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[subsmoke]

I just turned 31 a couple months ago and one of the things I worry about when it comes to getting older is not being as good at games as I am now. I play to have fun but I'm pretty competitive too and I care about winning, and I know that when I hit middle-age and beyond that my skill is going to suffer and I won't be able to keep up with the younger crowd. I guess as long as I have a positive KD in multiplayer games I'll be happy, even if it's only 1.1 or whatever.

 

[Allnamestakenlol]

Already happened. My reaction time and hand-eye coordination have gone to shit. Started around my mid-thirties, maybe? I mean, I've never been great at FPS games, but I always did well with fast-paced platformers and racing games. I'm pretty terrible at both now. =/

Edit: I'm creeping into my mid-forties...

 

[Danjin44]

Meh, I'm not really competitive and not really in to MP games. I only play games for my own enjoyment, nothing more nothing less.

 

[DreamsiclesPlz]

I've always sucked at most video games. IDGAF. I'm 31 as well and old NES/SNES platformers seem to have gotten harder lol

 

[Nymphae]

Unless you're competing, I don't see why it should matter that much. And even then, you've got guys like Alex Valle in their what, late 40's (ok he's 40 lol), killing it regularly against up and coming top talent. Practice and take care of yourself, and you'll be able to play games at a high level for decades.

I was listening to the Ultrachen podcast a few days ago and they were talking about how there are lots of examples of highly skilled professionals working with their hands into old age, painters, surgeons, etc.

 

[epicnemesis]

I’m turning 33 this year and it’s already noticeable. I don’t know if it’s an age thing or a life change thing but I am just not competitive online. I think it’s more a lack of time than it is a regression of reflexes or whatever. I probably play less than 5% what I played back in the day.

 

[Hinedorf]

I'm 36 and a bigger problem with losing skill is losing time to sharpen skills. Multiplayer games just don't hold the same weight as they did when I was younger with more free time.

To be really good at any one online game does take a certain amount of skill development and time. I really thought For Honor was one of the coolest new games I had played in a long while but I found that to go from good to really good took a level of time and dedication I just no longer possess.

Losing skill isn't half as scary as not having the time to get it back even if you wanted to.

 

[Allnamestakenlol]

Unless you're competing, I don't see why it should matter that much. And even then, you've got guys like Alex Valle in their what, late 40's, killing it regularly against up and coming top talent. Practice and take care of yourself, and you'll be able to play games at a high level for decades.

In my case, it only matters in that games I used to enjoy are becoming more frustrating to play, and it sucks.

 

[Highway Star]

It has already happened to me. The real reason isn't age though. It's because I don't have the time to game as much as I like, and your skills take a hit. I find that if I play for a couple of hours on the same game, I improve as I go. Then it will be a week or so until I get back to playing the that game again. In the Summer time I game a whole lot less.

 

[Sqorin Hammerfarf]

Since I've been playing Soulcalibur 6 recently, having been a huge Soulcalibur player back in my 20s... I've still got it. It's amazing how quickly that muscle memory comes back. And not to toot my own horn, but my own horn still toots for Ivy, so I'm not dead downstairs just yet.

The only thing I've noticed about being old is that the "tip of the tongue" memory farts are way more frequent. I need to go back to that city... what was it called? Started with a K, I think. Maybe a C. With the people in the hats? Damn it, what was that? Where am I? Who are you? Is Regan still president?

 

[anthraticus]

No, cause I don't do mp/online.

 

[Norse]

This is why I've always wanted games to have difficulty settings. I'm older and don't have time to get better at games. Giving me an option to lower the difficulty allows me to experience more of/rest of the game I purchased.

 

[The Bloody-Nine]

Forty, and I don't think I'm any better or worse than when I was sixteen. Including games like CoD, etc. Still just average.

 

[Kamina]

What skills, lol?

But honestly, i have not become worse with the types of games i am usually playing. And I always sucked at fighting games anyway.

 

[Verdanth]

If life allows me I think Ill be gaming until my last days.

However I've already lost skills in gaming. I remember when I could play my ISS Pro Evo Soccer 2 on 5 stars level and owned that shit. Now I'm rapped on normal level.

 

[Yoshi]

I enjoy games that are challenging, so if my skill level drops, then more games are challenging to me, and some games get more enjoyable. That being said, since I primarily play single player, I do not think that a loss of skill will play a huge role for quite a bit of time still. It may drop, but without direct competition, it will probably not be that noticable on its own.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Nah, because experienced players are still doing fine as long as they keep up a basic level of practice. Justin Wong talked about this a few weeks ago. I am currently playing games at a higher skill level than at any point in my life.

I haven't noticed a loss of reaction time. Most high-level play involves a complex layering of muscle-memory skills and adaptive skills. The more complicated the game, the less your reflexes play a role in how well you do. So, I think this is a misunderstanding of high-level play, cousin to the people who ask "will input lag make me worse at a game?"

Obviously, it's a factor, but when you start playing at higher levels there are far more considerations than how quickly someone can react and press a button. If reflexes were so important, we would see young pups waltz into the FGC and take tournaments, year after year. This sort of upset is incredibly rare, though, so I must infer that the decline of reflexes in adulthood is not a driving factor for the skill gap.

 

[Gamernyc78]

I'm 40 and my skills are just as good as ever. I be whippin these young gamers asses in Fortnite and Blackout.

 

[MC Safety]

I just turned 31 a couple months ago and one of the things I worry about when it comes to getting older is not being as good at games as I am now. I play to have fun but I'm pretty competitive too and I care about winning, and I know that when I hit middle-age and beyond that my skill is going to suffer and I won't be able to keep up with the younger crowd. I guess as long as I have a positive KD in multiplayer games I'll be happy, even if it's only 1.1 or whatever.

"Things fall apart; The center cannot hold." -- W.B .Yeats

It's no spoiler alert, but you'll lose everything as you grow old: Your pets, the people you love, hair, health, your video game skills. What you'll gain, hopefully, is maturity and perspective. As in, the understanding that your kill-to-death ratio is the dumbest thing to be concerned about.

 

[hybrid_birth]

I've noticed in games I have to turn the difficulty down. But i contribute that to mental illness and not age. I still enjoy some challenge, but it can end up being frustrating and I just quit the game. I mostly play games for the escapism and story.


As for online multiplayer games, I don't play anymore.

 

[Son_of_Zardoz]

Oh yes. Just hit 40 not that long ago and I've noticed it. Not like I'm terrible but have definitely slowed down. I play online with my brothers and a couple of friends who are all around the same age and are in the same boat. Funny thing is my oldest son is 11 and he's a damn beast. He's rapidly approaching the age where he can play some of the more mature shooters I play and I look forward to his skill canceling out the fall off in mine. Much of it I'm sure has to do with not having nearly as much time to game now, and not being able to play as long (work with hands all day and have various old sports injuries).

 

[Dee Dah Dave]

Lost em years ago. Some of it is definitely age and the rest is just that I can’t be arsed anymore.

I will buy the new trials game this month and be shit at it. I also know I won’t have the patience to improve much. It is what it is.

 

[theHFIC]

200+ hours in PUBG and not one solo chicken dinner makes me think it has already happened to me.

 

[VertigoOA]

Been gaming since ... 8 years of age... now 33.

I’m better and far more proficient with all games and drastically better with those genres I’ve kept playing over the decades.

 

[splattered]

I seem to still be doing alright for the most part... the only game that I really feel i'm slipping on is the new COD but hey it's twitch play and crazy fast kill/death times. I'll be turning 39 this year.

 

[j0hnnix]

too late.. it's happening. lol

 

[Imtjnotu]

I seem to be doing fine. If I take a break from an fps I notice my skills lack some.

But if I'm playing an fps on a regular basis, my other games seem to go alot smoother

 

[God Enel]

I still am okay at shit like dota and jump and runs and so on, but when I played fortnite at my brothers place with my nephew I was overwhelmed with the controls. There are so many buttons to press and I just can’t figure it out fast enough to build a wall switch to shooting us the axe to harvest shut.
My brain is too fucking slow nowadays.

 

[lefty1117]

I think skills can be maintained as the years pass by but I always marvel at how quickly my teen kids pick up new games, the learning curve and "vision" they have. These days it takes me more time time to get up to speed, I'm not gonna lie, but once I get going I'm just as likely to finish ahead of them on a leaderboard.

 

[Mochilador]

Nope but I'm afraid of getting something like carpal tunnel.

 

[ienjoyrawfish]

I'm 29 and feel like I'm better at games than I've ever been.

I sometimes revisit games I used to play back in the day and frequently find myself breezing through sections that gave me no end of trouble as a kid.

 

[888]

I haven’t lost the single player skills. I lost the time to play MP games enough to keep up with all the ins and outs.

 

[Solo Act]

It's happened to me in my 30's. It annoys me, and I definitely notice it. That said, it doesn't really "worry" me. I was never a multiplayer gamer and I just set the games to easy mode now.

 

[Solo Act]

Nope but I'm afraid of getting something like carpal tunnel.

I've read that video games are actually good for treating/reducing carpal tunnel and arthritis because you give your hands a frequent workout. That's probably more true for using an ergonomic gamepad than a KBM setup though.

 

[Vawn]

Tom Brady just won another Super Bowl at 41 and you are worried about your declining video game skills at 31? Go eat some avocado ice cream and get back to it.

 

[Jigsaah]

I'm 37 and I dominate in Tekken 7 and Apex Legends. I do find i have limit. I just can't grasp the building on Fortnite.

 

[Seraphym]

It's happened to me in my 30's. It annoys me, and I definitely notice it. That said, it doesn't really "worry" me. I was never a multiplayer gamer and I just set the games to easy mode now.

In my 40's, beyond PvE multiplayer just solo and happy to enjoy the ride.
Growing old (dis) gracefully

 

[JimiNutz]

Things have probably slowed down a bit but I was never that good anyway and I'm certainly not bad enough that I can't still enjoy online MP (I'm 33).

I do play more SP games now though and I think eventually I may only play SP games but I think that's a long way off still.

 

[Karppuuna]

You don't need reflex in gaming, it's hand eye coordination and age don't effect that so much. It's same thing with racing drivers, there are lot's of good driver how are 40-50.

 

[Vawn]

I'm 37 and I dominate in Tekken 7 and Apex Legends. I do find i have limit. I just can't grasp the building on Fortnite.

I hear you. I'm 39 and I can't grasp the appeal of Fortnite.

 

[Allnamestakenlol]

I've read that video games are actually good for treating/reducing carpal tunnel and arthritis because you give your hands a frequent workout. That's probably more true for using an ergonomic gamepad than a KBM setup though.

Interesting if true. Might help explain why I'm the only one in the office without wrist problems, and I'm also the only one who games for a significant amount of hours each week.

 

[93xfan]

I’m 36 and I try ti Accomplish things I’ve never been able to do before to help me feel better about gaming and getting older.

In the last year or two, I’ve beaten Mega Man 2, gotten to the final Boss in Ninja Gaiden and beaten every level of Super Mario Bros 3 without using items from the menu or cheesing anything.

I also still play shooters and fighters and other modern games.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

skills? no. time to play? yes.

never been a MP person much, so i dont even worry about losing skills to stay competitive.

 

[StormCell]

I don't think gaming skills diminish with age like that. It's like anything, really, that if you don't sharpen it then it will get dull. The only thing that happens with age is you lose whatever your peak could be. This isn't athletics where your peak diminishes and your ability to keep up with the younger players disappears with it. I seriously doubt many on this board have achieved their peak "gaming skill."

Maybe go find a dojo close by. Learn discipline. Get into peak shape. Realize your potential.

 

[TGO]

I'm always at the top or MVP.
So no, I think the experience adds to my skill.
Recently completed Onimusha and did it in just over two Hours on my first run, way faster then I did when I was 18..... I think I was 18?

 

[Raven117]

I guess I have never been awesome at them, so now that im now older, it still feels about the same.

 

[shark sandwich]

Things I’m concerned about losing as I get older:

1. Health
2. Memory
3. Ability to get boners
4. Ability to learn new things
5. Hair

.....


9999. Skill at video games

 

[TacosNSalsa]

Nope..whiskey/rum tells me I'm the best Street Fighter player in the NYC tristate...and that I can dance too...

 

[Mingen]

Believe me, if you do not stop playing, you will not lose your talent, no matter how old you are

 

[Sentenza]

40 years old going for 41 now. I'm already fairly bad and the only reason I didn't give up on shooters completely is PRECISELY my deliberate decision to stick to the genre (sparsely) regardless of how I bad tend to be, as some sort of mental training.
To extend out of my comfort zone and to keep testing my reflexes will pair well with some physical training I already do to mitigate mental aging. At least that's the hope.