Why are people over the age of 40 so bad at video games?

[RecondoJoe]

I'm 37 years old and I've already seen a massive decline in my own gaming performance over the last 10 years. But I also have a lot of friends who are 3-4 years older than me, and who used to be great at games like WoW, and now suddenly they can't play it at all. Like some of them have began mouse-clicking and keyboard turning and get super frustrated and throw tantrums doing basic stuff that they used to do with ease 10 years ago...

Refusing to try a new class or spec because it might be too hard, playing with sub optimal builds because it requires them to press less buttons...

... like what happens to the human mind between the ages of 30-40 that make people fall off so hard when it comes to pc gaming?

I really am ranting because it's frustrating that these people still want to play with me, but make the game miserable to play and throw a tantrum when I point out that they are getting massively out DPS'd by the healer and tank, and I can't take them in raids or groups anymore because they rage quit halfway through the instance, saying that the game is too easy to hold their attention despite them being dead for most encounters and at the absolute bottom of the damage meters.

Like do I really only have 3 years left before I become too senile to game?

[Boyblunder]

Higher testosterone.

[Shawk]

Maybe you're the problem bud, fucking meta tryhards are annoying as fuck to play with, no wonder they rage quit.. Keep it up and they won't bother playing shit with you anymore.

You get older, you get wiser.. you realize games shouldn't be taken so seriously, you try to enjoy the time with your friends rather than judge the shit out of their mouse moving skills.

Lmao.

[starkind]

I'm 37 years old and I've already seen a massive decline in my own gaming performance over the last 10 years. But I also have a lot of friends who are 3-4 years older than me, and who used to be great at games like WoW, and now suddenly they can't play it at all. Like some of them have began mouse-clicking and keyboard turning and get super frustrated and throw tantrums doing basic stuff that they used to do with ease 10 years ago...

Refusing to try a new class or spec because it might be too hard, playing with sub optimal builds because it requires them to press less buttons...

... like what happens to the human mind between the ages of 30-40 that make people fall off so hard when it comes to pc gaming?

I really am ranting because it's frustrating that these people still want to play with me, but make the game miserable to play and throw a tantrum when I point out that they are getting massively out DPS'd by the healer and tank, and I can't take them in raids or groups anymore because they rage quit halfway through the instance, saying that the game is too easy to hold their attention despite them being dead for most encounters and at the absolute bottom of the damage meters.

Like do I really only have 3 years left before I become too senile to game?

Higher testosterone.

Maybe you're the problem bud, fucking meta tryhards are annoying as fuck to play with, no wonder they rage quit.. Keep it up and they won't bother playing shit with you anymore.

You get older, you get wiser.. you realize games shouldn't be taken so seriously, you try to enjoy the time with your friends rather than judge the shit out of their mouse moving skills.

Lmao.

Pretty much.

But u don't actually need good mouse moving skills.

I'm 38 and my testosterone is about 10 pg/nL and with the right ppl high lvl mythic stuff isn't that bad.

What OP is really experiencing is a loss of ability to cope with lack of teamwork, bad, selfish egotistical players. You used to be able to compensate for all their mistakes and your own.

It's time to make some good friends and actually get good at games now that ur training wheels have fallen off.

[HalflingSpergand]

My guess is they are using copious amounts of alcohol, anti depressants and any illegal substances that they can cram down they're throats

[Laugher]

Why play an MMO with as many button presses as Guitar Hero just to nuke someone/thing or jump around them like some dagger-wielding rogue monkey (looking at you WoW)

I'd rather play an int caster here and sit on the side of a hill for 5 mins in between kills while medding (not an enc or bard, still too much attention required).

More MMOs should cater to the filthy casual/soloist like EQ does rather than over complicate matters with mortal kombat style button mashing

[UrkTheSlayer]

You start to decline around 28 but it’s shouldn’t be noticeable untill your mid 40’s and 50’s and shouldn’t be effecting you till you’re 60/70.

As previously mentioned: it’s drugs and booze. Lots of junkies milking the system for painkillers and disability play eq, as do honest people with chronic illness and painkillers.
Here’s something fucked up about chronic illness and disability: you will get prescribed painkillers and you will get strung out on them, you will think and sometimes brag about popping oxy’s the same way a street user talks about a hit.

[Jibartik]

or jump around them like some dagger-wielding rogue monkey (looking at you WoW)

lol

[knucklehairs]

Pushing a button and turning with mouse is the easy way to play when I'm bored I pretend the cursor is a cross hair and the spell gem slot is a head and I flick shot cast my spells

[starkind]

whats funny is 2 years ago at the peak of my estrogen i was making posts exactly like OP and even ranting in wow raid discord at my tanks for sucking badly at EP azshara boss fight

[Blingy]

There's also a lot of shit many older people are thinking about outside of EQ. In my 20's it was DOOM II, Duke Nuke 'Em, Mechwarrior and the like. Pretty easy to tune everything out except the game. Today even when I'm not really thinking about things beyond EQ I'm still thinking about things outside EQ.

[BlackBellamy]

I'm definitely the best at any video game. I just don't care. I'm not going to get into some button-pushing frenzy so someone else can "progress" and get a oxytocin bump. You're on my time, I'm not on yours.

[Tunabros]

some people just want to have fun

[Trexller]

Carpal Tunnel

[starkind]

i dont have carpal tunnel yet *knocks on wood* i wojnder why ppl get carpal tunnel

[Jimjam]

For me it is the lack of youthful fitness. As a weeun I’d play games to rest. Nowadays I need rest if I play games. I’m lucky to complete a 2 hour session (and that will be with microbreaks).

Today I was just joined a group and the rogue got caught microbreaking to get their lunch ready. It wasn’t a big deal, we were clearing some greens in a dense area and the rogue was only gone a few seconds at a time. The cleric (who had called them out) had a real mard on about it though.

Right then I knew this group wasn’t for me and would be far too tiring. I quickly made my excuses “I can see your play style doesn't accommodate quick 30 second breaks - well I have to work on making lunch soon too. I don’t want to disrespect you by engaging in a behaviour you aren’t comfortable with, so I’m gonna drop. Thank you for the invite”.

[RecondoJoe]

I was constantly getting in trouble on EQ back in the day, and I remember being an angsty teenager and cursing out a female GM. One day I died in the Crypt of Dalnir doing something stupid, and I remember being freaked out and worried about how I would get my corpse. A few moments later that same GM tried to give me a 100% resurrect and told me they had dragged my corpse to a safe area in the game. I hadn't been talking to them or anything, I guess they just kind of watched me because of how ridiculously hostile I was towards them?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/106914563312/permalink/10158216015073313

she recently passed away from COVID. Made me have so many flashbacks and really feel bad about being such a toxic person in my younger life. Although I doubt I would have remembered her if I hadn't been a jerk towards her in the first place, I still wish I hadn't done that.

EQ is a weird game because like.. a lot of people who played it were in their 30-50s (how many teenagers had a gaming PC and credit card?).

[starkind]

I was constantly getting in trouble on EQ back in the day, and I remember being an angsty teenager and cursing out a female GM. One day I died in the Crypt of Dalnir doing something stupid, and I remember being freaked out and worried about how I would get my corpse. A few moments later that same GM tried to give me a 100% resurrect and told me they had dragged my corpse to a safe area in the game. I hadn't been talking to them or anything, I guess they just kind of watched me because of how ridiculously hostile I was towards them?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/106914563312/permalink/10158216015073313

she recently passed away from COVID. Made me have so many flashbacks and really feel bad about being such a toxic person in my younger life. Although I doubt I would have remembered her if I hadn't been a jerk towards her in the first place, I still wish I hadn't done that.

EQ is a weird game because like.. a lot of people who played it were in their 30-50s (how many teenagers had a gaming PC and credit card?).

I had a job. Was ez pz. In my teens.

[Shourty]

Weeelll, it was those boomers that gave you the games spunky.
Reminds me of my grandson telling my son he doesn't know how to play the games and said son asking him, "who taught you to play". "Oh yeah" says the grandson.

[Danth]

Doesn't sound like your friends got old, sounds like they got lazy. That or they've always been bad and you're only now noticing, perhaps due to content being more tightly tuned than it was way back when.

Danth

[OuterChimp]

Git gud ya scrub. Men don't peak till their mid 40s.

[Wrekt]

wow is dogshit. your friend is realizing this and isn't a tryhard any more. you're slightly less intelligent than them because you haven't realized this yet. best of luck...

[YendorLootmonkey]

At age 40, your eyesight is all shot from 36 years of masturbation, not to mention what it has done to the wrist, fingers, and forearm of your dominant hand. The keys become harder to press. The callouses press against your mouse funny, causing a lack of precision.

Meanwhile, you are busy trying not to fart and sneeze at the same time, because Lord knows that's a gamble. You're deep into your first or second mid-life crisis, realizing half your life is over and you've wasted it on video games, while your friends from high school are posting on Facebook from their yachts about their 2nd PhD they just received, and they're on their third trophy wife. And as you were thinking about all that, the shit you were tracking for your guild just spawned and you were late to send out the batphone so some 2nd tier casual scum guild just got FTE.

Heavy on your mind is the fact that in 5-10 years you'll be in adult diapers. How do you even know what fucking size to get? It's not like you can try them on in CVS. What do you do with them when you are done? You can't flush them, or chuck them into the kitchen wastebasket. Do you like bury them out in your yard at 2am so the neighbors don't see you? How do you explain all of the patches of super green grass when you don't own a pet?

Shit... you DO own a pet. You completely forgot. Because you're 40 years old and your mind is all foggy and decrepit. Why, just last week you went upstairs to do something and you completely forgot. You couldn't remember what it was until hours later when you're out of the shower and patting Gold Bond powder all over your wrinkly coin purse. Fuck, did you take your pills today? I'm not talking about Adderall or cocaine pills or whatever the fuck you young whippersnappers are gobbling down... I'm talking about pills you need to take every day so you don't keel over. Blood pressure meds. Valsartan. Candesartan. Whatever. Cholesterol meds. Fenofibrate. Valtrex probably.

It's no wonder why you get bad at video games in your 40s... you've practically have one foot in through death's door and you are trying to keep your life from falling apart into shambles. Sorry I let your buffs fade out and didn't refresh... I just got super dizzy because I stood up too quick. Holy shit.

[Shawk]

whats funny is 2 years ago at the peak of my estrogen i was making posts exactly like OP and even ranting in wow raid discord at my tanks for sucking badly at EP azshara boss fight

Been there. I don't want to go back and see what I said on Blizzard forums..

Today, everyone seems to be an arm chair dev while in reality making a game has never been so damn easy so the whining is worthless now. Mind you it's still hard but once you get the grasp of C++ or something like a visual scripting language like Blueprint in UE4 you're golden and you can create anything you think needs making..

There's a lot of things you can do to make a game more interesting though, iron man challenges, not getting help, not using discord so you actually get immersed again.. oi vey did i say immersion? cringe keke fucking toxic ass devs @ blizzard killed that shit with their all inclusive design.. They first played EQ, took that momentum and completely missed the point, but so did SOE.

Really I just find imagination is dwindling in favor of just dope drip bullshit for lazy fucks who have no concept of role play.. makes sense though but really people just jump on a wiki and "cheat" yet call themselves good but really they didn't even get ranked because they cheated.. Like having a cell phone open while watching a scary movie and saying you weren't scared.

Sad some people will never experience something like Dark Souls 1 with zero wikis carrying their asses.

[unsunghero]

Pro gaming has one of the shortest age ranges of any career around. Most previous professional E-sport players are no longer competitive on the tournament scene past age 20

The peak pro gaming ages seem to be around 16-19. Not talking about Twitch streamers because those can continue to make money by having a large following and doing promotional stuff

I’m assuming it’s partly due to a decline in reflex response but then again pro athletes can usually compete in reflex-intensive sports until their mid 30’s

But definitely past 40 reflexes diminish. And as others have said the main demographic of these games are middle aged white men, which also has some of the highest rates of substance abuse of any demographic in the country. I remember when I was playing classic WoW and raiding with a bunch of middle aged white dudes there were quite a few raging alcoholics that literally got so inebriated during the raid their char would eventually go afk and at that point you know they blacked out

That and guild chat was full of drug chatter. Also most gamers don’t take care of themselves physically, the effects of which you wouldn’t notice as much at age 20, but add another 20 years of a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating and then it becomes much more noticeable

[Swish]

I'm 37 years old and I've already seen a massive decline in my own gaming performance over the last 10 years. But I also have a lot of friends who are 3-4 years older than me, and who used to be great at games like WoW, and now suddenly they can't play it at all. Like some of them have began mouse-clicking and keyboard turning and get super frustrated and throw tantrums doing basic stuff that they used to do with ease 10 years ago...

Refusing to try a new class or spec because it might be too hard, playing with sub optimal builds because it requires them to press less buttons...

... like what happens to the human mind between the ages of 30-40 that make people fall off so hard when it comes to pc gaming?

I really am ranting because it's frustrating that these people still want to play with me, but make the game miserable to play and throw a tantrum when I point out that they are getting massively out DPS'd by the healer and tank, and I can't take them in raids or groups anymore because they rage quit halfway through the instance, saying that the game is too easy to hold their attention despite them being dead for most encounters and at the absolute bottom of the damage meters.

Like do I really only have 3 years left before I become too senile to game?

Why not come over to red and get your edge back OP?

[RecondoJoe]

Why not come over to red and get your edge back OP?

I played there for a while... it honestly felt like the easiest server to play on because the hardest part about playing P99 on other servers is having to fight with other players for camps..

on Red you can pretty much camp whatever you want and you get faster exp, but the end game feels pointless. Probably going to play on the Mischief TLP server next month. Super excited.

[Jimjam]

I played there for a while... it honestly felt like the easiest server to play on because the hardest part about playing P99 on other servers is having to fight with other players for camps..

on Red you can pretty much camp whatever you want and you get faster exp, but the end game feels pointless. Probably going to play on the Mischief TLP server next month. Super excited.

Basically, although you can auto-attack and cast offensive on some other players, red is actually the least pvp server.

[Barik]

As a normal adult(which doesn't apply to most of this population)the older you get the more responsibility you accrue, thus the less free time you have to do whatever you want, in this case video games. People sometimes get "skill" confused with experienced gained through repetition. I don't know what 35+ year old has copious amount of time to play video games anymore, now this is under the assumption you have a partner, children or any level of responsibility other than living in your moms basement drinking mountain dew.

[Rick Sanchez]

As a normal adult(which doesn't apply to most of this population)the older you get the more responsibility you accrue, thus the less free time you have to do whatever you want, in this case video games. People sometimes get "skill" confused with experienced gained through repetition. I don't know what 35+ year old has copious amount of time to play video games anymore, now this is under the assumption you have a partner, children or any level of responsibility other than living in your moms basement drinking mountain dew.

You hit the nail on the head man, this is why I love the TAKP server, you should check it out.

[RecondoJoe]

As a normal adult(which doesn't apply to most of this population)the older you get the more responsibility you accrue, thus the less free time you have to do whatever you want, in this case video games. People sometimes get "skill" confused with experienced gained through repetition. I don't know what 35+ year old has copious amount of time to play video games anymore, now this is under the assumption you have a partner, children or any level of responsibility other than living in your moms basement drinking mountain dew.

It's been the opposite for me. The older I get the more free time I have for hobbies... obviously I don't have kids, so experiences may vary. For a single person though, life slows down a lot in your 30s ... thats when I started getting a lot more hobbies.

[Barik]

Nods, I merely speaking in terms of general statistics, you are the exception to the general rules, smart man! stay single! no kids!

[TripSin]

Dump those casuals and get better friends.

I'm 34 and still dominating.

[TripSin]

You have pros who are now in their mid, approaching late, 30's like Moon and Infiltration who, while maybe not at the peak of what they once were, can still compete at the highest of levels (i.e. the top 0.0000000001% or whatever of all players).

So when I see other people in their 30's complaining that they suck at video games now because of their age, I can't help but feel they're unjustly scapegoating. You're probably just a casual now because you have a job in addition to a lame ass family so of course you suck at video games now.

But maybe in some years the decline hits me too and I eat my words.

[starkind]

competing in this game means being able to hold ur shits for 12 hrs.

[Blingy]

Nods, I merely speaking in terms of general statistics, you are the exception to the general rules, smart man! stay single! no kids!

Oh F that man! I'm in a great guild with some really cool peeps but will take my family over any guildies everytime.

[Ratchet51]

Nods, I merely speaking in terms of general statistics, you are the exception to the general rules, smart man! stay single! no kids!

I miss my kids...

[RecondoJoe]

competing in this game means being able to hold ur shits for 12 hrs.

That’s one of the hardest parts about playing a Cleric. DPS go AFK all the time. If I go AFK even once the group will wipe.

Mechanically Cleric is super easy to play in a lot of situations. I’ve had really good groups where I barely pay attention. Not always the case, but compared to Shaman the grouping experience as a Cleric feels super slow and chill most of the time.... but you can never go AFK.

[starkind]

That’s one of the hardest parts about playing a Cleric. DPS go AFK all the time. If I go AFK even once the group will wipe.

Mechanically Cleric is super easy to play in a lot of situations. I’ve had really good groups where I barely pay attention. Not always the case, but compared to Shaman the grouping experience as a Cleric feels super slow and chill most of the time.... but you can never go AFK.

been there done that got 4 clerics to max lvl in kunark

dunno what to do i get cold feet when i ding 52 on cleric now

[RecondoJoe]

been there done that got 4 clerics to max lvl in kunark

dunno what to do i get cold feet when i ding 52 on cleric now

you going to play on Mischief, fam

[starkind]

you going to play on Mischief, fam

Probably not. Saving up my disability for yoga instruction.

[Rubicent]

Because as you get older, neural connections begin to decay, you don't make decisions as fast anymore, you don't retain as much useless knowledge so remembering metas, rotations, and etc becomes something you need intent and focus to do instead of doing passively.

Nows the age when vitamins and such really come in handy. 35 here, dreading the coming storm.

[starkind]

Yeah. 38.

Feel like a corpse.

Can only hang a few hrs and even then. A lot of distractions. And it takes its toll.

[Bardp1999]

Imagine being born in the nineteen hundreds

wait...fuck

[Izmael]

Yeah. 38.

Feel like a corpse.

Can only hang a few hrs and even then. A lot of distractions. And it takes its toll.

Ditch the carbs and you'll feel like you're 20 again (or maybe 25).

[unsunghero]

Ditch the carbs and you'll feel like you're 20 again (or maybe 25).

Or just burn them. Carbs only become healthy for sedentary people. Otherwise they (at least complex carbs) are a great healthy source of energy

[unsunghero]

healthy for sedentary people

*unhealthy

[Supreme]

The truth is that at some point you start to realize there is more to life than playing games.

[Jibartik]

no there's not

[Izmael]

Or just burn them. Carbs only become healthy for sedentary people. Otherwise they (at least complex carbs) are a great healthy source of energy

Not in my experience.

Carbs are an EASY source of energy, but they make your blood sugar level spike, whatever your level of activity is, and that's not only bad for your body (fat formation), it also makes you feel bad and tired each time that spike is over and you crave a new one. Most people are just used to it and don't know there's another way. USA is struggling with obesity while advocating a carb-rich diet, which is nonsense.

For someone obese to durably lose a lot weight while eating mostly carbs, they'd need to drastically cut the intake amount (= feel hungry 24/7), and split that intake in many many small daily meals, so blood sugar remains kinda stable (= impossible to sustain for a normal person).

We, humans, have been selected over millions of years feeding on fat, protein and very little carbs. Try to get carbs during the winter times anywhere north of Africa. Not an easy task, no fruit, no berries, nothing is growing. You hunt a rabbit or you die.

There definitely never were packs of sliced bread growing on trees.

Quit the carbs and enjoy a life of plentiful energy and good mood from the moment you wake up to the moment you fall asleep.

[unsunghero]

Not in my experience.

Carbs are an EASY source of energy, but they make your blood sugar level spike, whatever your level of activity is, and that's not only bad for your body (fat formation), it also makes you feel bad and tired each time that spike is over and you crave a new one. Most people are just used to it and don't know there's another way. USA is struggling with obesity while advocating a carb-rich diet, which is nonsense.

For someone obese to durably lose a lot weight while eating mostly carbs, they'd need to drastically cut the intake amount (= feel hungry 24/7), and split that intake in many many small daily meals, so blood sugar remains kinda stable (= impossible to sustain for a normal person).

We, humans, have been selected over millions of years feeding on fat, protein and very little carbs. Try to get carbs during the winter times anywhere north of Africa. Not an easy task, no fruit, no berries, nothing is growing. You hunt a rabbit or you die.

There definitely never were packs of sliced bread growing on trees.

Quit the carbs and enjoy a life of plentiful energy and good mood from the moment you wake up to the moment you fall asleep.

I don’t have much experience with obesity, but every time I hear about an obese friend or family member that tries to cut carbs AND start working out, they never have the energy to work out (they say)

I love carbs and don’t crash but I exercise 25hrs/week and tbh really haven’t tried cutting them in a serious way. Not have I tried keto or intermittent fasting, but it sounds like they work for some people

[Izmael]

Exercising 25 hours / week puts you in something like 1% of people who exercise the most. So the whole thing is probably irrelevant to you as you probably need a really particular diet plan anyway.

Quitting carbs cold turkey is a lot like quitting crack cold turkey. It takes a bit of planning and research beforehand. It took me a good 6 months to get rid of all bad side effects. Also most people, including me, never recover their full burst strength capacity without the carbs. Which is fine by me, I don't care if I can bench X or 80% of X, as long as I look good and have enough strength for daily life. But I understand it matters for some people.