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/vr/ - Retro Games

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8321669 No.8321669 [Reply] [Original]

Hey guys. 21 year old here. I have a question.

I read a debate on this one speedrunning forum. One of the two people in the debate was 34 years old. He said that he hadn't noticed any decline in his gaming skills compared to his younger self. The other guy was 28. He said that reflexes decline dramatically between the ages of 25 and 30, and that he's nowhere near as skilled or as quick on his feet as he was even three years ago.

My question is, which of those two perspectives is closer to the truth? I've always prided myself on being highly above average at videogames, and it scares me a bit that my 'prime' might not last for much longer.

>> No.8321671

28 here. it's probably true, but i haven't noticed it at all.

>> No.8321674

You need only look at the average age of people who hold records for contentious games, or who win international fighting game tournaments.
There's really no debate to be had.
But if you're not a pro yourself I don't know why you'd give a shit.

>> No.8321679

i was never super into or good at fast paced or twitchy 8 or 16 bit action games back in the day except super contra (and i still kinda sucked at it) but i've always loved fps and im better at them in my 30s than i was as a kid or teen

>> No.8321680
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8321680

>>8321669
Decrepit 38yo here; I'm actually quite better at games now that I used to be as a kid or even as a 20-something, which were the parts of my life I was into it the most. No real "skill" loss (coordination/reflexes), and I find life making you a little more patient and open-minded (read: "broken") helps dramatically to build performance and not simply blaming anything but yourself as a standing policy to deal with self-frustration.

>> No.8321682

>>8321674
The 34 year old said he was a slightly above average player but never anything amazing. The 28 year old didn't specify his skill level. Is there less of a decline the closer to average you are?

>> No.8321687

>>8321669
I'm better in some and worse in others. I tried playing Tony Hawk and Viewtiful Joe again somewhat recently and I am absolutely ass at them. However, I played Devil May Cry for the first time last/this year and beat it, and I beat all the Valkyries in the new God of War which a lot of people seem to struggle with.

I know these aren't the best retro examples...

>> No.8321695

>>8321682
>skill level
That's barely applies to the speedrunning scene. It BARELY applies to competitive gaming, but it'd be definitely closer on my book

>> No.8321698

>>8321695
...?

>> No.8321704

>>8321669
There is no loss. If anything you get better because - if you've been gaming for 25+ years - you understand genre conventions really well. I wasn't good at shmups or fighters when I was 15, but at 35 I've played enough of them that I know the basics required to git gud.

>> No.8321709

>>8321669
I don't really feel any decline in reaction or anything.
Maybe our skills decline because we don't have as much time to play as our younger selves.
I mean, practice makes perfect.

>> No.8321714

>>8321669
It's a subjective thing. What really matters is how much effort you put in and how much you play, I'm 29 and I'm generally better at vidya than I've ever been, I was garbage at games until my late teens.
In fact it's a skill that needs to be kept fresh, I haven't been playing as much vidya this year due to eye problems, but as I'm healing up from surgery and getting new glasses, I'm gonna put myself to the test and hone myself.

Keep challenging yourself, you don't have to play obsessively but play a couple times a week or so, and seek out stuff which isn't just always dead easy for you.

>> No.8321734
File: 741 KB, 4032x3024, fragchuck, analog gamepad controls + mouse aiming.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
8321734

>>8321674
Don't need to be a world renowned pro to be decent at games, don't need to strive to the highest challenges you can imagine, just don't let yourself get all dull.

>>8321682
Again, I think a lot of it is just subjective, and I think there's room to adapt which some people don't realize. I've largely moved away from using keyboard and mouse for FPS because I don't find WASD comfortable for movement anymore, it's not ergonomic.

Like hell I'm giving up mouselook if I have the option though, so gamepad + mouse it is, for whatever game that lets me. Not all games do, and I can still play well enough with WASD, but going through Return To Castle Wolfenstein earlier this year, my left hand was somewhat strained by the experience.

>> No.8321740

>>8321669
To the best of my knowledge it's not a debate. It's a simple fact that reaction times decline with age. There are some games where that matters.

>> No.8321748

>>8321687
>I tried playing Tony Hawk and Viewtiful Joe again somewhat recently and I am absolutely ass at them.
How long ago was it since you played them, or games much like them?

>> No.8321754

>>8321740
The "debate" comes from how meaningful or dramatic that decline is. The 28 year old said that in the past three years his skills have declined so much that he's gone from speedrunning games, to being unable to finish those games at all (some of which have infinite continues) even on casual playthroughs.

>> No.8321763

>>8321748
Last time I played Viewtiful Joe is probably near when it came out. Also I meant Tony Hawk 4. Sometime in the mid 2000s I guess.

>> No.8321785

I would assume that as an adult with todays technology you have 10,000 games at your finger tips to play at any minute, and you spread yourself much thinner trying to play as many as possible. Contrast to when you were younger and got maybe 5 new games a year (dunno how spoiled you were, 5 doesn’t seem unreasonable). You probably played those 5 games to death, and got good over time.

Going back to higher difficulty games now that you don’t (probably, I don’t know you.) dedicate months at a time to learning/repeatedly beating them makes you think you’re somehow worse at them.

>> No.8321803

>>8321785
I think this is a more reasonable take than "28 is just so old." I'm 32 and I don't think I'm any worse at any game in any way than I ever was.

>> No.8321809

>>8321669
I'm 28 and much better than I was at age 25, sounds like the other 28 yo guy is just coping
maybe there's a natural decline and I made up for it by playing a lot, but at that age it really doesn't matter

>> No.8321843

>>8321669
Think on this.
We all naturally decline in reflexes but gain in strategic knowledge. One day games will really test the limits of [Non augmented] human capabilities. Maybe it's better to use your young mind building life skills and a trade while it's easier. Learn an instrument- Not that many real people care if you "git gud".

>> No.8321865

>>8321803
Well your finger and thumb movements don't change that much in a decade, and you're literally watching moving images on a screen, so reaction times probably aren't as big of a deal as, say, playing a sport I would imagine.

>> No.8321954

Depends on the person. Human nervous systems can deteriorate at completely different rates even without any identifiable medical condition or lifestyle/fitness differences. People need to understand human variance more. No two living organisms will die at the exact same speed.

>> No.8321982
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8321982

I'm in my 30s. Been beating a bunch of NES games recently(No muscle memory or experience, I barely played any NES games as a kid at all. Whenever I found one people generally only had Mario/Duckhunt). Megaman Series, Contra, Ninja Gaiden. I'm better at video games now than I was as a kid. This is because it is mostly state of mind. I'm no longer intimidated by challenging sections.
Younger people have objectively better motor skills though. I'll never be able to beat some korean gamer at starcraft, it isn't physically possible for me.

>> No.8322069

>>8321982
Could you have beaten them when you were younger? Maybe those people could beat you even in your prime and it's more of an individual thing than an age thing

>> No.8322090

>>8322069
No, I'm not particularly good at video games to begin with. I wasn't good at them as a kid, and am just better at them now, not amazing.
The main point I'm getting at is that no, you won't become unable to beat video games until you are in your old age and your body is falling apart. You'll be unable to compete in games that are competitive, though, sure.
I'll also add that when I was in the my 20s, and addicted to MMOs, I was absolutely terrible at video games and found platformers I could have beaten as a kid unreasonably hard. So mental state is incredibly important.

>> No.8322227

>>8321669
Obviously it varies per individual, based on genetics and how much practice they put in and how often. I am 38 and feel I am better at games than ever before. Obviously your body will degrade with time but there are people still well into their 50s that can still compete in reaction based games.

>> No.8322261

>>8321669
The 34 one was either never good or is coping. There is an inherent decline to your abilities over time, then depending on the intensity of your practice, it's more or less severe.
I'm definitely not as good at twitch shooter as used to.

>> No.8322268

I'm 33 and I barely have the energy to stay awake all day, much less play videogames for an extended period, much less play them well.

Anyway, off for my evening nap before dindin. Later.

>> No.8322272

>>8321754
Would this 28 year old also happen to be a troon?

>> No.8322276

>>8322272
I don't think so. Why do you ask?

>> No.8322281
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8322281

>>8322276
>Speedrunner
>Rapid decline in motor skills
Put two and two together and xer is probably chugging estrogen pills

>> No.8322283
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8322283

"Use it or lose it"

A 50 year old dude who plays everyday will be better at reaction/precision games than a 15 year old who plays once a week. Of course there will be an inevitable break-off with reflexes, but when you're at that age, you shouldn't be playing video games anyway...

In fact you shouldn't play video games once you're not a teenager anymore

>> No.8322365

>>8321763
No kidding that you're sucking at a game you haven't actually played in 15 years, mystery solved.

>>8322272
Because autistic /v/ memes. Granted, not entirely unfounded ones.

>>8321982
You've got the right spirit!

>> No.8322391

>>8321669
it depends on the person ig.

>> No.8322395

>>8322391
oh but wait. were they runnin the same game? because that might cause a difference.

>> No.8322402

Some people really underestimate the importance of keeping your mind sharp. Look at Cristopher Lee, he lived to be like, fucking 98 years old, and he remained sharp as a scalpel until the end. This was a man who made damn sure that he LIVED his life, kept physically active, kept acting, kept his mind engaged, etc.

You lose some with age, for sure, but your own choices are a huge factor in how good you are and remain with games. In general, games are a good way to keep your brain trained with age, just any kind of game which makes you think, be it Chess or Civilization, is good for you, the brain is a 'muscle' which requires stimulation.

>> No.8322498

>>8321669
>Hey guys. 21 year old here. I have a question.
Obviously troll is obvious. 21 year olds know everything

>> No.8322518

>>8321734
Whoa, this thing looks cool. Thanks for letting me know of it's existence.

>> No.8322526

>>8322402
11/10 post. Exactly this. I have a neurologist friend that always says cognitive decline is dramatically overstated and that you lose very if mentally and physically active.

>> No.8322535

>>8321669
Age only affects your starting level, not your level cap.
If you keep up the grind, it doesnt matter.
I definitely have way better reflexes now at 29 than i did at 21.

>> No.8322553

If you don't use it you lose it. Simple as

>> No.8322616

>>8322518
I like it enough, but I must warn you, the D-Pad on the Splitfish is a VERY bad D-Pad, probably the worst I've ever used in my life. The analog stick is good, and the device is overall nice and unobtrusive, it's ergonomic, but consider strongly how important a D-Pad is for your purposes, and if you can live without it for the games you are interested in.

It's a 10/10 concept for me, but the execution is kind of just 7/10. One with a usable D-Pad, and a couple more face buttons, I think would be excellent. The USB receiver could also be smaller.
Surprisingly good battery life for running on just a single AA, however, and I really am satisfied with the analog stick itself.