Should An Adult Still Read Comic Books And Play Video Games

[hybridial]

3 hours ago, DSC said:

but I genuinely have a serious disorder myself

 

Then why do you care about what people have to say about how you live your life who aren't yourself, close friends or relatives who understand you or medical people you seek treatment from? Nobody else knows better, and the people that act like they do, online or not are being asinine.

 

I think when I've been where you are at now I don't make these kind of topics, I just become angry and hostile and that's happened here, and to combat it I'm very strict about when I post. Only when I feel I have something of real insight to add. I would suggest reflecting on if making these threads helps you or are merely a symptom of your issues acting out. They might be doing more harm than good.

 

Also I just shut the internet out of my life other than for things purely relevant to my interests. It's great, I'd recommend it to everyone. I doubt it'd make you worse, at the very least. 

 

 

[Redneckerz]

20 hours ago, DSC said:

Nah, its ok. The reason I'm being so bothered by those people right now is because I'm afraid I'm not going to live my life like a normal person and responsible adult does. I'm afraid I become a sad, outcast loner that doesn't function in society.

How should a normal person and responsible adult live your life, according to you?

 

I am seeing a trend with you that famous person on Youtube/Hollywood is influencing how you feel. Stop that. They have zero idea of who you are and as such their opinions are exactly worth as much as everyone elses. Which is, You decide how much you care about someone else's opinion/let it affect you.

 

Also, there is the Hikikomori, which is essentially a practical manifestation of your theoretical (and ill-concieved) fear.

 

20 hours ago, DSC said:

I will try to clear things up now: its not that fucking asshole Bill Maher that's bothering me so much. I've learned to stop caring what people like him think about me: I did learn something from last time. Its more about society as a whole and if I will ever fit in or be a loser, an outcast for still liking this kind of stuff.

Yet this is about Bill Maher, but i suppose this is just an example.

It seems you moved up from ''I've learned to stop caring what famous people think'' to caring too much about the opinions of global society as a whole.

 

The concept remains the same DSC - Stop caring. You can allow yourself to have the entirety of society hammer down on your physical and mental stability (And the fact that it affects you in this way is concerning) but in the end, this helps nobody.

 

19 hours ago, DSC said:

It just feels like I'm being contrarian, going against the grain.

...And this is a bad thing, or what?

 

I share a lot of what resident depressed asshole @TheMagicMushroomMan is saying here - But i offer a slightly different, and perhaps less cynical view. From early on, i have learned to always follow my own way and my own rules - A unconscious teaching passed down from my father, who is very much in the same way. This doesn't mean following trends, but enjoying less atypical things more heavily than others - We both share similar interests for nature. In my profession (Working in medical IT), most of my actual opinions contradict the very thing i do for work (Which involves smartphones, PC's, and so on and so forth). My actual opinion is that people are far too obsessed with their phones to the point of having become downstaring zombies, unable to say hi or to appreciate and observe the world around them and they should be limited. The same goes for PC's.

 

Instead, i prefer reading a book wherever i go. As such, in day-to-day society, i am going against the grain and am out of the ordinary.

 

The key is be aware. Going against the grain isn't bad, it is healthy. When i see people clinged to their phones, it just reminds me how onedimensional we are becoming, with the phone being our literal lifeline to the rest of the world. I disagree with that sheep like behavior, and as such attempt to conform as little as possible to it.

 

18 hours ago, TheMagicMushroomMan said:

Kindness is an important thing in life, a virtue only rivaled by the ability to say fuck you to people who don't deserve it.

Saying the latter is an exceptional skill though, and in work spaces, is usally only done through hierarchy. Though, i did manage to say the same last week. Completely unprofessional, but knowing most of the hospital, they understood why.

 

The only reason that worked is because i actively go out and about with co-workers. When people leave (I call them good people), i give them a present to say goodbye. Very Japan-like, i'd reckon (or so i think), but that's just my way of dealing with it. These people are in the same boat as you and never get a lot of compliments, so if one well-meant compliment brightens someone's day up, that brightens my day aswell.

[Shanoa]

4 hours ago, DSC said:

Thanks again everyone... I might be making a complete fool of myself with all those threads

If that were the case people wouldn't try to help, so please don't say that about yourself.

 

Also you're absolutely NOT a nuisance. If making those threads can help you then by all mean go ahead. Better that than keeping things bottled up.

[Uncle 80]

I have shelf upon shelf upon shelf's worth of comic books of all kinds - graphic novels, "regular" comic books (Donald Duck et al) more artistic stuff, historical/political, all the classic belgian/euro 70's stuff and more. The only kinds of comics I don't collect is the super-hero stuff, save for the odd Batman book. It's a wonderful hobby, and it's an intrest I can introduce to my kids which they are more than happy to share with me. Sitting in the couch with both of them swapping Carl Barks books is a very nice way to spend a few hours together on a Saturday morning, for instance.

 

Also, I'm not in the slightest ashamed to admit that my collection includes around 10 to 15 collected volumes of Transformers comics - and I've got my original Transformers toys from '84 on the shelf "guarding" that particular section of my comics collection :D

 

I still buy CDs and have no intention to get rid of them either. Owning a personal copy of an album I like kicks ass, and I don't have to listen to it on a stupid phone or with the noise of the PC in the background. I love putting on a CD and looking at the booklet/lyrics while listening instead of just lazily putting on a Spotify playlist as a distraction when doing something else. That sucks!

 

Now, computer games - that's the only hobby I've kind of lost interest in - meaning, I don't care about new titles, and rarely purchase new games, but I love playing games from my childhood, youth and early adulthood over and over again. Be it either Doom(2), or anything from the C64 days, amiga stuff, the odd N64/PS(2) game - I've got emulators for all that stuff installed.

 

One thing I don't have in my collection is anything by Bill Maher. I also very rarely watch TV, as most of it is crap. Movies are great, though.

 

EDIT: In support of OP's worries that these kinds of hobbies aren't for "real men" - I have a job (at which I happen to be one of the highest-skilled employees, and I'm also the union representative), I have the aforementioned 2 children (and I'm still together with their mother), and I/we own our apartment. All "grown up" - at my own terms.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by Uncle 80

[TheSlipgateStudios]

I see nothing wrong in reading comic books or playing video games even when you're an adult, so if anyone says otherwise they can go fuck themselves.

[unerxai]

On 10/8/2022 at 3:48 PM, DSC said:

There were also many comments there supporting him

There are Youtube comments supporting all kinds of things incluiding truly crazy stuff. Just ignore it all, don't even bother downvoting them. 

[Azuris]

On 10/8/2022 at 9:03 PM, TheMagicMushroomMan said:

Being an adult means being secure enough to not care what others think about your hobbies. Obviously the guy in the video never learned that. What I do for fun is my business until I decide to share it. I don't care if I'm reading comics, playing video games, or jerking off - it's my business and I don't care what a stranger on the internet thinks. Or Bill Maher, of all people.

 

 

Absolutly!

 

Thats why when i've got older, i also returned to much colorful Games.

 

Imean, this Meme (and sorta likes) doesn't comes out of nowhere:

 

 

Btw.

 

Playing is something that happens in Nature to teach and learn Stuff (and also to stay fit, corporal and mental), as it mostly done by Carnivores.

You have to be smarter, be more creative and learn Tactics to be better as your Prey.

Just think of Cats, Dogs, Foxes and also Crows.

 

Stopping to play means you stop practicing.

 

[DSC]

One thing I just remembered right now... Legendary filmmaker Federico Fellini himself visited Marvel's office in 1966! And someone like him will always have much more authority on the matter than any Bill Maher fan will ever have, right?

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

6 minutes ago, DSC said:

One thing I just remembered right now... Legendary filmmaker Federico Fellini himself visited Marvel's office in 1966! And someone like him will always have much more authority on the matter than any Bill Maher fan will ever have, right?

What does it matter? Neither one has the authority to tell you what you're allowed to enjoy. You don't need to seek validation from someone you (and I) admire in order to feel like you have the right to do something. Seeking validation from someone famous makes as much sense as allowing yourself to be condemned by someone famous, and the solution to that problem is the same: think for yourself instead of caring what famous people think.

[Rykzeon]

On 10/9/2022 at 1:48 AM, DSC said:

I was watching a video where talk show host Bill Maher, in his own show, talks about how grown up people are still holding on to their comic books, and condemns them for supposedly not growing up:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

There were also many comments there supporting him. And honestly... It really hurt me. I'm trying to take advice and seriously stop caring what others say, but my conscience very stubbornly refuses to let it go, and its making me doubt myself. I did try and think for myself... Trying to refute their bullshit. I love comics and video games(hell, I'm even posting this in a forum dedicated to one), and I think they are just as valid mediums for art as any other, you can do some incredible things with them. Many of them, like Watchmen, are serious works that can and do surpass many others from the "traditional" realms such as literature and cinema. Even the "kiddy" stuff like Marvel from the 60's is noteworthy. Just because something is aimed at younger audiences doesn't mean it can't be deep and thoughtful, and overall a good work of art and piece of media, or that it can't be enjoyed as an adult.

 

But thing is, there were many comments saying otherwise, and gathering a fair amount of upvotes and support. I try not to care about others opinions now, but they were all saying those forms of media were for manchildren and outcasts that refused to grow up, which made me doubt myself again... Am I truly a pathetic adult that refuses to grow up? Should I left all of this behind and act like a man my age? I had and still do have issues trying to learn in higher education in an university, trying to pursue a degree, and the thought of being a failure is very daunting. I've tried working on it, but I still have some self-doubt issues. This time, what's bothering me so much is just the support those comments and messages got. Bill himself doesn't bother me, I've since learned about trusting pseudo-intellectuals, but when so many people overwhelmingly tell you you're wrong, you start to think if maybe they are right...

 

Again, this is a forum dedicated to an old video-game, so obviously most of you are going to defend it. I just want to honestly ask directly to people who are smarter than me, if I am correct in believing I'm a failure that should abandon comic books and video games, and if not then why. I just want to be less ignorant and know what to do with my life. I know I said I would try to live it the way I want, but I don't want to live being rejected like this by society... I am seriously worried about the path I choose to take in life.

 

If comics and video games are only for children, maybe we don't have this rating system.

Also, there are alot of comics and video games that only for Adult Only like porn mangas and hentai visual novel. Imagine a child read and play those games. Probably, the correct thing is there are Adult Only comics and video games. Because, well, if child can read porn mangas and play hentai visual novel, they'll imitate them (and it's a bad thing). Yet, if adults play children games like "Guess what's 1+1=...", "What is this thing called?", and "Let's color this animal!", they just train their brains, and if they're bored, they just quit the game.

The only thing that made people not grow up is they spend too much time to skill that surely no one will employee them / not make income. And then they become unemployment. But nowadays people can become content creators and show their hobbies so eh.

[Doom_Dude]

I'm 56 and they'll pry my Savage Sword of Conan comics out of my grasp when I'm gone to the eternal dirt nap.

 

There's stuff I got rid of / lost / traded, was stolen... that I regret not having anymore. Vinyl albums, comic books, hockey cards, a sweet meccano set...

 

Bill Maher is a dick.

[Mr. Freeze]

Giving Maher the time of day should be a ticketable misdemeanor. The man's a moron and has been for decades. 

[Herr Dethnout]

10 hours ago, Azuris said:

 

 

As a venezuelan can confirm this. Particularly the Counter-Strike one.

Edited October 10, 2022 by Herr Dethnout

[Rudolph]

 

In the spirit of fairness, the actor they got to play Donald Trump nailed it.

[magicsofa]

If you want to be the kind of adult who is basically just a walking taxpayer, then yes! Cast off the chains of imagination and embrace the gray, steady hum of your shitty office job! Punch in! Punch out! Punch in! Punch out! It never gets old, even though you do! Ah, now you're finally dead and buried, I'm sure those decades of loyalty to Initech will grant your passage to heaven!

[Eurisko]

I feel sorry for Bill.

This sort of thing used get to me too sometimes. He clearly has issues with it.
 

When I was 4-5 years old I discovered Video Games. To say they have had an impact on my life would be a massive understatement.

Growing up from that age I fell in love with games, Pro wrestling, Sonic The Hedgehog, Doom, Power Rangers, movies, punk rock, horror, playing guitar, Spider-Man, comic books, the MCU, Star Trek, SCI-FI …it goes on and on and on….. they are ALL a PASSION that never died.

 

I’m now 37, married with three kids and work a full time job.

If you were to walk into our house one of the first things you’ll see is a plaque for the Enterprise D from Star Trek the Next Generation.

Walk a little further there are huge canvas’s of Spider-Man and Superman. Autographs of Tom Holland and Christopher Reeve on display…..an entire display of Sonic The Hedgehog. 
There is also a whole section of mine and my wife's bedroom dedicated to Doom- A Slayers helmet, Revenant, even a bloody Baphomet…..😂

A Giant Flag of my favourite bands logo on the wall. 

My wife has said my passion for things I love is part of who I am and she couldn't be more correct. 
Our kids LOVE the fact that all this stuff is out and on show. I believe this will entrench in them that you can love and enjoy anything for any length of time and It’s ok to do so.

 

 

My point is enjoying the things you loved when you were 5, 10 ,15 or whatever as an adult is a beautiful thing. 
It’s wearing your passions on your sleeve. It’s NOT failing to grow up. It’s refusing to give up who we are. 

Don't be torn on it. You are what you love. 
Run with it. It’s who you are and there is nothing wrong with it. 
 

Trust me, I’m forever 16 and It’s awesome! 

Edited October 10, 2022 by Eurisko

[Solmyr]

4 hours ago, Herr Dethnout said:

As a venezuelan can confirm this. Particularly the Counter-Strike one.

It applies to CS:GO or to CS 1.6 too? 

[Redneckerz]

8 hours ago, DSC said:

One thing I just remembered right now... Legendary filmmaker Federico Fellini himself visited Marvel's office in 1966!

That is so interesting!

8 hours ago, DSC said:

And someone like him will always have much more authority on the matter than any Bill Maher fan will ever have, right?

DSC, at this point multiple people - including myself - have stepped in to paint a mirror, but i feel you aren't here watching that paint dry.

 

Your question literally shouldn't matter to you.

 

Here is a Scrubs gif for courtesy sake that sums up who you should be. Remember, everyone gets one Scrubs gif, and this should be your response to Bill Maher, Jack Lemon and Cornelius Cole:

 

 

Be Dr Cox.

[GarrettChan]

Honestly, I don't know why people are talking about playing video games are bad because our previous generation, they are just watching TV instead. To me, both of these are "wasting time" in a way. However, if you played too much and can't control yourself and your life is ruined by this, then that's another story.

 

Another thing is that, it also depends on the attitude of playing a game. To me, I'll try to do my best in video games, which makes me patient in many ways, and teaches me to solve problems in a smarter way etc., and I definitely think these are 100% positive to my life. Of course, it has the price of wasting some of my life, but hey, one's life is not always earning money or whatnot. Playing games can lead me to alternative way to solve in real life problems, or sometimes I have a more flexible way to approach different matters, due to the mindset developed by playing games.

 

Other funny story is, I'm Chinese, and the Chinese education system puts English in an unnecessarily high place (which ties with Chinese and Math), and this makes a lot of Chinese students hating English as a subject for their primary/secondary school. Due to the big difference language system between Chinese and English, in the end, a lot of Chinese have a rather poor English skill. However, I learned most of my English from playing video games when I was young, and this makes my English study in primary/secondary school and even university rather effortless. I don't need to do any type of review before any type of English exam throughout all those years while many others lost their crap before the exam.

 

Needlessly to say, being relatively good at English gave me a lot of opportunities to learn more knowledge because I'm not limited to information in a particular language, and it's really helpful for my job career as well.

[Herr Dethnout]

1 hour ago, Solmyr said:

It applies to CS:GO or to CS 1.6 too? 

Both, but mostly 1.6 in Venezuela.

[Caffeine Freak]

31 minutes ago, GarrettChan said:

Honestly, I don't know why people are talking about playing video games are bad because our previous generation, they are just watching TV instead. To me, both of these are "wasting time" in a way. However, if you played too much and can't control yourself and your life is ruined by this, then that's another story.

 

What I've always thought was funny were older men who dismiss video games as a waste of time, or childish, who then spend their spare time watching sports on television. (Though admittedly this attitude has become less prevalent over the decades as I think even a lot of Baby Boomers have come around.) 

 

Really, if video games are childish, the simple reality is that a great number of men's hobbies would qualify as being the same.

[act]

This is coming from someone whose relatively young, where the question of "are they grown up yet?" isn't really in the frame.

In essence, I feel like a lot of people here walk into the concept of "adulthood", believing that it's a societal-imposed state where life must be seen as grey and dull, and the only happiness is at the bottom of a 40oz bottle when you set said with Captain Morgan. I believe that adulthood is really just the mental state where you accept responsibility and hardship as inherent parts of life, and even can see the beauty in them. It's the mental state where you have such empathetic joy that seeing those you love experience comfort and ease, even at your own expense, is one of the greatest pleasures in life.

With that being said, I really do feel like the idea of "kiddy" stuff with adults is seen as such for good reason. Life is hard, and every now and then you need a pastime. But although I'm not going to screech that you can never play video games or read comic books, I'd definitely implore you to look into hobbies that create something. With all the experience that you have playing Doom, for example, you really should look into modding Doom. Imagine the wondrous experiences you could create, the beautiful 3D environments and technology-powered ballets that you can craft yourself. That's more respectable, beautiful, and meaningful than merely delegating the game as a means of consumption.

This same logic can be applied to things like drinking as well. If you like to drink, consider making your own alcohol. Participate in the beautiful tapestry that lead you to the passtime of drinking on Christmas Eve; it'll be more than worth it in the end.

[TimeOfDeath666]

I don't know how many people watched the video in the OP, but I thought it was funny and agreed 100%.

[Aaron Blain]

What are these people doing instead and why do they consider it more valid? I bet they're watching reality tv, crime procedurals and sports, none of which is any more important or worthwhile than what you're doing.

 

I've developed an intense political economy and history habit over the past two years or so, averaging 2-5 books per month depending on their length. I don't do "comfort tv" anymore (ie rewatching Futurama and 30 Rock), and I don't spend time on videogames or fiction unless I find them especially compelling.

 

So, for example, I'm not going to bother with Assassin's Creed or those cowboy GTA games. I'm kinda curious to go back and reread The Wheel of Time or Shannara now that I'm older and my sensibilities and frame of reference have evolved. But I never get around to it. I play classic Doom and Quake, emulators, and I'm gradually working my way through classic RPG's from Spiderweb Software and SSI, or sometimes an old KOEI strategy game, but that's about it.

 

What I'm saying is that, while I'm investing a lot of time and energy into Serious Important Things (probably much more than these assholes you're referring to), and while yes it has significantly changed how I view and spend my painfully inadequate free time, I don't feel the slightest compunction or guilt when I play Doom or Avernum. And unlike these insecure jerks (who, as others have mentioned, probably tend toward the Bronze Age Pervert and Jordan Peterson crowd and are putting up a front), I don't feel the slightest need to shit on people for reading graphic novels. THAT I consider to be embarrassingly adolescent behavior.

[RDETalus]

20 minutes ago, TimeOfDeath666 said:

I don't know how many people watched the video in the OP, but I thought it was funny and agreed 100%.

Yeah I just watched it.

He's specifically making fun of people who consume too much Marvel and superhero stuff; that the literary content of comics is inferior to other "adult" literary works. I agree with that, superhero stuff is dumb. He gets in a dig at video games screwing with people's marriage life at the very end, which can be true.

[Mr. Freeze]

Broke: Comics make you a child.

 

Woke: Comics make you a fascist.

[StodgyAyatollah]

1 hour ago, TimeOfDeath666 said:

I don't know how many people watched the video in the OP, but I thought it was funny and agreed 100%.

Grew up on politically incorrect but Maher has been pretty hit or miss for me since. This clip got a couple chuckles and cringes out of me. 

[Boaby Kenobi]

@DSC It seems that you like to torture yourself. This is actually a very common thing for people to do, especially in this day and age. Some people spend hours a day online watching videos, videos made by people who they are not exactly fans of. It's what is now known as "Doomscrolling".

 

If being online is having this kind of effect on you then you seriously need to unplug for a while.

 

 

[Faceman2000]

No.

[A Nobody]

Simple answer is yes.