Anyone suffer from a lack of adult gaming friends?

[SusieFlo]

Probably a strange post - I was just wondering if anyone else finds that they have a shortage of adult friends with a similar interest in gaming?

I'm a 40-something mum who games on the PS4 when time allows. Most of my social networking is on Facebook, where I typically interact with people that I know in real life. Alas, I could count the adult gamers that I know on one hand. So if I feel like chatting to fellow enthusiasts about a game, it's a bit like throwing a peanut into a canyon.

I've started joining FB groups for whatever game I'm playing at the time - the only down side of that is getting 1000 posts a day in my feed from teenagers in Moose Jaw, Idaho, comparing the boob size of female NPCs.

Is there a better place to hang out for grown-up gaming chat?

I find Discord is a much better platform for gaming, although most of my gaming friends I've met through another hobby and then found out they also game!

I've found getting on Twitter, watching gamers on Twitch and joining the chats there led me to have quite a wide social circle of adult gamers who I met regularly at conventions.

Thanks for the suggestions. I do use Twitter but haven't used it for gamer chat. I am curious about Twitch yet and was completely unaware of Discord.

Does Twitch have chat forums or are there only threads related to someone's live streaming of a game? I must confess I haven't quite got my head around watching other people play games online... what exactly is the draw of that? Isn't it full of game spoilers? My son does it all the time on Youtube - I often wonder why he wouldn't prefer to be playing.

I do watch videos on Youtube when I need a quick how-to guide (e.g. I'm stuck beating a boss or building something complicated in Minecraft)

I probably sound about 95 years old...

I don't "suffer" because I've found positive communities to be involved in. Generally the game's official forums are a good bet, and Reddit can be good too. Twitch itself isn't designed for ongoing discussion but a lot of Twitch streamers are using Discord for community chat rooms.

Some games have positive communities and others have nasty toxic ones. I feel competitive multiplayer games are more likely to breed toxicity - you win by beating others in-game and some players feel like they're "winning" by insulting and berating other people out of the game. Single-player games are more likely to breed positive communities. And anything that's likely to attract teenage boys is, well, likely to have a community full of teenage boys.

Thanks for the replies. I've now joined Discord and am just starting to fathom how it works (basically have googled invitation links to channels for a handful of games that I play and will see how it goes).

Glad to see you've joined discord, I was going to recommend it. Some of the twitch streamers you watch may have their own discord server you can join. If there are Facebook's groups you follow they may have their own too.
I've made some great gaming friends through discord. Hope you do too.

Can't read the full thread as I'm too excited....how have I been using MN for nearly two years and not know there's a gaming chat??
Pleeeaase be my PS4 Fortnite buddy. Pllleeeeeassseeeee.....

Up.

Ridiculous, no-one forced you to read a thread in gaming. At 48 I'm plenty grown up thanks.

Domino, I haven't ventured into Fortnite territory yet (though I suspect it's a matter of time before my 7 yo will start nagging to play it).

I've just cracked open Far Cry 5 on PS4 and am loving it. My last "big" game was Witcher 3 and the ones I'm looking forward to later this year are Fallout 76 and Tomb Raider Part 3. Alas I can only play any of these adult games after hours when the kids are in bed... in the short window before I, too, fall asleep!

I am a 40 something gamer too. I play Uncharted 4 multiplayer for a hour or so every evening at the moment. Have played Far Cry 5, enjoyed it, not as good as Far Cry 4 though. Pagan Min was the most likeable bad guy ever. Really looking forward to the next Tomb Raider. If you haven't played it yet, I highly recommend Horizon Zero Dawn and The Last of Us.

Just to add, I have no real life gamer friends any more. My longest gamer friend has been sucked into the world of MLM selling Arbonne, so hasn't been on her PS4 for ages. I have made a few online gaming friends through Uncharted, but thats it. Used to belong to a clan eons ago, but they have drifted away into family life etc.

Definitely Twitch. Just search the game/s you’re currently playing/into and join in the chat as someone plays. The streamers often have their own discord channel as well.

I've only been back to gaming for the last 6 months or so myself. I used to love the original tomb raider series but haven't managed to get far with the current game, it just didn't grab me in the same way as the original. I might persevere though. Fortnite has sidetracked me somewhat, I originally took an interest purely to relate to my son but it really is a great game. I'm just so jealous that he gets to play in group though and I'm always solo😭

Could there be a Fallout 76 Mumsnet team?

I wonder if some kind modder could make us the appropriate leopard print scarf to wear in game???🤔

There's lots of teenage boy-esque bravado online where gaming's concerned but actually probably the majority of gamers are now older, with sensible jobs and real lives out there.

I was at a video game music concert at the weekend and I'd say the bulk of the audience was mid 20+ and all very polite, chatty, nice to get along with (Final Fantasy 14) - compared to some of the utter morons you find on the game forums... those with the largest gobs and least to say make the most noise.

I'm married to a gamer, I'm friends in real life with people I met in-game over a decade ago and I'm on some game related discords with people I've met and got along with basically.

I'm amazed how quiet this particular forum is. I wouldn't have survived babies sane without a Nintendo DS to play (often one handed!) late at night. Having a game box you can just flip closed to pause it was wonderful.

I'm new-ish here and now I like MN even more. Didn't know there was a gaming thread either and also surprised at how quiet it is!
Gaming is my sanity time....

I game quite a lot however its more pc games like dota2.. I found discord really helpful and also made friends whilst playing against random players in game. Hope you find discord useful x

Average age of my xbox gaming group is 43 :)

I am definitely up for a fallout 76 mumsnet team.

I loved Fallout 4 but the only people I know who play are my 15 year old and his friends. Don't really want to be running around a post apocalyptic wasteland with a bunch of teenage boys.

A mumsnet team would rock.

Game Sea of thieves has been brilliant for the social side, properly co-op - though the gameplay doesnt suit everyone! I play when the kids in bed as it relies alot on the microphone and the language gets "salty".

Just finished tombraider 3, loved it, just going full completionist on it now - i really wish there was a game like the white queen level which i could play through with my kids!

I don't suppose any of you play old PC games? Only I'm in the middle of playing Planescape:Torment and I need people besides DH to talk to about it.

Twitch and by extension Discord has been great in expanding my gaming circle. Admittedly I'm still the oldest by a little way but not surrounded by 13 year olds either. I mostly play Fortnite and follow female streamers.