Submitted by grapejuicecheese t3_10f4e3a in gaming
I remember meeting my FFXIV FC(guild) irl for the first time. I was shocked that everyone was so young. There were three of us in our 30s but everyone else were in college or in their 20s. We ate at a restaurant together, had some drinks. It felt weird(and still does) for an old man in his 30s to hang out with people half his age, but we bonded over the game and I honestly had and still have a good time whenever we meet up.
I have similar experiences in the local Fighting Game Community. A lot of times, the people who I would be hanging out with were 10 to 15 years younger than me.
It felt weird at first, but age aside, I genuinely enjoyed their company. It felt good to play fighting games with others, being able to interact directly with your opponent and also how everyone was wholesome and kind, none of the toxicity you get when playing online.
But as it is with the FGC, a common issue is always having an agreed upon place to meetup and play casual matches together. Back then, we would often meetup in gaming cafes, places where you could rent consoles by the hour. However, a lot of these places had to close down because of the pandemic(and as I soon learned, even before the pandemic these businesses were really barely breaking even). This has often lead to people offering up their homes as meeting places to have casuals together. I've also hosted casuals at my home once or twice. However, a few of our members are... teenagers. Some people have pointed out to me that it was inappropriate for an adult to invite teenagers to his home. However, these have always been group gatherings. I never invite the teen members alone and my motive is solely to play fighting games together, nothing more.
Is anyone else in the same situation where your gamer friends are much younger than you are? And is this kind of activity considered inappropriate or "creepy"