Do you get worse at games as you get older?

I turned 30 last year and I've been noticing for quite a while now that I'm just not as good at playing video games as I used to be. Specifically platformers.

I first started on the original Game Boy and was really good at most of the platformers I played on it. I completed most if not all of them but now I'm lucky if I make it halfway through. I've never felt that today's titles are harder - I'm just not as quick to react or figure out the correct paths and boss strategies.

Outland and Rayman Origins are two examples where I have failed to complete them as I didn't have the required skill. I'm confident that if I was 15 years younger, I would have been able to.

Anyone else feel like this?

I'm in my 30's also and I definitely noticing my reaction time isn't as good as it once was also my passion for gaming isn't as strong as it use to be thanks to these greedy publishers. I feel that plays a factor if I'm not feeling a game or just bored I start playing bad.

Definitely shit at FPS now. TBH, don't even like MP anymore, rather play fighting games.

Opposite for me.

Passion? Way less, don't play multi's anymore, just don't offer anything unique.

hey

Not 30 like TC, more in the 20's bracket, work fulltime and travel an average of five hours a day (six days a week).

None of that has hit me yet when it comes to playing games, I play less Fighting games now, and not sure how good I'd be if I played one seriously, use to play a lot of Tekken Dark Resurrection and Bloodline Rebellion in the Arcades. However, feel that's more because the genre (Fighting games) have become such a cash-grab genre, pandering to a new audience, and rarely worth investing in when I can get similar competitive experiences in genres that respect costumers/ the fanbase.

I have had health issues since was much younger, so have moments when playing games is just not a possibility. So I was never extremely healthy while playing games to begin with. And would be surprised if another 10 years changes my gaming proficiency.

Know some that feel they can't play as well, yet my assumption it's more a state of mind and being unable to manage time well outside of work. Two things I've always handled well.

I never recommend more demanding games when under extreme exhaustion and fatigue regardless as it will likely burn Gamers out and make them hold spite for the hobby. Make sure one is relaxed and in the mood for a game and you'd be surprised how little the years matter. I've played games the same since I was a young boy on a dancing mat in the Arcade and that's because gaming is never a chore or need. It's pleasure.

I feel as if I’ve gotten better compared to when I was a kid.

I’m only in my early 20’s.

I still suck at online first person shooters though. Have never been able to really get into them either apart from playing a bit of Black Ops: Zombies.

The hardest part of a game I had to conquer most recently was the 100 jump rope challenge in Mario Oddessy.

Took me days using the joy coins until I switched to the pro controller and was able to get it first try. The buttons on the joy-cons are very clicky compared to the pro controller.

I'm 45 and still going strong.

nice good good

having your skills in gaming weaken by year is not an effect of aging, its just an effect of meta or so what they cold every period of time meta changes as time passes :D

I'm 41 and I haven't noticed any decline. I made top 500 for kills in a couple cod games. I do pretty well at Overwatch. I play games like Dark Souls and I usually dominate when playing online.

Same. My multiplayer phase is over. I'll dabble in MMOs and will play the new Battlefield whenever it comes out for a few months, but outside of that I just don't like the communities, or the evolution of online-centric gameplay. Too much focus on progression, reward, and items and not enough focus on "He has the same gun as you, may the best man win"

Find myself playing a lot more RPGs, good singleplayer action games, 4X/TBS game, and city builders.

Really loving this indie renaissance we are living in, though; just played a few hours of "Into the Breach", amazing game.

I'm 38 and I have seen no drop off in my skills at all. I play lots of retro/indie games which is likely what keeps my skills so sharp.

In my mid-twenties and I don't see myself getting worse at games. In fact, I am getting better at third-person shooters has enhanced my targeting skills and applicable to many adventure games. All thanks to The Last of Us multiplayer (I am addicted to that).

My passion for video games has dipped ever since I work. It has decreased my interest in some of my favourite franchises like Tekken, PES and Final Fantasy. Being a huge RPG fan, I no longer have the dedication to spend tons of hours. Sadly, the only RPG games I will only buy are KH3, FF7 remake, Golden Sun remake and FF8 remake (if that happens).

Nowadays, I only play PES 2017 and The Last of Us multiplayer after work. Recently bought Yakuza 0 and LA Noire and, hopefully, I can explore different games from now on.

I play less now because of work and I do other shit too. I used to play a lot of Fighting games but they are such cash grab now ... same thing with shooter.

After getting caught in the wave of playing every big game and feeling quite empty I'm back at playing maybe 3 or 4 game a year like I did back when I was a teenager and no money so I replayed my game a lot.

I feel like trophies and acheivements may incline people to play once and play another game to have more and more and so never replay because of those he/she already got. I also think the lack of unlockable like back in the day ( thing SNES / PS1 ) you had something to look foward and do a replay.

So yeah I don't replay games either now because there is no reason to do it.

Yes. I’m 35 and I’ve noticed I’m not as fast as I was in my 20s.

I’m 38 and better than ever at games. But then maybe I wasn’t so great in my youth, and I finally got good?

Same here. As a kid, I would often get stuck on a game and move onto something else where now I'll stick at a game and beat it. I've actually gone back to some of the games that I struggled with as a kid and beaten them. When I played the original Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga, I got stuck on the Chukolator boss, but playing it now, I managed to beat the whole game.

It's most likely you not getting worse, it's just you're an adult and you don't play as much anymore.

In high school I would play just about everyday for 2 hours after school. Either going to a friends house, having a friend over, or playing online.

Today at 28, I might play at best 3 times a week at two hours each, but there's times when work gets crazy, or I'm traveling, or If I'm doing something with the wife I could go a whole week without playing a game.

I still enjoy gaming, but I've gone from Multiplayer focused to chill single player or arcade style games.

I’m 53, practice makes perfect, you can’t expect to kick ass when you don’t play a lot. Being said that I’m still quite good at FPS on-line.

@johndmgs: That’s awesome.

I remember struggling a lot with Kingdom Hearts as a kid. Some of the bosses e.g. Clayton, I found very difficult in particular.

Final Fantasy X was a great game too but I could never get past a boss battle in that one until I replayed and finished it in 2015.

I wish I still had all of my PS2 games. A lot of them were thrown out. Or I was a moron and sold them to EB Games/GameStop as a kid.

It’s rare for me to get stuck on a boss these days though.

P.S. if you haven’t played Oddessy, if/when you get a Switch I highly recommend it.

I’m not a huge fan of Mario games. The only few I’ve completed is New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Oddessy and still consistently play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe online every now and then.

I’ve been meaning to play through Sunshine too. Hopefully Nintendo Switch will have some form of a VC soon. ;)

I'm 35 and have noticed that my patience for twitch games is much less. I don't have the patience to keep retrying certain things if I keep failing. Used to be a big time completionist in my late teens/early twenties, now I rarely play a harder difficulty setting. Oddly enough, I love stealth options in games more now because of the slower pace, and in Skyrim, I'll read every book I come across. But back in Oblivion days I never cared to do that. So same skill level, less patience for a loud shootout or hard boss battle.

I actually felt worse in my 20's im predominantly a multiplayer gamer and i feel at my best at the moment currently 32.

i think it comes down to practice and how much you can actually play rather than anything to do with age.