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Your body and gaming as you age (40+ gamers opinions' solicited, all input welcome)

Justin9mm

Member
I'm 38 so still on the younger side lol. Been gaming since really young, maybe 5 years old or so, started with Commodore 64.

I think I have much less patience now. My attention span has worsened. Reaction times have slowed dramatically. I'm pretty sure I have some sort of injury in my wrists and hands from gaming all these years, I can't do long periods of gaming, I need more frequent breaks.

Still love games as much as ever though. I love seeing gaming evolve and always looking forward to seeing what's new.
 

Fredrik

Member
45 and I can still play old school shmups well enough and I’m going through Demon’s Souls as we speak, it’s going okay I think.

My eyes are crap though, but I honestly think it’s alright, no point wasting system resources on 4K resolution so everything runs smoothly on my PC. It’s annoying to see console games focus on resolution though since all I see is less stable framerates. I want video options so I can correct this.
VR is slightly difficult since I can just barely fit the glasses inside the headset, but it’s doable.

I have a bad back too from rheumatism which makes longer play sessions a no-no.

And tinnitus so some sounds are brutal for my ears.

But all in all, still doing okay and no plans to stop gaming until I can’t physically do it anymore. Biggest problem is to find the time to play.
 

Impotaku

Member
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.
That must be just you, i'm 44 and play an obscene amount of rhythm games my reaction times are just as good as ever the only thing that does take a little longer is the learning part when i was a bit younger i could learn DDR songs pretty quickly with some been totally comitted to memory but now it takes work to learn rhythm game charts at the higher levels. When you play that stuff on harder modes you are tested to the max with reaction time & sight reading. Can still hold my own in linked arcade matches on jubeat & sound voltex those 2 and taiko no tatsujin.

When you play stuff like this in the arcade everyone stops to watch around you lol, ahh sound voltex why will you never come to home consoles.
 
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AJUMP23

Member
I know I am slower than other people when it comes to Call of Duty, but I do pretty good at Rocket League. Some guys my age that I play with are incredible at CoD, and playing with them we win all the time.
 

Schorschi

Member
I am 56 old.. I play no more multiplayer, i am way too slow. Aside from Racing games. I play Returnal over 10 hours, i don't manage to Beat the first Boss, but It's a lot of fun for me to play this fantastic game. Iam slow in my age, birthyear 1964, but i love to play videogames. Greetings from Germany.
 

tr1p1ex

Member
slower, fatter and a massive helping of been there, done that has been my experience. ...by the latter I just mean a lot of games coming out don't excite me. It is just the same stuff I played before or the same headaches and ...I just can't bring myself to put hours into that stuff. I would rather type comments on message boards.

also find that by concentrating only on one online game, Battlefield, for example, that I can still compete enough to have fun online on pubs and kill more than I die. ...but that was playing a few hours a night and having had played that franchise for 20 years almost now. I haven't played in ~4 months now.

I did find that not eating does wonders for losing weight. Who would have thought.
 
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Tschumi

Member
All I know is that at roughly the same time I expanded despite moderate exercise, my favourite gaming youtuber, or similar age to me, became a total podger because he apparently spends all day gaming. Keep on riding bikes!
 

Gaelyon

Gold Member
51 here, i'm okay and can play long sessions fine. Of course i'm not that good at MP games and lack patience for git gud games except souls games. I did beat Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, the Dark souls... but not Sekiro even though i like it, too hard to master but 10 years ago i would probably beat it.

I've started to make some exercice again (mostly bicycle and some walking) and i feel an improvement to my tonus/energy as i still pass way too much time sitting ever playing or desk working.
 

jason10mm

Gold Member
Early in lockdown i was able to play a TON of witcher3, like 6-8 hours a day, and really jacked up my neck because i was sitting in front of the tv but had to tile my head up because i was hunched over. Took MONTHS for the pain to resolve.

On the couch i get stiff hip flexors, so i try to get up and stretch every now and then.

Sticking to the xbox or switch pro controllers helps a lot with my hands because those are big and ergonomic. Just the joycons or back when i had a ps3, that was a recipe for claw hand pain.

Really, if you are still in your 20s/early 30s, START YOGA NOW!!!! I've lost so much flexibility from my martial art days, i dont think i can ever get it back. Yoga or at least a solid stretching routine would have really helped.
 

junguler

Banned
i'm 30 and really fat, i get neck, ass and back pain if i play for more than 2 hours at a time. i also have motion sickness issues and can't play first person games anymore, low field of view, flashing lights and white screens in games also bother me a lot. i play pretty much only single player or pve games.

i do some stretches here and there and do a 1 to 2 hour walk every day which helps somewhat and i've been losing some weights which also helps but it don't think i can go back to those 5-6 hour game sessions anymore. my mind would pretty much like that but my body just can't take it like it's used to.

it's as expected tho and i've made peace with it, my 16 yo cousin comes to our house every week so i can teach him some english via watching movies with subs and it amazes me how he never wastes a minute of his time, i say to him let's take a 5 minute break and i go lay down but he just opens his cellphone and plays games on it, i tell to myself i used to be that guy and know what he feels but i just can't act like him anymore.
 
Getting older sucks when it comes to gaming (I passed the 40 yr old threshold a while back).

I've definitely slowed down in shooters, not as good as I used to be but that's not the issue. It's that I don't have time since I can't stay up late like I used to. I really only like playing when I can play coop with friends/fam or multi with them and if nobody's on I don't really bother.

Main issue right now is injuries. I bent my middle finger sideways in an injury a couple of years ago and only got an xray and splint. (It wasn't broken but wasn't investigated by doc any further at the time). So now I can't hold a controller very long without it hurting very bad. Need to eventually get it fixed.
 

SCB3

Member
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:


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

I got a long wrist mat recently and thats really helps, as did getting a new lower desk (its an old Dining table actually, but works really well)

i think I may need to invest in a new chair, I sit in it all day when working with occasional breaks, but its kinda falling apart these days
 

lachesis

Member
48 here. Physically I'm doing okay - but sometimes I do get wrist pain. That happened when I was in 20s - most because I work on computer all day - so I tend to use stylus pen as my mouse as much as possible... and that's one of the reason that I don't like to play with mouse + keyboard on PC.

The biggest issue is that modern games have tiny fonts and have a big issue playing on smaller screen without glasses...
 

jigglet

Banned
I got a long wrist mat recently and thats really helps, as did getting a new lower desk (its an old Dining table actually, but works really well)

i think I may need to invest in a new chair, I sit in it all day when working with occasional breaks, but its kinda falling apart these days

Here's the logic that convinced me to invest in a high end (~$1k) office chair:

People sleep 6-8 hours a day and will spend thousands on a good mattress.

Meanwhile the average white collar worker + gamer will spend potentially up to 12 hours a day on a chair, yet they balk at the idea of spending more than a few hundred dollars on a chair.

It makes no sense, take care of your back and wrists, it'll cost a lot more to fix if you ruin them.
 

INC

Member
flat screen games are more or less dead to me, just the same shit, nothing but fetch quests, follow the arrow blah blah blah, makes me fall a sleep now

shooters are full of cheaters

VR is the only real medium i enjoy now, and thats beyond stale (for games i like), but at least actually being present in the game is a new experience......but my knees cant handle more than a few hours, before giving out again
 
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GymWolf

Member
I was better with stuff like ninja gaiden or street fighter when i was a child but i'm better at shooting stuff and with rpgs as an adult.
 

Ellery

Member
Here's the logic that convinced me to invest in a high end (~$1k) office chair:

People sleep 6-8 hours a day and will spend thousands on a good mattress.

Meanwhile the average white collar worker + gamer will spend potentially up to 12 hours a day on a chair, yet they balk at the idea of spending more than a few hundred dollars on a chair.

It makes no sense, take care of your back and wrists, it'll cost a lot more to fix if you ruin them.

People hate paying a lot for things that aren't exciting.

They can easily buy a 2000$ graphics card to turn shadows from High to Ultra and not see a difference at all. Not even on screenshots.

But when it is about a chair then people are hesitant to pay more than 100-200$.

Buying a Herman Miller Aeron one of the best purchase decisions I have ever made. Yes it is extremely expensive, but not having a good chair is even more expensive.
 

RJMacready73

Simps for Amouranth
I find my time extremely limited so I don't got time to gitgud, I just slap the game into easy mode if I hit a tough patch, there where some boss fights in God of War, Witcher3 and TLOU2 i had to knock down whereas young me would just hammer through until I beat them.

I also don't got time for MP games as you need to be constantly playing the same game over and over to remain competitive and if the game throws a grind fest in front of me I just bail on it as again I can't be arsed.

And to think I was completing Ghosts and Goblins, Jetset willy, resi evil and old skool tomb raider
 

Putonahappyface

Gold Member
I've noticed I don't have the stamina to game for twelve hours straight anymore. Also I won't grind for a platinum trophy anymore if it means multiple play throughs, my paitance is gone.
 
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Kenpachii

Member
I hear a lot of people through the years try stretching or training for there wrist to not fuck up playing for years, but the reality is it isn't helping for the simple fact that muscles don't work this way.

I got a lot of experience with muscle training through my decade + of triathlon and frankly even sitting behind a PC is the same thing. Its a endurance sport for your wrists most of all and people don't realize this which results iin them fucking there wrist even further up.

Think about, running for a few hours and your muscles are completely sore, then u think well maybe i need to power train those muscles with heavy lifting because that will relax them. Uh no aint happening u will just injure yourself more and harder.

I had friends of mine that had issue's playing games for long periods of time because of wrist pain. And frankly the solution to this isn't training its adjusting the way u play it.

Some games are brutal on the wrists. For example dragonballz kakarot with a keyboard and mouse = relocate buttons. Shift pressing 1234 and press F or something like that will stretch your muscles in your wrist excessively and make it itch after a while. What u need to do is relocate keys to make sure your pinky isn't getting stretched and your hand is in a resting state again always with easy to press buttons with barely any movement. This is why i hate games that require 90% of the time pressing a button to run. running should just be default it and heavy combinations of shift + 1234 and then FRG buttons need to be banned already from ever being a thing.

BDO is a good example of this, absolute a pain to play on a keyboard and mouse and kills wrists because your left hand is in constant tension.

But now lets talk about the wrist on the mouse which is probably people's biggest problem.

I put a few pictures together to showcase why muscles get fucked, and if you see it like this it makes total sense if you actually understand what the muscles are doing and performing.

Here are good examples.

AdobeStock_61692293-1024x658.jpg


Why is this bad? your wrist wasn't made to be holded in a stressed bend state for hours.all the muscles around the wrist will be in a tension state. U are basically doing heavy endurance on your wrist. And if you do this without proper recovery time your muscles will get fucked to the point your whole arm will be resting on your bursas which will also get fucked and yea gg then.

nsplsh_50383255456a545f484873~mv2.jpg


Also bad, mouse is way to big, hand can't fit around it propperly or over it which result in tension on the wrist even while support is good.

images


Again bad, all the weight of your arm rests on your wrist.

prevent-wrist-pain.jpg


Also bad, your wrist gets pulled down and stretched by having to support your entirely arm.

s-l400.jpg


Bad why?, get rid of those things under his wrist, it puts pressure on them from below which u shouldn't want to have at any moment specially when muscles need to run free.

What''s a good way for your wrist to function well? Right support for your arm.


nsplsh_50383255456a545f484873~mv2.jpg


This is actaully really good how she supports her arm. her arm is basically resting on her elbow area and the weight of her arm isn't pressuring on her wrist at all. If she would put her arm more forwards instead of sharp bend like that, and have a better mouse position her wrists will never tire. as there is no pressure on it its in a rest state.


medium_plus_99838-Other-Brands-LZ-1102-Wrist-Rests-Mouse-Pads-Ergonomic-Mouse-Wrist-Rest-and-Elbow-Pad.jpg


Another good example, good support for the arm sadly absolute dog shit mouse position which is still going to slam his wrist into the pain game. But arm is propperly supported, no pressure on the wrist and that's what u want ( pure arm here everything else is bad ) even that support thingy under his wrist.

Then we get to the mouse part where your wrist also gets taxed like hell.

How do you not hold a mouse examples:

maxresdefault.jpg


04-zowie-mouse.jpg



How-To-Claw-Grip-Your-Mouse.jpg


Why not? insane tension on your fingers that burn your muslces to the ground. Your arm and wrist needs to feel they are in a relaxed state and this is stressing the muscles on the wrist out like nothing else.

How to hold a mouse right:

03-zowie-mouse.jpg


Now look at the fingers and wrist, what do you see? its almost like they are sleeping. There is no stress on your fingers, there is no stres on your arm, there is no stress on your wrist. Your wirst doesn't even know its been used. put your entire fingers over the mouse keys and press with the entire finger not just the top of your finger. If you got big hands on a small mouse this is also fine.

I am talking here about the opening from mouse away from the palm, the fingers here aren't propperly supported by the mouse but its a example of just that, his actual position is bad because his fingers should be over the mouse or ontop of the mouse buttons.

hqdefault.jpg


Basically stop ramming the mouse into your palm, let only your fingers rest on it. .

Then about support stuff like this.

9665002-4.jpg


http%3A%2F%2Fimages.kent2015.com%2Fimages%2F20%2F03%2Fv%2F91000900%2F3.jpg


Absolute garbage, even the green picture, just look at the insane stress on he wrist as the entire arm + hand is now resting on it. this is a good way to get wrist problems.

In short everything together this is the best position by far and it will result in absolute zero stress on your wrist or any of your fingers or your arm, it feels like for your muscles that they are sleeping.

RH071-Arm-table_white-background.jpg


The arm not in a straight line downwards which put a lot of pressure on the arm if you do its in a bend state forwards like this. which means the majority of weight is going on the table and the muscles are in a optimal relax state + blood flow is by far the best. Her hand is in a pure relaxed state and basically just resting on a mouse with movements once in a while and honestly that arm will never tire. And she will never get injury's.

Now obvously her sitting position is utter trash but that's a chair thing. This is purely arm.

Now lets move to chair position.

This is almost perfect. ( screen needs to be higher up so he doesn't have to look down or a bigger screen entirely would be better )

correct-sitting-position-at-workstation-with-computer-picture-id598056392


total back support, head support, arms are well located. table which gives the best arm support u can get for a mouse. In short this guy will sit there for 4 hours stand up and walk straight out of the building without any problems. And can do this forever because no muscles in his body are getting stressed.

Yes a propper chair ( don't buy those gamer chairs they are horrible ) costs you money. Mine that i currently got costed me 2-3 grand. However u look at it this way. if you spend more time on a chair then anywhere else then why would you not spend money on it.

I bike 15k km's a year, i don't buy a shitty as bike, i buy a bike that has everything specially designed and costed me 8 grand. But that's insane for a bike ? not when u spend more time on it then in your car. it becomes a whole different ball game.




in short from what i notice, a lot of people get injuries or pains or feel like they are getting older and that's probably the case. well yes it is the case because your recovery is far slower. When i was 18, i could basically run and be recovered the next day, now i am 35 i need my rest or i need suppliments to push my body in to a faster recovery state. However with the propper position and tools u will never tire or get injured.

Invest some time and money and your life will improve massively.
 
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Shmunter

Member
47 and feeling fine. Gaming wise only the finest for me, no time for trash or filler.

Dropped cod a few good months ago, but going solo into Modern Warefare Gunfight I’m often teamed up with people half my age and show them how it’s done 😜

Gym 3 times a week, good run, and eat whatever the fuck I want!

Go hard on alcohol only when social occasion calls for it so it’s not overly often. Otherwise a bit of weed for some gaming is much lighter on the system.

Will play till the day I die.
 
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SCB3

Member
People hate paying a lot for things that aren't exciting.

They can easily buy a 2000$ graphics card to turn shadows from High to Ultra and not see a difference at all. Not even on screenshots.

But when it is about a chair then people are hesitant to pay more than 100-200$.

Buying a Herman Miller Aeron one of the best purchase decisions I have ever made. Yes it is extremely expensive, but not having a good chair is even more expensive.
Pretty much, its something I need to look at better, same for a bed/mattress recently
 

_BC_

Member
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 ... at 57 i have plenty of life challenges ... when i play video games i dont want another obstacle to overcome ... praise to ratchet for the "no die" option
 
40+ here and as I get older I am noticing that I am becoming intolerant when I play online, when I find myself in teams of not very capable people/newbies... maybe because they don't play too much... or because they don't have opposable thumbs, IDK... :pie_roffles: before I didn't care much, I played and enjoyed myself without being pretentious.
Now I get pissed off pretty fast.
Even my reflexes are certainly not those of when I was twenty or less ... I have been playing since I was 6/7 years old, I think my tastes in videogames have changed too, but playing remains one of my favorites pastimes.
 

jigglet

Banned
Pretty much, its something I need to look at better, same for a bed/mattress recently

Pro tip: go second hand.

People get disgusted at the thought of a second hand chair. Someone's ass has been on it! Therefore cause there's no demand the prices are in the pits.

But think about the demographic that buys a $1-2k chair. They're not exactly slobs. They're unlikely to be the sort to let it go to hell. Some great deals to be had.
 
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Monokrom

Member
Born in 1975 (soon to be 46) and still gaming on, but I don't play online games anymore (Diablo 3 aside). I don't have the same patience either so no Demon's Souls/Dark Souls games in my collection. I love co-op games too. :)
 
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Chiggs

Member
I am 41. I think gaming keeps me sharp, quite frankly. I platinum'd Demons Souls just recently.

Only thing I cannot stand are unskippable cut scenes, and what those bastards did to Doom Eternal.
 

Mossybrew

Member
At 47 I don't feel like I have any physical limitations or problems with gaming, but as some of you have mentioned I do feel I have less patience with games. I want fun, not frustration, and while of course I appreciate some level of challenge, games like Souls-likes that require a lot of repetition to "git gud", sorry I just don't have time for that.
 

j0hnnix

Member
Turned 40, really still enjoy soulsborneNioh games, reaction is down for FPS games but this is also attributed to wanting to invest less times into these games and use them as a fun distraction. I have moved more into story based games.

Physically games never had much Impact, pre covid I would schedule my time to maintain myself work, gym, gaming, so not much Impact besides covid lock down annoying me.

I do find I have less patience for kids in games. if it isn't my son f them little loud bastards in overwatch.
 

Kenpachii

Member
40+ here and as I get older I am noticing that I am becoming intolerant when I play online, when I find myself in teams of not very capable people/newbies... maybe because they don't play too much... or because they don't have opposable thumbs, IDK... :pie_roffles: before I didn't care much, I played and enjoyed myself without being pretentious.
Now I get pissed off pretty fast.
Even my reflexes are certainly not those of when I was twenty or less ... I have been playing since I was 6/7 years old, I think my tastes in videogames have changed too, but playing remains one of my favorites pastimes.

I notice this myself, i was big on counterstrike back when i was a teenager or other competitive games always wanted to be the best. Now i couldn't care if i ended up in any ranking even under gun point. I just there to have some fun and chill out with people or look around in a game to architectures like in AC games and appriciate the view.

My taste completely shifted.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
I'm 40 next year, I'd say I can do pretty much everything I used to minus my acrobatics which is more to do with my added weight, I can still do most things but I do it with less finesse.
The weight isn't noticeable really but it's there.
I can feel the extra strength needed to do something that was effortless before.
My reaction times are still sharp though, sharper then those younger then me but probably a bit slower then a younger me.
I just need to workout more, something I need to find time to do when I'm not working.
 

zeorhymer

Member
I had unlimited time when I was younger. Looking back, I realized how the games I played never respected my time. Video games take a back seat to adulting.
 

catvonpee

Member
I'm 42 and I don't experience any negatives from gaming but my reaction times are not what they used to be and I am not as patient as I used to be.

I was talking about this in another thread about the game Nioh. I struggle with managing the stamina, blocking, and the weapon stances.

I play games for relaxation and stress relief so I am usually playing on an easy mode. I wish Nioh had a Ninja Dog mode. I love Ninja Gaiden black and I always played on Ninja Dog difficulty.
 

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
I once ripped off the banister falling down the stairs because I was so excited to get game time. I’m in my mid 30’s and the excitement is still there. Handhelds and consoles are my go-to devices. I think about my game choices and I don’t play everything I can get my hands on. I typically have a plan before I play. I like it that way. I don’t have any plans to quit. It’s something that still excites me. As far as body limitations. My eyes burn when they’re dry. My eye doctor said it’s because I work in IT. I have to wear my glasses and I have to use drops. I have had this talk with my eye doctor several times. She says my pressure is fine, but I’m straining my eyes if I don’t use blue light blocker eye glasses. My wrist seem fine. It’s mainly my eyes. My allergies are painful and they’ve been that way since I was a teenager. I’m also on my feet a lot, doing house work. The hours I get to play feel like a getaway or mini vacation. I’m at that family man stage where my game time is my alone time. It’s usually when everything else is done. About two hours a day, more on the weekends. I can finish most games in 1-2 weeks. I just recently finished Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow.
 

Garibaldi

Member
Forty this year and it's not so much physical limitations it's more the mental energy. I'm usually completely knackered mentally after work that when I do get time I just haven't got the capacity to get actively involved like I want to. I don't like easy modes as I find them too passive but I am too stubborn to turn it down since I don't have the energy. Just end up switching it off and reading or tinkering on with something. If I get a week or something off work and have a day though I'm back into it no worries.

I see a few folk mentioning patience. That's something I don't have issues with. In fact I've mellowed to accepting I'll fail at many areas. Not like when I was younger. If I have the energy I'm more than happy to stick at it.
 
42 here. Well, I have a condition and it seems to get worse as I age. It's the reason why I barely use mouse/keyboard anymore. Controller feels more comfortable. And I can play many games with just one hand.
 
My right hand was the dominant hand up till the last 5 yrs as I remember , my left hand , i don't use it often and when I use it I gain pain and it kept from making it stronger, went to a physical therapy , my cousin actually and it wasn't my idea, saw both of my shoulders and instantly told me your left shoulder isn't balanced cause you lean to it and it causes your body a plenty of issues even lasting to your 50s when you age , he moved it gently while holding my shoulder with his second hand and shockingly the pain is gone and my left hand started getting stronger naturally as I use it often , my whole body actually feels balanced without exaggerating , it feels like a big deal like I'm born again.
 
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Kuranghi

Member
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.

I really need a better chair, I just have a horrible recliner right now due to lack of funds but even when I do have funds again I probably can't reasonably afford one of these, do you know if there are copies of them design wise? I don't mind if they don't last as long due to build quality just as a holdover.
 

Stuart360

Member
40, and a physical wreck. I have so many health problems for my age, but funnily enough my hands are fine, and my reaction times are still really good. I play a lot of retro games, and i'm often way better now at those games than i used to be as a teenager, or in my twentys. I'm also pretty good at getting the first shot in on one on ones with multiplayer shooters, often against what sound like teens.
I dont know if its because i live alone, and have the time to game multiple hours a day, so its keeping my gaming skills up. I'm actually a bit surprised how many of you around my age seem to have noticable lower reaction times.
Having said that i do watch a streamer who is in his late 50's, who has gamed all his life, and he's often appaling at games lol. Maybe thats all out fates. :messenger_tears_of_joy:
 

Kuranghi

Member
I'm 35 in December and my hands seem fine but my back isn't in great shape due to not getting enough exercise, its more my feet that are fucked tbh, or one of them anyway, my walking is "pronated" so I am getting a stiff big toe on one side when I used to have hyper-mobility in all my toes, which worries me a bit because I can't afford to get it corrected right now.

40, and a physical wreck. I have so many health problems for my age, but funnily enough my hands are fine, and my reaction times are still really good. I play a lot of retro games, and i'm often way better now at those games than i used to be as a teenager, or in my twentys. I'm also pretty good at getting the first shot in on one on ones with multiplayer shooters, often against what sound like teens.
I dont know if its because i live alone, and have the time to game multiple hours a day, so its keeping my gaming skills up. I'm actually a bit surprised how many of you around my age seem to have noticable lower reaction times.
Having said that i do watch a streamer who is in his late 50's, who has gamed all his life, and he's often appaling at games lol. Maybe thats all out fates. :messenger_tears_of_joy:

Yeah I don't feel like I have worse reaction times, its the same or better now than it was, I can still track targets at speed easily so I think its mostly muscle memory I don't really consciously think about it I just do it if that makes sense. When I see others having trouble with controller or mouse aiming its usually imo that they've just learned how to use the controller in a suboptimal way and any advice I give can't really change that "learned method" just as I couldn't change how I do it at this point.

A lot of people I see tend to either have mouse sensitivity set WAY to high and so they can react fast but can't track things accurately or they exclusively flick the right analogue sticks to use it, that has its place ofc but I think its essential to keep your thumb on it a lot of the time to be in proper control.
 
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borborygmus

Member
I feel like my reaction times got better. It's probably because I've become more economical with my inputs due to practice. That probably wouldn't be reflected in those online reaction time tests because my subconscious knows it's just a test.

The "proper" way to hold a mouse hurts my wrist. I'm going to continue using the claw grip. My wrists feel perfectly fine.
 
I'm 35 in December and my hands seem fine but my back isn't in great shape due to not getting enough exercise, its more my feet that are fucked tbh, or one of them anyway, my walking is "pronated" so I am getting a stiff big toe on one side when I used to have hyper-mobility in all my toes, which worries me a bit because I can't afford to get it corrected right now.
It sounds like you need to lose weight. When I was slightly overweight I had a lot of these problems and it all went away with the weight lost.
 

_Ex_

Member
I am 42, I started playing video games in 1982 when I was 3 years old. So 39 years of gaming at this point.

My reaction times are still excellent. I have no difficulty beating reflex based games, be they very old or brand new. As long as I focus and don't let my mind wander, I am able to take down difficult action games.

My patience for bad game design though, is at an all time low. I cannot stand to feel like a game is wasting my time, because at my age you understand time is your most precious commodity. When a game wastes my time with pointless grinding, busy work bullshit, or any kind of artificial longevity junk, I am inclined to dump it and move on. Much more quickly than I did in my younger days. I do not have time for games that do not respect my time.

As far as physical detriments go, it's starting to get harder for me to view small text on handhelds comfortably. For example the original DS Lite screen can give me eyestrain now, whereas when I was 28 it did not. So sometimes I use "reading glasses" for playing my handhelds.
 
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gamer82

Member
im 38 , and I find myself gaming less now and times it feels like a chore that I keep putting off, but I take that as part of my mental health issues I have had for quite a while and I used gaming to block out quite a lot for me now gaming seems to be collecting game I intend to play when I get round to it.

I love gaming still I just wish there was something to give me that spark back again. who knows I have a few games I want for the rest of the yer so maybe one of them will get me hooked again.
 

Kuranghi

Member
It sounds like you need to lose weight. When I was slightly overweight I had a lot of these problems and it all went away with the weight lost.

For the feet stuff? I doubt it, I have been under 8 stone most of my life and I'm currently *runs over to scales* 9 stone 2 pounds. I'm 5' 9". I'm used to always be the borderline of "underweight" with a BMI of around 19, in fact right now I'm *checks BMI site* 18.9, which is "desirable" on this calculator (lol) but on others they say under 20 means you should put on a few pounds.

I think I just fucked my back from an early age, I've been diagnosed with "mechanical back pain" but I think many people who sits in chairs all day* have that tbh.

* and don't exercise like me
 
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43; no physical aliments or pains that interfere with gaming. I've always exceeded as a gamer so never really found any games difficult, so it really never changes for me. I have anxiety but it doesn't effect gaming skills; it does however stop me from doing things I enjoy sometimes (or anything sometimes). I have it in check most of the time...but when it does hit me, It flours me for weeks on end. So I try to be as Zen as possible, one day at a time :)
 
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