How old were you when you stopped playing?

Erm…

I’m on Fluther aren’t I? Nuff said.

Hasn’t happened yet, and I’m 70 years old.

Oh gosh.. Sometimes I’m tempted to take my toys out and start playing even now.—I kept my favourites in a couple of boxes—some action figures, figurines, playsets, accessorites, etc.) I kept playing well into high school. I would set up huge towns and make up stories. It was great to practice stories that I wanted to write using figures.

I don’t play with toys much, but I do still play video games on a daily basis and tabletop games on occasion (when I can wrangle the gang together—lately our schedules have been difficult to synch). It’s fun to exercise your imagination in different ways.

I also still play pretend. You know, like, imagine you’re someone else and or that you are talking to an imaginary person, that sort of thing. It helps kill time on the bus and is also a good exercise for making up characters for stories.

I have never felt pressured to stop “being a kid”, but my SO’s experience was WAY different. His parents feel that the two of us are extremely childish and you can tell that they are disappointed that we don’t act “more adult”. I get more flack for it since I am older and supposed to set a “good example” by being “mature” (which to them means drinking, dancing and partying—none of which I am interested in.)

I’m almost 60. I play every day, and far more than I ever did as a child. (My childhood was pretty awful.). Of course I don’t play at the same things I did when I was young. Now I tell stories, jokes and generally laugh a lot. Life for me is much better now.

I still play. I even still use the word play at times, but it is kind of in fun, since the word is usually reserved for the very young. My husband and I also frequently call the weekend vacation; said with an excited tone that needs an exclamation point.

I think I stopped using the term play around the age of 10. Then as I said I resurrected it in adulthood.

I picked a career that let me play every day. Advertising—creative department. And I left it when I stopped being fun.

When I quit playing is the day they put me or my ashes in a box and send me for the big dirt nap.

Stopped?!?

Yeah, Who stopped? The toys and games may be different, but I still play. My imagination is still involved.

Stopped? Well phooey! No one told me I was supposed to stop.

Right around the time I started drinking.

what? too honest?

I always play with my pets, hubs & I dance all crazy, sing karaoke, yeah I still play sometimes.

Who am I Describing?

I read comic books every week, my walls have super hero posters on them, I have a collection of super hero mini busts and Muppet action figures, I dressed up for Halloween as a Bassett Hound, and last week I skipped through an apple orchard after climbing a tree.

Am I…
A) Me at 12-years old
B) Me at 42-years old
C) Both A & B

Yes, I play with my cats daily and am a playful, slightly inane and childlike personality. I still love play doh and bubbles and can make myself laugh easily. I’ve made up all sorts of wacky games with my animals over the years. One of my favorites from a few years ago was shooting the neighbors 3 sheep with turbo squirt guns from my hot tub. lol

It overlooked a hillside with the sheep. I have had extensive periods of being very playful but right now is a low phase, I still crack myself up with my random musings but not exactly feeling playful as of late.

I’m still playing at 46 years old and will continue to play for as long as good health permits me to do so.

Well, looks like Fluther is full of Peter Pans. Good for you. Do you recall when your playing changed, though, if it ever did? Some of you answered that already. I, for example, still play board games or “pretend play” in my head and with children. I also play with animals, read comic books and get silly. That said, I have stopped playing like a child. I rarely get caught up in games like I used to. That stopped when I was around thirteen, even though I didn’t want it to. And to answer my own question, yes, I did feel pressured to grow up for a while.

I’m nearly 47 and I haven’t stopped yet. I just play with different things. “Let’s Pretend” evolved into tabletop roleplay for example.

Hmm.. Is dancing playing?
‘cause that stuff happens fairly often still.

I watch let’s play on YouTube instead of playing games anymore.

30 years old and still play with toy soldiers. Yes, my soldiers are no longer made of plastic, and I don’t just make shooting noises, there are complex rules and a lot of money invested in it, but it is still just playing with toy soldiers.

Then there is all the video games and other things I play.

@poisonedantidote My partner is a keen wargamer, everything from Ancients through Napoleonics to WW2, mainly “Field of Glory”.and “Flames of War”. He competes in national and international tournaments several times a year.

Stop playing? You can’t be serious.

It has something to do with being self conscious and/or stage fright, right? I mean sometimes it’s hard to even sing a whole song to the very end out loud in front of people unless everyone else is doing it too. Then at least you can hide in the crowd. But playing a singer in that way, even by yourself, can feel childish and like “wait, what am I doing?”

However, it does happen that I sometimes get so into a day dream that it becomes quite physical. I can pretend to be in a fight defending my home from some burglar or something. I think some of the permission I have to act that out comes from martial arts practice which isn’t very different from play fighting.

Halloween is another time when a lot of people receive that kind of permission to play. Once you have a costume on, wow is it easy. Halloween is a lot like communal larping, I guess. But even larping is a lot more playing than Halloween, from what I hear. You don’t give it down. You hold character. You stay in play for extended periods of time.

Sometimes I think about the big name actors and signers and ballet dancers and realize how all they have to do is play all day.. for work, of course. They get rated for their ability to play on demand.

:) I very like this question..

Thanks, @ninjacolin

Good point. Looking forward to Halloween.

A seven year old might be embarrassed to be thought of as a little child, so she uses a different name for her activities, like my son who plays on the computer calls it gaming, as if that makes a difference.

@YARNLADY That’s true. My cousin really doesn’t play much, though. But you may be onto something…her older siblings sometimes seemed embarrassed when playing. That will probably have influenced her.

I never really played as a child. I had to learn as an adult. My insecurities are gone now for the most part (that’s part of the healing process), and now my family and I laugh and play every day.

^ That made me smile :)

@longgone Why? I find that pretty depressing.

@longgone If my comment made you smile, I’m proud. I wish more people would do the work (yes it’s hard work) to heal. You can heal from ANYTHING. I should know.

The second part, @JLeslie