Depends on the generation. Kids today overwhelmingly trend towards watching youtubers and streamers play a game all the way through, then dabble in playing it themselves.

I’ve watched my fiance’s kids and their friends get all amped up about watching everything about a game including the playthrough, then watch the game theories and discussion, then play the game. Always, always, they talk about the game theory they heard from x source.

So, no, I don’t think kids today will enjoy games as much as I did as a kid. I think they are focused on watching their favorite persons play the games, then the actual game experience becomes lacking. Then, they interject things they heard in reference to videos they watched to make it more entertaining for them, as they’ve already experienced it as second-hand gaming, and nothing is new or a surprise.

I get more out of my gaming as an adult then I did as a kid.

As an adult I understand the games as an adult. I understand nuance in writing, development, artistic expression and intent, aesthetic, stylisation, inspiration etc.

As a kid I couldn’t even properly explain why I liked what I liked.

Gaming is better now, but my energy and enthusiasm were better as a child. Also, there are so many more distractions now than back then.

As an adult, you can better appreciate and understand what you’re playing

As a kid, you had more fun playing them and could play more often.

Was better as a kid during peak C64 piracy. So many games for free. Didn’t matter that we were on food stamps at the time. Just needed a few floppy disks and people to trade with. The freshness of it all was great.

The games I like require too much of a time commitment now, which often means sacrificing sleep.

The best time for gaming though was before I had a wife and kid. Though I spent a lot more time playing basketball than gaming during those years.