I did say I'm old right? How old is too old to be a gaming nerd?

So I've been around the block in terms of the average gamer, I've played games that are older than 'average' gamer.  I've seen trends come and go, I've seen game franchises born and die, I remember the golden age of pc gaming and I've seen the rise of 'casual' and mobile gaming from it's inception to the Juggernaut it now is.

Sure in reality I'm not that old  (approaching the big 4-0 :P) but I'm in between those types of stages where normal gamers think I'm way too old to be playing something like Call of duty and older people look at me with some sort of disdain with the look in there eyes 'haven't you grown up yet?' or that I should be playing something like Civilisation or some other slow paces turn based games.  But the fact is I can still hold my own against most players in Call of duty (well the PC version anyway, why on earth would I use an inferior control device for FPS gaming?  Not to say that control pads do not have their place in gaming ... football, racing and fighting games for one) and I'm pretty much constantly topping the scoreboards in S&D/TDM/DOM gametypes when I do play.  So why am I considered too old by some?

Now I usually don't go around saying I'm an old git on servers, but when I do on occasion talk through voice comms I get asked how old I am, resulting in usually said teenager raging that he got beat down by someone old enough to be his dad then comes the smack talk of being too old to play fps game and that I should find a retirement home or other rather weak insults, my favorite being go back to sleep granddad or go home granddad.

I'm a thick skinned person, I'm the type of person who rolls with the insults (years of gaming, especially FPS gaming and online console gaming has thickened my skin immeasurably) but there came a point earlier this year I just stopped telling people and just said I sound old (usually because I have a clear English accent and am well spoken).

So, how old is too old to be playing games?