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[BobbyColtrane]

I saw this article last week and it got me thinking about gaming as you age and your physical limitations. The article is focused on reaction times, but I'm more interested in addressing your body breaking down and continuing to play.

I thought maybe we could share some information about coping with different issues and our favorite hobby as we age.

I'm 44 and my first memories of video games were arcades in the early 80s with Q-Bert, PacMan, Mario Bros, BurgerTime, etc. I suspect that if you're around my age (or older) you have probably experienced pain in your hands/arms/forearms as a result of gaming. I get muscle tension in my shoulders and in my forearms and I have tried different stretches over the years to help.

How do you cope? Stretches, ibuprofen, relaxation techniques? This guy has a pretty good channel with some stretches. I tend to grip the controller really tightly, especially with my right (dominant) hand. I would like to change that but I'm finding it difficult to focus on a challenging game and relax your body at the same time. Lately, my old ass has put a pillow under my arm as I game for support lol.

Have you been able to make changes to how you sit, grip, etc that have been beneficial?

I have never discussed this stuff with a doctor, have any of you?

I would love to get GAF's input on these things, I never see this topic discussed on the board and it feels a little more productive than bitching about Switch specs for 5 years (lol)

Like I said in the title, everyone's opinion is welcome, but people with direct experience or some sort of medical knowledge are probably in the best position to provide helpful input.

 

[Birdo]

For me, the biggest issue is lack of patience as I age.

I used to be able to replay a level over and over to get good when I was a kid. Now I rage quit after one death.

 

[jigglet]

Depends on the type of games you play and how long.

At one point I was probably doing 8-12 hour days for months on end. I'd come home from work, jump on and play until the early morning. By the time I hit my mid 30's my wrists were a disaster. I got really bad RSI, so this is how I ended up with a Titan:

So I hacked Skyward Sword and fixed the shitty controls

UPDATE: Here's my finished work: (disclosure: I don't work for Titan but I am a mod on their forum) Also please ignore my input lag and video quality. I am playing on a 10 year old factory second TV that I bought for $200 and filming it with a 5 year old phone...

www.neogaf.com

I needed to automate some shit to continue playing. The first one was sprinting. Why the fuck do you still need to press a button to sprint in most games? Why isn't it analogue / automatic like in Titanfall? (answer: it's a carry over from the old PC days when there were no analogue controls, console devs just continued doing this cause they can't use their fucking brains). So I needed a way to avoid having to repeatedly tap the sprint button. That's where Titan came in. I also use it to remap buttons to fingers that are used less to reduce RSI.

 

[DGrayson]

I think my reaction time is still pretty good. That might be genetic though as my dad was drag racing well into his 60s.

For the rest its more about time and patience. No time and less patience.

For phyiscal things I dont notice much. As long as I dont sit on the hard floor for hours

 

[Hawking Radiation]

For me, the biggest issue is lack of patience as I age.

I used to be able to replay a level over and over to get good when I was a kid. Now I rage quit after one death.

I'm impatient. Very impatient.
When chilling to play video games I often feel I need to rush a but when I don't need to.

I've got time and my partner let's me njoy my gaming session but I always feel like I have something else to do even if there's fuckall to do.

Only game I've manages to complete and take my time going through it was Last Of Us 2. Helps that my partner was right there beside me enjoying the game as much as I was.

Edit: Oh and I finished Cyberpunk on PS4 Pro. Yeah that turd filled bug fest was kind of fun. Now playing it again on PC

 

[ReBurn]

I have pain but it has never been related to gaming. My reaction time is worse but Im still pretty good at the games I like.

I've learned to appreciate that people play games for different reasons. I used to think like the idiots who think that playing on the hardest levels is meaningful in some way Or that being good at video games matters. But as I've aged I've learned that people play for different reasons and no matter why you play or how good you are all that matters is having fun. Also, collecting was a waste of money and all of that plastic crap you have to dust is just worthless clutter in the end. But if you like it then enjoy it.

 

[jufonuk]

For me, the biggest issue is lack of patience as I age.

I used to be able to replay a level over and over to get good when I was a kid. Now I rage quit after one death.

43 here. For me. Time is the main thing. Give me a game I can play an hour a time and progress. Otherwise it feels like I’m wasting time. I can watch a film or tv show read a book and make it through so that’s cool but a game where I spend time grinding or just questing. Then no. I think it’s patience also. I also need a hook I can’t really do games that need a get gud or some kind of reference manual to go through before you play. Give me pick up and play. That has depth. Bit depth that is incremental not where you need to manage x and y and the level of complexity is almost a task in and of itself. Not for me.

 

[Hawking Radiation]

For me. Time is the main thing. Give me a game I can play an hour a time and progress. Otherwise it feels like I’m wasting time.

Yup.
Can no longer sit at the TV or PC for hours with no care in the world until the wee hours of the morning.
I thought I was growing out of gaming and I've tried giving up many times until my partner just told me to do what I like and if its game then yeah enjoy it.
Alright im out. Have a good day guys/gals

 

[iorek21]

I’m 26 and it’s getting harder to focus on games, for some reason, even though I’m currently on a 6-month break from studies/work. I’m finding it easier to focus on reading or watching stuff as time goes on, and that’s a little weird.

Maybe it’s because of the Pandemic restrictions or because of this kind of gaming drought that has been going on ever since 2020; can’t really say for sure.

As for my body, I haven’t felt many changes throughout the years, probably because I go regularly to the gym and have a strict diet.

 

[alabtrosMyster]

I had hand pain back when I was in my 20s, I got a pair of those:

 

[Sid Of Bee]

I'm 42, been gaming since Atari 2600 and ColecoVision. My main issue isn't physical, it's that modern AAA games are too abundant, too involved, and too long for me to enjoy much. I don't have hours on end to play. Also, my vision. Particularly gritty realistic shooters. I can't see shit anymore... All the shit blurs together far away or something. I just played Skyward Sword last night, and like most Nintendo games, I can see everything, everything pops, I play better and I can finish most Nintendo games (and similar indie games and such).

Thing is, I love gaming as a whole. Every aspect. So I still buy games I end up barely playing just to see the graphics or try new gameplay mechanics. I buy every system. I collect more than play now. It's weird to think.

 

[alabtrosMyster]

Use them until you built strength and your pain should go forever.

Also exercise in general, sitting too much will kill you.

 

[Ultra Donny]

Patience absolutely. 42 here. Not be able to replay games. I just want to experience new stuff. I used to love long dialogue in RPG s. Not anymore. Playing on easy if the option is there. So much to do so little time. As I lov my vinyl collection, books and family less time is available for games. Still love games tho. No pain or cramps.

 

[Bragr]

Depends on the type of games you play and how long.

At one point I was probably doing 8-12 hour days for months on end. I'd come home from work, jump on and play until the early morning. By the time I hit my mid 30's my wrists were a disaster. I got really bad RSI, so this is how I ended up with a Titan:

So I hacked Skyward Sword and fixed the shitty controls

UPDATE: Here's my finished work: (disclosure: I don't work for Titan but I am a mod on their forum) Also please ignore my input lag and video quality. I am playing on a 10 year old factory second TV that I bought for $200 and filming it with a 5 year old phone...

www.neogaf.com

I needed to automate some shit to continue playing. The first one was sprinting. Why the fuck do you still need to press a button to sprint in most games? Why isn't it analogue / automatic like in Titanfall? (answer: it's a carry over from the old PC days when there were no analogue controls, console devs just continued doing this cause they can't use their fucking brains). So I needed a way to avoid having to repeatedly tap the sprint button. That's where Titan came in. I also use it to remap buttons to fingers that are used less to reduce RSI.

Say what? you hack games so you don't have to press buttons?

 

[GrayDock]

I'm 46 and play 1.5~2h almost everyday, mostly at night, and, depending on the game, I get some 'stiffness' on my left thumb after playing it for a long time. Last time was playing Sekiro, I was probably using too much strenght on the stick because of the 'tension' that some 'gg' bosses and areas in the game make you feel.
I had to stop playing and take some advil-like for 2 weeks. This kind of pause is crucial to not hurt yourself for real.
Playability wise I always enable hold instead of press-rapidly and I'm looking into pads for my Dualsense to replace L3 and R3 on the sticks so I can avoid this kind of problem on my thumbs.

 

[Topher]

Turned 50 last year. Competitive gaming went out the window a long time ago, but outside of that I don't feel any negative physical side effects from gaming. I do tend to take a lot of breaks, but that is more a mental thing than anything else.

 

[Valonquar]

Only real physical diff at 46 for me is lower back aches. I just dished out entirely too much money for a Herman Miller Embody Chair and it has made a world of difference.

 

[BobbyColtrane]

For me, the biggest issue is lack of patience as I age.

I used to be able to replay a level over and over to get good when I was a kid. Now I rage quit after one death.

Yeah I had that for a long time. For me, planning things out helped. Like, if I'm awful at something, I try to turn off the part of my brain saying, "this should be easy" or "this is unfair" and try to turn on the part that asks "how does this WORK?"

43 here. For me. Time is the main thing. Give me a game I can play an hour a time and progress. Otherwise it feels like I’m wasting time. I can watch a film or tv show read a book and make it through so that’s cool but a game where I spend time grinding or just questing. Then no. I think it’s patience also. I also need a hook I can’t really do games that need a get gud or some kind of reference manual to go through before you play. Give me pick up and play. That has depth. Bit depth that is incremental not where you need to manage x and y and the level of complexity is almost a task in and of itself. Not for me.

I'm fortunate because I'm divorced (lol) and I have all the time I need to play games. It doesn't hurt that my gear is a lot better than it was in the 90s lol that keeps me engaged.

I'm 42, been gaming since Atari 2600 and ColecoVision. My main issue isn't physical, it's that modern AAA games are too abundant, too involved, and too long for me to enjoy much. I don't have hours on end to play. Also, my vision. Particularly gritty realistic shooters. I can't see shit anymore... All the shit blurs together far away or something. I just played Skyward Sword last night, and like most Nintendo games, I can see everything, everything pops, I play better and I can finish most Nintendo games (and similar indie games and such).

Thing is, I love gaming as a whole. Every aspect. So I still buy games I end up barely playing just to see the graphics or try new gameplay mechanics. I buy every system. I collect more than play now. It's weird to think.

Yes, I relate to all of this. I have tried to NARROW my gaming interests the past few years because there are so many cool toys to try lol. But focusing on a few games for me facilitates learning games and enjoying them. I started thinking about playing games vs surfing forums or watching videos about games, and then trying to convert that time to actually playing.

Depends on the type of games you play and how long.

At one point I was probably doing 8-12 hour days for months on end. I'd come home from work, jump on and play until the early morning. By the time I hit my mid 30's my wrists were a disaster. I got really bad RSI, so this is how I ended up with a Titan:

So I hacked Skyward Sword and fixed the shitty controls

UPDATE: Here's my finished work: (disclosure: I don't work for Titan but I am a mod on their forum) Also please ignore my input lag and video quality. I am playing on a 10 year old factory second TV that I bought for $200 and filming it with a 5 year old phone...

www.neogaf.com

I needed to automate some shit to continue playing. The first one was sprinting. Why the fuck do you still need to press a button to sprint in most games? Why isn't it analogue / automatic like in Titanfall? (answer: it's a carry over from the old PC days when there were no analogue controls, console devs just continued doing this cause they can't use their fucking brains). So I needed a way to avoid having to repeatedly tap the sprint button. That's where Titan came in. I also use it to remap buttons to fingers that are used less to reduce RSI.

This is an interesting idea because for me, playing with the Switch JoyCons split is very comfortable. I still grip too hard with my right hand but holding my arms in position creates muscle tension for me after a while

 

[jigglet]

Say what? you hack games so you don't have to press buttons?

I have serious RSI in my arm and can't repeatedly tap buttons without my wrist burning up.

Explain to me, why does a game like COD need a sprint button? Why isn't it like Titanfall where it's analogue? Tip it a little bit to walk, push it all the way to sprint? You don't have a sprint button in 3D Mario games, do you?

 

[Magic Carpet]

Reaction times slowing.
My most hated gaming mechanic now is timed based anything.
gaming difficulty hardly ever adjusts timing.
Even the old Portal games are guilty.
A puzzle game with a push a button to open a door then have to do daring sequence of portal placements and jumps before door shuts.
I can eventually kill a a games Boss monster even if tou make it some stupid bullet sponge.
But games with tight timings get deleted with grumbled dismissive headshake of well I was enjoying it till that timed thing ruined it for me.

 

[Markio128]

I’m in my 40’s and Tifa still gives me a boner. So all good.

 

[Kilau]

Physically I haven't noticed any significant changes other than my shit eye sight but it's always been bad. Tiny text made me move my systems to my PC monitor until I got a huge TV. Other than that, maybe if I had time to play for long sessions I would notice physical discomfort.

 

[SirTerry-T]

I'm 49, still play the same games I always have probably with far less skill and patience than 8 or 18 year old me though. I just game for the odd hour of enjoyment and relaxation, I don't treat it as some high impact sport where I think I need stretches and ice baths to get more enjoyment out if it.

 

[Duchess]

44 here. I can see my reactions are slowing a bit. Still able to get by with most games, but having noticed it takes me just that little bit longer to respond to things, I'm giving careful consideration to games.

I finished Spider-Man : Mile Morales (PS5 - Performance RT mode - wow, that game is beautiful!) last night, and I actually found the final battle very challenging, as I wasn't able to keep track of everything that was happening (was it just me, or was the final boss pretty hard?).

I'd like to play Returnal (if ever a save and quit option arrives), but worry I'd not be able to handle the bullet hell nature these days.

I know that by the time this gen is over (6-7 years from now), I'll be 50 and will probably be playing on Easy from then on, and also playing on a laptop so I can more easily read the teeny tiny text that devs are becoming increasingly fond of putting into their games! LOL!

 

[Bartski]

late 30s here and I also got a Herman Miller Aeron which sorts out any back-related issues that I tend to suffer from outside gaming due to minor discopathy.
I sometimes get sore thumbs, more like thumb movement controlling muscles on top of my palm. Happens during binge gaming combat-heavy fast reaction action games.
When it does - no idea how to deal with it other than to take a break. I'll be checking the thread maybe someone got some tips

 

[CAB_Life]

Nothing has changed and I’m in significantly better shape now than I ever was in my 20s. I expect there will be a drop off in mobility/ power/ etc in later decades, but at present you can stave off the worst effects of age way longer than our parents' generations ever could.

I don’t PC game though, as you need very specific ergonomics if you plan on mouse-use and not the controller/ Steam overlay/ TV route. Long term PC use will cripple you without the right setup and planning.

 

[mansoor1980]

old man yells at game ................just kidding everything is fine

 

[TLZ]

Thankfully my reaction times is still good. And thankfully I don't get any pain from gaming. I'm 41 btw. God bless.

Absolutely no patience for shit games though. Used to have all the patience in the world as a kid.

 

[FranXico]

Slower reaction time, less rage quitting (I just give up when I can tell it's not gonna work).

 

[SCB3]

I have serious RSI in my arm and can't repeatedly tap buttons without my wrist burning up.

Explain to me, why does a game like COD need a sprint button? Why isn't it like Titanfall where it's analogue? Tip it a little bit to walk, push it all the way to sprint? You don't have a sprint button in 3D Mario games, do you?

Yes, well at least in 3D World

As for me, I'm 33 and starting to develop carpel tunnel, but not in my thumb, but lower hand (pink and ring finger) that does genuinely hurt after a while, I'm starting to think I sit too low and use a desk (M&KB and WFH) which is not helping as I kinda have to reach up about half an inch to the mouse and wondering if being level or above is better,

Then again, I don't wanna pay over £300 for a new chair right now

 

[Methos#1975]

I saw this article last week and it got me thinking about gaming as you age and your physical limitations. The article is focused on reaction times, but I'm more interested in addressing your body breaking down and continuing to play.

I thought maybe we could share some information about coping with different issues and our favorite hobby as we age.

I'm 44 and my first memories of video games were arcades in the early 80s with Q-Bert, PacMan, Mario Bros, BurgerTime, etc. I suspect that if you're around my age (or older) you have probably experienced pain in your hands/arms/forearms as a result of gaming. I get muscle tension in my shoulders and in my forearms and I have tried different stretches over the years to help.

How do you cope? Stretches, ibuprofen, relaxation techniques? This guy has a pretty good channel with some stretches. I tend to grip the controller really tightly, especially with my right (dominant) hand. I would like to change that but I'm finding it difficult to focus on a challenging game and relax your body at the same time. Lately, my old ass has put a pillow under my arm as I game for support lol.

Have you been able to make changes to how you sit, grip, etc that have been beneficial?

I have never discussed this stuff with a doctor, have any of you?

I would love to get GAF's input on these things, I never see this topic discussed on the board and it feels a little more productive than bitching about Switch specs for 5 years (lol)

Like I said in the title, everyone's opinion is welcome, but people with direct experience or some sort of medical knowledge are probably in the best position to provide helpful input.

45 here. My taste have changed a bit from when I was a youth but that is more due to the changing gamescape than anything age related. When I was in my teens and 20s I played mostly platformers, JRPGS, and Shmups and while I still love those types of games, I play very few today simply because good ones are increasingly rare. As to pains and physical limitations, I haven't any that impacts my gaming habits. I lift heavy pretty much everyday in the gym so that helps tremendously on that front.

 

[ReBurn]

Say what? you hack games so you don't have to press buttons?

Some people can't press buttons.

 

[TonyK]

I'm 47 and I play regularly and normally. I don't play online or competitive, so I'm fine for single player games (TPS, FPS, RPG, adventures, soulsborne etc). I haven't notice a lost in abilities but I definitely have less patience than when I was younger.

 

[Mr Hyde]

I'm turning 40 this year and I'm in great shape physically due to working out several days a week, for many many years. My reflexes are still good, my wrists are solid and never hurt from several hours of play. I play both stationary and handheld and never have any issues with my hands, wrists or fingers. I actually play a lot more skill based games these days which I feel is great exercise for the brain, hands and my reaction time. I also have lots of patience and stress durability, I never get angry or bored if I'm playing difficult games such as Souls-games and such.

I do have limitations though. I rarely game during nighttime anymore. I feel a lot more tired and my eyes hurt and becomes strained when I play too much in the dark or late hours. I make sure I take lots of pauses and rests during my gaming sessions. But other than that, I feel great.

 

[MikeM]

Not over 40, but mid thirties now and been gaming since I was 3. 2 gaming PCs and been strictly console gaming since PS360. Office job.

No issues here, but I am also someone who measures out my food, don't eat anything inflammatory and workout 5 times a week (excluding cardio days). I have found that I only get some odd wrist pain when I don't do my forearm workouts when I am supposed to. I'm in good shape and keep my body fat in the 10-15% range.

To summarize- your body will fall apart if you sit too much and let your muscles atrophy, placing strain on the joints and tendons resulting in pain. This is especially true as you age, so I'd recommend having a good look at your lifestyle and ask yourself if you are doing enough to ensure no muscle loss (and even better- gain muscle) to alleviate undue pressure on your joints. You will likely find a change in your lifestyle will benefit your gaming and life experiences.

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

46 here, my reactions, etc.....are still fine as far as i can tell lol. No issues with that part of it at all. I don't have any issues with muscle tension in my arms either. It probably helps alot that i am very physically active. I workout twice per day, weights in the morning, and then early evening i go for a 45 min walk/jog. I'm also in IT and have worked at a computer, or laptop everyday for work for the last oh.....20 + years lol so maybe my body is just used to screens, and my arms and hands moving around that way.

The only issue with me and gaming as i've aged is time to play lol....life, responsibilities, work, all get in the way sometimes but i refuse to just give up on it. We make time for the hobbies we love, and gaming should be no different.

There are nights too where i'll turn on my PS5 or Switch all ready to play something and then i end up just sitting there for 5-10 minutes looking at all i have to play and i end up on the PS Store or Eshop browsing, and then i may only play something for 5-10 minutes and then that's it for the night. I do still have good long sessions though, like this past weekend for example. I platinumed ( # 45 ) Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart, and i finished Disco Elysium last night.

 

[SoraNoKuni]

This is a thread I have no place in, but I am 27 and I am starting to take care of my wrists and thumbs, especially my thumbs as I am a console gamer since I recall my first memory.

My thumbs sometimes get really sore, and I am pretty sure if I don't take care of myself when I am mid 40s I won't be able to play fast paced games for longer than 15 minutes.

Hope you guys enjoy playing games for years to come.

 

[CyberChulo]

46 here. I've had some thumb joint pain when I started to play more games than usual since I work from home now. I noticed some pain when using the left stick. But I pushed on and after about 2 weeks, the pain was gone. I now play all times of games. Driving games, action games, rpgs. All good. Not sure how long it's going to last though.

 

[Woody337]

I'm 42. Overall I feel the same I did 20 years ago. Like others have said, Time is biggest hurdle now. With that being said I have found myself playing games on an easier difficulty so I can get through them without taking forever with time I no longer have. I still love a good challenge but some times life tells me to not devote that much to gaming.

 

[Loope]

43 here. For me. Time is the main thing. Give me a game I can play an hour a time and progress. Otherwise it feels like I’m wasting time. I can watch a film or tv show read a book and make it through so that’s cool but a game where I spend time grinding or just questing. Then no. I think it’s patience also. I also need a hook I can’t really do games that need a get gud or some kind of reference manual to go through before you play. Give me pick up and play. That has depth. Bit depth that is incremental not where you need to manage x and y and the level of complexity is almost a task in and of itself. Not for me.

44, same thing. If it is a cinematic game that doesn't let me skip cutscenes, then it's bye, next. I just don't have the patience for that crap.

 

[jigglet]

Yes, well at least in 3D World

As for me, I'm 33 and starting to develop carpel tunnel, but not in my thumb, but lower hand (pink and ring finger) that does genuinely hurt after a while, I'm starting to think I sit too low and use a desk (M&KB and WFH) which is not helping as I kinda have to reach up about half an inch to the mouse and wondering if being level or above is better,

Then again, I don't wanna pay over £300 for a new chair right now

Ok if you're only starting to feel it, you need to take care of that shit ASAP you don't want to end up like me. These are the biggest tips I have:

1) Get a chair with arm rests and make sure your arms are either parellel to your desk or tilting slightly down. Never have your arms raised up with your wrists sitting at a higher level than your elbows. Don't let the blood flow away from your fingers as it fucks with circulation.

2) Get a wrist rest if you're using a tall mechanical keyboard. You never want your wrist on an angle. Same goes with your mouse hand. If your wrist has even the slightest angle, it puts extra pressure on your tendons as you articulate your fingers. It's not good.

3) If there's a button that you need to press repeatedly (e.g. sprint, jump), dual map it. Put one on your keyboard and one on your mouse. That way you're spreading out the pressing of it.

4) Put one of these on while playing games. I've tried many different types of wrist supports but a plain old compression bandage is by far the best:

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.xN_inho2wj7UZBJV5tq05QHaHa%26pid%3DApi&f=1

5) If it gets really bad, you need to start using macros like me. Titan Two is sublime.

 

[CeeJay]

i'm 46. I don't think i have been forced to alter anything to counter the physical toll that gaming can take although that could be due to the types of games I play along with a forced limit on my gaming time due to family commitments.

I have never really played the fastest paced shooters which I think are probably the type of games that put the most strain on your hands and arms. I did used to play a lot of platform games although nowadays I don't really tend to play those very much at all, they just don't appeal to me any more. The types of games that I have always enjoyed are sims, city builders, strategy and management type games which are not very physically demanding at all so I have not seen any diminishment in skill level with these, if anything my performance has improved with the wisdom that adulthood brings. The fastest pace games I play are racing games which although fast moving do not necessarily require fast twitch reactions most of the time, they are more about steady and smooth progressive input with good spatial awareness.

My gaming sessions are seldom more than a couple of hours at a time and have been that way for the last decade and a half at least. And its not like I get to game everyday either with what can sometimes be weeks in between short bursts of these short sessions. Family life simply gets in the way of gaming far too often.

I think that if you are getting physical pain in your hands and limbs from gaming that you don't get in your normal daily life then covering them up with painkillers is a bad idea, you are clearly doing yourself harm damage that could lead to something more permanent and debilitating. Its simply not worth it. Listen to what your body is telling you and make changes accordingly. Is it the types of games that you are playing? Is it your posture? Is it simply that the sessions are too long? Make a mental note of what it is that you are actually doing and try to narrow down which part of your behaviour is causing the problems and try to mitigate against it.

It seems like you have narrowed your issues down to posture and controller grip. This is undoubtedly caused by deeply engrained bad habits that you fall into when you get into deep concentration while gaming, you need to get yourself out these bad habits one way or another. If you are sitting on a sofa try sitting at a desk instead, try a different control method (mouse instead of controller, maybe go southpaw if on controller) that forces you to entirely relearn the muscle memory and maybe you can learn not to be so tense with your grip. Essentially force yourself to relearn where you can learn good habits. Way easier said than done though

 

[Bernd Lauert]

Since becoming an old fart a couple years ago I've implemented a yoga routine. It really helps. I also do some arm and wrist stretches during long gaming sessions. At one point in the past my wrist was pretty bad and I couldn't rotate it without my hand starting to shake. Now it's flawless again. You need to stretch, fellow old farts.

 

[ZywyPL]

Mid/late 20s is when your reflex starts to slowly but surely getting worse, and there's nothing you can do with it, so sooner or later you have to accept that you're not owning the servers anymore like you used to, and your're getting beaten by 15-20yo kids whose reaction time is simply so much faster than yours, and they have way more time to practice. But that's an issue only in online games, for SP player titles age/physical condition isn't an issue at all, and if it somehow is then you can always tweak down the difficulty level and enjoy the story, the biggest concern is the time you have and you're willing to spend on video games. Like many already mentioned, any sort of backtracking, grinding, mastering etc. is a no-go in later years.

 

[Keihart]

I've changed the way i grip the control for some games or changed controls completely, i've managed to have no problems with wrist pain due to gaming anymore.
The big thing for me was stop doing the claw grip for some fighting games thus learning to use an arcade stick, been playing on arcades since highschool so it wasn't all that hard.
The second big thing was to stop playing fast paced games like FPSs with Mouse and Keyboard, that shit destroy wrists....surprisingly enough, most of the FPSs i like are completely fine with a DS4 even against other Keyboard and mouse players.
I also managed to have enough space on my desktop to not have floating elbows while sitting at the computer typing or whatever which helped a lot too.

I still haven't felt the slow down in reflexes that people say to experience with age, if anything, i'm able to react to harder shit now since i've kinda learned what to look out for in games when trying to make a read in an action game or a fighting game or whatever.

Gaming has became easier with age if anything, games that i used to struggle as a kid i can clear way easier now.

 

[Orpheum]

For me, the biggest issue is lack of patience as I age.

I used to be able to replay a level over and over to get good when I was a kid. Now I rage quit after one death.

This x100 But for me it's not about retrying after a death it's more about rushing through the game. I might have days or even weeks in between gaming sessions and i tend to lose track when trying to get back into it or i'm dropping the game altogether. Because of this i tend to not pay attention or skipping through cutscenes or story expositions and i don't get half of the story

 

[Xeaker]

I am playing games for 26 years and have not gotten any pain or body problems yet.
My skill is as good as ever.

 

[BobbyColtrane]

"I need to start exercising - the thread"

 

[intbal]

If a game has constant button mashing QTEs, I have to skip it (Dante's Inferno, I'm looking at you).
That kind of repetitive stress action will eventually shut down my hands/wrists for a couple of days.
Thankfully, that is mostly an outdated gameplay feature.

 

[jufonuk]

Speaking of which. In regards to short play times and progressing. How is the Witcher 3? I want to get it on the switch and play it an hour at a time. Is it such a game you can do this or not ? How complex is it ?
Been on a game of thrones kick and I want to play a game with a nice storyline tied to nice battles etc. Is the Witcher this kind of game or anything that could scratch that itch on the switch.