First of all, games didn't require updating when I was a teen (I'm 32).

Secondly, the parents always had a huge long list of chores they'd been saving up for just a day like that. They enjoyed my suffering. (I do not mean this sarcastically, they were abusive lol)

I achieved the top part of the meme in my 30s. All my friends game, I have a loving fiance who also games, and I have two dogs and a cat on my lap while I game. The dream is alive and real. Fuck being a teenager.

Oh what I'd give to have my dog back. He was the best boy

Lost me at updating

Meh. Lost me at the boys. I like to be alone with my RPGs and Minecraft (always have been, always will be).

I was never a big online player, but I loved cooperative stuff with my friends. Left4Dead, Borderlands, Diablo 2, Diablo 3, Remnant from the Ashes, Terraria, Grim Dawn, etc I met a bunch of guys in an online forum, we had our own section there and become good friends for over 15 years we had hundreds of thousands of comments, posts and just idiotic conversations about stupid stuff. We even met in person a few times, even though we lived in different countries.

I am over 40 now, all my friends have families, everyone is too busy and we rarely have time to play together anymore. Last year I think 3-4 times managed to arrange a session and we ended up catching up and just chatting about the good old days and life in general. Most of them are offline on Steam for over 2-3 years now, which is sad.

I am now almost exclusively playing single player stuff. Having a family and a full time job its not easy to find time, but its not impossible. Also picked up solo board gaming to decrease my screen time and I can say its been great.

I miss the old times, but its easier to arrange some gaming time for myself, I think I prefer it now this way. Still it sucks how fast we get old. Cant do anything about it, but I can still enjoy this hobby, just a little bit differently.

Finishes updating? Pfffft we didn't have updates back then

Waking up alone in my 30s would have been the best financial circumstance of my adult life.

This is a mean meme

In my 30s, got kids, family, friends even. Still game on occasion. No shame in being 30s.

If you are gaming with your friends online, does that really make you alone tho?

I dont know why the image isn't loading for me, was this deleted?

Many such cases.

Good times, except the "online" for us was invariably at LAN parties with adhoc SC Broodwar tournaments, Halo CtF & FFA, and WoW Alterac Valley shenanigans.