I'm a Grown Woman Who Still Loves Video Games. And?

Apparently, somewhere between paying bills, having a career, and becoming a functioning adult, we're supposed to stop enjoying things. Nobody told me.

I'm a grown-ass woman. I'm approaching 40. I have a full-time job, bills to pay, responsibilities to manage, and a seemingly endless list of things I should probably be doing.

And you know what I still love doing?

Playing video games.

Not occasionally. Not just when I'm feeling nostalgic. Not because I have nothing better to do. I genuinely, enthusiastically, unapologetically love video games, and the older I get, the more ridiculous I find the idea that I should somehow have grown out of them.

Since when did having fun come with an expiration date?

I Grew Up. So Did Video Games.

I belong to a generation that watched video games evolve from pixelated little characters jumping across screens to massive, cinematic worlds filled with incredible storytelling, competitive gameplay, and online communities.

We didn't just play video games. We grew up alongside an entire industry that was growing up, too. Somewhere along the way, gaming became part of who we are.

I've loved everything from the original Nintendo games. Playing Atari Games at Grandma’s house every Sunday. Loving the absolute chaos of Dance Dance Revolution to the competitive intensity of Halo, Apex Legends, and Call of Duty. Throw some Mortal Kombat into the mix, and I'm a happy woman. There's something about getting completely immersed in a game that never gets old.

The satisfaction of finally beating something you've been struggling with. The adrenaline of a close match. The ridiculous conversations with friends when everything goes completely sideways. And let's not forget the absolute disrespect of getting your ass handed to you by someone who has apparently never seen daylight.

Gaming has given me entertainment, challenges, laughter, frustration, friendships, and some genuinely memorable experiences.

Why would I suddenly stop enjoying all of that just because I've had a certain number of birthdays?

Apparently, Adults Are Only Allowed to Have Productive Hobbies.

Here's something I've noticed about adulthood: we're constantly being told to make better use of our time.

Read more books. Exercise more. Learn a new skill. Start a side hustle. Build a business. Improve yourself. Organize your pantry. Develop a five-year plan.

Look… I'm all for personal growth. I'm a multi-passionate person who loves learning, creating, and finding new things to throw myself into, but does every single thing I do need to contribute to my personal development?

Can I not just exist for a few hours?

Can I not sit on my couch, grab a controller, and absolutely demolish some fictional enemies without turning it into a lesson about discipline, problem-solving, or cognitive development?

I know there are studies about the benefits of gaming. That's great! But I don't need scientific evidence to justify doing something I enjoy. Sometimes a hobby can just be a hobby. It doesn't need to make money. I don't need to improve my résumé. It doesn't need to be an aesthetically pleasing activity I can document for social media.

It can just be fun.

Fun is allowed to be the entire point.

The Weird Expectations We Put on Grown Women

I also think there's an interesting double standard when it comes to women who play video games. Gaming has historically been treated as a boys' club, even though women have been playing games for decades, and make up almost 50% of the gaming population.

As a woman who enjoys gaming, you're occasionally met with some pretty strange assumptions: You're either not a real gamer, you're only playing because your boyfriend does, or you're expected to prove your knowledge of an entire franchise before someone will take you seriously.

Sir, I am trying to enjoy a video game. This is not a job interview.

And then there's the age thing.

Apparently, being a woman approaching 40 means I'm supposed to have traded my controller for a collection of throw pillows and an enthusiastic interest in seasonal home decor. Which, for the record, I can also appreciate.

I contain multitudes.

I can enjoy makeup, fashion, business, creativity, and video games. I can care about my career and still spend an evening playing Call of Duty. I can have adult responsibilities and still get ridiculously excited about a new game. These things are not mutually exclusive.

Women are allowed to have interests that don't fit neatly into whatever category society thinks we should occupy, and we certainly don't need to make ourselves more palatable by pretending we don't enjoy the things we enjoy.

Gaming Is Social. And Sometimes It's Gloriously Antisocial.

One of my favourite things about gaming is how many different experiences it can offer.

Sometimes it's about playing with other people. There's a specific kind of friendship that develops when you're playing games together. The inside jokes. The terrible strategies (or great ones). The one friend who somehow manages to get everyone killed. The absolute chaos when somebody makes a spectacularly bad decision. We grew up with split screens and LAN parties. Everybody brings their console and controller, grab the snacks - we’re staying up ALL night. Now we’re perpetually online, making friends through games and connecting on Social Media.

It's a shared experience, even when you're nowhere near each other physically.

I've always been someone who appreciates online friendships and the connections people can build through the internet. Gaming is another extension of that.

But sometimes?

I don't want to talk to anybody. I don't want to make plans, be productive, answer messages, or participate in another conversation about what needs to get done tomorrow. I want to disappear into a game for a little while, and that's perfectly fine, too.

There's something genuinely comforting about having an activity that lets you disconnect from the everyday noise. Not every minute needs to be available to someone else. Sometimes the only thing I want demanding my attention is a health bar that's dangerously close to zero.

Being an Adult Is Exhausting Enough Without Making Joy Another Obligation.

Here's where I get a little more serious.

I think a lot of us slowly lose touch with the things we enjoyed when we were younger. Not necessarily because we stop loving them, but because life gets busy. Work gets demanding. Responsibilities pile up. Our free time becomes increasingly precious. Somewhere along the way, we start treating enjoyment like something we need to earn.

I'll relax when the house is clean.

I'll play when I finish everything on my to-do list.

I'll take some time for myself when everything else is handled.

Except everything else is never completely handled.

There's always another bill, another chore, another appointment, another responsibility.

If we wait until life is perfectly organized before allowing ourselves to enjoy it, we're going to spend an awful lot of time waiting. And I don't want that.

I want a life that has room for the things I have to do AND the things I genuinely want to do. Video games is one of those things.

They don't make me less responsible. They don't mean I'm avoiding adulthood. And they certainly don't mean I'm incapable of having other interests. They mean I have something in my life that brings me joy.

I think we could all use a little more of that.

You Don't Have to Outgrow Yourself.

There's this strange assumption that growing up means becoming an entirely different person.

That maturity requires us to slowly abandon the interests, enthusiasm, and excitement we had when we were younger. But I don't think that's what growing up should look like. I think growing up should mean becoming more comfortable with who you are, understanding what matters to you, figuring out what makes you happy, learning which opinions deserve your attention and which ones can politely go fuck themselves.

If that means you're a 40-year-old woman who still enjoys spending an evening gaming?

Fantastic.

If you're 55 and still collecting Pokémon cards? Love that.

If you're 60 and absolutely destroying people in Mario Kart? Please invite me.

If you're an adult who loves LEGO, comic books, cosplay, board games, fantasy novels, or whatever else people have arbitrarily decided is childish?

Keep doing your thing.

There are enough things in life that we don't get to choose. Why would we voluntarily give up the things that make us happy just because somebody else thinks we're too old for them?

So Yes, I'll Still Be Gaming at 40. Probably 50. Maybe 80.

I fully intend to be an old lady with a gaming setup. Will my reflexes be slower? Probably.

Will I still be yelling at my screen when someone pulls off some absolutely ridiculous move? Almost certainly.

Will I still find immense satisfaction in winning a close match or finally mastering something I've been struggling with? You bet your ass.

Because I don't believe that getting older should mean being boring. I don't want to reach a point in my life where I've traded every ounce of excitement and curiosity for the privilege of being considered a sufficiently mature adult. I'm responsible where I need to be. I work. I pay my bills. I take care of my life. Sometimes I spend my free time playing video games.

These facts can coexist.

So the next time somebody suggests you're too old to enjoy something, consider how absurd that really is.

You don't age out of happiness.

You don't need to justify the things that bring you joy.

You definitely don't need permission to have fun.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some gaming to do.

And probably some laundry to ignore.

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Let's Keep the Conversation Going

Are you an adult who still loves gaming? What games have stuck with you over the years?

Are you still playing the same franchises you loved growing up, or have you discovered new favourites along the way?

I'd genuinely love to know.

Because somewhere out there is another almost-40-year-old woman who still wants to have a Halo LAN party, and I think we should be friends.