

@nep321a: Then it should be even easier! :p

If it's something you like doing, there's no point in hiding it. Especially with Nintendo, it seems that pretty much everyone our age has memories of Nintendo from their childhood. That should be a point of shared experience, not contention, I would think. At least, that's how it's been for me.

Yeah I pretty much agree. Nothing....I repeat, nothing...in the gaming world can match Nintendo's magic.

I think you're too young for Nintendo. You might still be at the period of your life where you care what people think.

It's one thing to not like they're games. It's another to like their games but not play them out of some kind of fear

Well, that's more of a state of mind - which doesn't necessarily have anything to do with age. I'm younger, yet I play games like Kirby's Epic Yarn and give no ****s about what anyone else thinks. No shame here.

I say be your authentic self and enjoy what you like. After all this is your life. Super Mario 3D World should be fabulous.

If you have to ask yourself whether your age should effect whether you play games or not then you should find another hobby. As far as your time goes, if you think you'll be able to set aside enough time to play any games to justify the cost of the initial hardware purchase then why not?

To quote Bob Kelso from Scrubs: Who cares what other people think? Look into your heart, do whatever the hell makes you happy."

I think you should get a PS4!!! I'm so glad I did! You should get a used Nintendo Wii with a Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 and your are going to be very happy too. For some reason, the new Mario doesn't look as good as Super Mario Galaxy.

Saying you're too old for Nintendo games is like saying you're too old for Disney and Pixar. No one is. I'm 32 and still love Nintendo. Something can be aimed at a younger audience and still be enjoyable for an older audience.

Yeah that's the dilemma I'm facing right now. I'm debating between getting either a PS4 or Wii U. I used to have a Wii and have played every Mario and Zelda game made for it. They were excellent games indeed. The only games that interest me on the Wii U would be SM3DW and DKC:TF. If I get PS4, it will be nice to have a full fledged media console and cutting edge game technology. But the games tend to be time consuming and complex. So idk what to do! But PS4 does seem to have a much brighter future and amazing value!

@nep321a: It is a hard decision but I would personally hold off on a PS4 until it gets some more games that you really want that unlock it's potential. Plus early systems have bugs to work out. With the WiiU you know at least 2 games you want to play now (well one was delayed until Feb.). I'd like to say get both and have the best of both worlds but for some, that's not financially feasible.

I do like the argument made in this thread about how Nintendo games are easier to pick up and play which, when you're a working adult, does fit into one's schedule better whereas the others feel more time consuming. Something I never considered but makes a lot of sense.

As long as you know there will be games you will enjoy that would be enough. I am not into Call of Duty, or Halo, or Battlefield like a lot of gamers these days so I like looking for something new. Fun factor is the biggest thing for me not graphics.

@GH05T-666:

Yeah, what he said. And don't forget that part about "and many more exclusive characters."

My current favorite on the Wii U is Pikmin 3. That game has such charm. (I also love games where you get to explore like that).

Yes you are

/thread

PlayStation/Xbox games tend to be more time consuming and serious? Do you not know that some of the more popular games for those consoles are also on the Wii U? Assassins Creed III and IV, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Ghosts, Watch Dogs, Splinter Cell Blacklist, Deus Ex Human Revolution, Ninja Gaiden 3 Razor's Edge(considered the best version) are all on Wii U. Zombie U is an amazingly underrated game that's a very difficult Zombie apocalypse type of game and it's full of plenty of blood and killing. I'm sure I'm missing a few other "hardcore" games as well.

You also can't beat Nintendo when it comes to first party games.

Did you know that the Wii U can also play all old Wii games? Go get the Zelda games for Wii and you'll have plenty of time consuming gameplay. PS4 and Xbox 1 can't play any old games.

The Wii U is the best system out and you'll probably end up loving the new gamepad and all of the features it offers as well. You don't know what you're missing.

BTW, age has nothing to do with gaming.

"Am I too old to have fun?" Ridiculous question, right?

You're too old for nintendo when you die.

No, but I don't think the games on the Wii U are compelling enough to buy a Wii U yet.

I read somewhere that the average age of a gamer is now early 30s. Plus, the people who make the games are in their 40s, 50s, and 60s! It's not really the stigma that it used to be. Gaming has become much more mainstream.

@mrintro: I'd believe it I am 32 and my generation grew up on games. Most people I know game at least a little with sports titles.

Are you too old to have a wii u? Hmm, that depends.... are you too old to have fun? xD