Today, I turned 30. Today, I realized I lost my competitive edge

I'm 31 and the best at games that I've ever been. I had dial-up internet until I was 20, though, so I couldn't take advantage of my teenage reflexes, anyway.
 
Hit 30 a few years ago and noticed I rarely play competitive multiplayer any more. I enjoy co op a lot more or horde based game modes.
 
JPS Kai said:
Sakonoko puts in the work though. He's one of those guys that treats fighting games like a martial art and dedicates himself to constant training and betterment. I can't say the same with how much I jump between games for my second job. :P
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So you admit, then, that your "losing your edge" is a result of your lack of practice, rather than your age?
 
Yeah I'm 47 and don't worry too much, still play DAILY games of Titanfall 2, Uncharted 4 MP, COD Infinite Warfare, and PUBG. Sometimes I'll do great or even top player, most of the time I'm just ok, I just play for fun now and don't worry too much about wins/losses/KDR. I usually play with the sound off too and am watching a twitch stream or binging a TV show that only requires half attention so I don't pay attention to the squeeky kids who like to get a rise out of other players.

The only time it really gets frustrating is when the same player kills you over and over and over in respawn MP games.
 
Patrick S. said:
I'm 39 and I get insta-killed in every enemy encounter in PUPBG or Call of Duty.

I used to be good, man :(
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39 too..I also die in 1 on 1's, but I think its that I don't play those games as much as the people who are killing me do.

I would still take my reaction times over anyone's , but family/work/etc, its tough to game for long stretches. an hour a night is my usual, which is the equivalent of practicing a real sport for like 4 minutes a week.
 
Just found out today, that Maximilian Dood is 51 years old. Damn, I thought he is in his mid 30s or something.

He is still super enthusiastic about fighting games and a very good player. Gives me a lot of hope for the next 20 years in my life :)
 
I think age affecting gaming ability is overstated in competitive sports. I think the fact that a lot of your prominent competitive gamers are teens or young adults is more so a symptom of that age group having a lot more time to throw at the craft, than someone who is established in a career, starting a family, etc.
 
harSon said:
I think age affecting gaming ability is overstated in competitive sports. I think the fact that a lot of your prominent competitive gamers are teens or young adults is more so a symptom of that age group having a lot more time to throw at the craft, than someone who is established in a career, starting a family, etc.
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Agreed.

I also have more disposable income than when I was a teenager. This translates into me buying a lot more games and never really becoming an expert at one game (maybe other than rocket league) because I split my time up with so much content.
 
harSon said:
I think age affecting gaming ability is overstated in competitive sports. I think the fact that a lot of your prominent competitive gamers are teens or young adults is more so a symptom of that age group having a lot more time to throw at the craft, than someone who is established in a career, starting a family, etc.
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Exactly. I'm in my mid 20's, and I would absolutely destroy my 18 yo self in games due to all of the experience I have. An example is baseball requires extremely fast reaction times, but baseball players tend to peak in their late 20's early 30's, probably because their years and years of playing baseball are adding up. Reaction times are something you can actually train to get better at, and if you are an older gamer that just doesn't have the time to "practice" a particular video game, of course you aren't going to be good at it.
 
JPS Kai said:
Allow me to preface this by saying I was never an amazing tournament player. I've taken first in a few locals but most every tournament I've taken place in has seen a showing of second place (If not worse). My fifteen minutes of Fame were playing in UFGTX's Mugen charity tournament and taking second. Even with an OP character, I couldn't clinch a win.

Today, I went to a barcade in Columbus to celebrate my 30th birthday. There waa a high score challenge in Joust and the winner got a shirt and a free beer. After some back and forth against one particular gentleman, I reluctantly couldn't match his high score and had to relinquish the high score title.

It was that moment, I realized that my reflexes just aren't what they used to be. Maybe they're perfectly fine for my work as a game reviewer but I'm just not a spring chicken anymore.

My question for you, GAF: How do you stay positive knowing that you just can't be as good at gaming as you used to be five or ten years ago?
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I'm 31 and I seem to have on and off days, usually if I grind a few days in row and become tired I perform awful and try and battle through but end up having a couple of days break get my sleep sorted and come back guns blazing
 
I'm 28.

Used to be a freak on FPSs, specially Halo. Now, I'm mostly upper-avarage. Hardly lead my team. Sucks.

The only game I still play on a high level is FIFA. But even on that, my skills and will are not what they used to be.
 
I'm 30 and just can't do well at anything anymore. I used to be a pretty good fighting game player, but I'm learning that I can't keep up and have a hard time dealing with high level execution. After I bought Tekken 7, I played for a couple of weeks, realized that I'm nowhere near as good as I used to be, and then turned it off to play some single player games.

I mean, a major wrist injury in the last 5 years probably helped with a lot of this... but age might have something to do with it.
 
I'm 33.I noticed the decline in skills when I stopped playing all the time, which is when I went to college and got a social life. I was really good at PC FPS games back in the early 2000's. Played for top teams and went to a CPL tournament when it was a big deal. I was accused of hacking in public servers all the time. It only took a year or so of playing sporadically to lose all that muscle memory. I went from pretty damn good to slightly above average. Now I pretty much suck, I'm happy if I get a 1:1 kill death ratio.

Sometimes I get pretty frustrated, I feel like I still have the instincts of a top player, I just can't execute the aiming or movement needed. 17 year old Saganator would wreck 33 year old Saganator in FPS games.
 
Vigilant Gambit said:
So you admit, then, that your "losing your edge" is a result of your lack of practice, rather than your age?
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Yeah, it seems to be more of a practice thing than an age thing. And practicing right is more important. I'm far better than the person I was last year, or even years ago, because I started understanding frame data, when it's my turn, and how to pick a character that suits me. I think that bogs me down sometimes, but overall I'm way better because of it. Reactions don't mean squat if the person is clearly better than you, especially in fighting games. They aren't going to save you from stuff or let you whiff punish 100 percent.
 
At the highest level perhaps but pubs? Nope.

If anything at 30+ you have less time to game so may be a bit rusty at times vs a 15 year old on 6 week vacation.
 
I think you just have to play smarter rather than faster. People will always have tricks and kids might have reflex advantages but none of that matters if they think you are in front of them when you're actually behind them.
 
I'm 33 and can still win at least 6-7 out of 10 fights online. I think my interest in certain games are just declining as I get older as well. It could also be because I'm finally in my last year of college and I have no time for games much these days.
 
36, and I haven't noticed any drop off yet. I still do very well in pretty much any game I play except maybe fighting games, but that is more because of the I don't have time to master characters thing.
 
Barcade in LA after a day of E3 and got to the last level on Double Dragon in one quarter multiple times that night. Younger me was an arcade feeder.
 
30 is like at least a decade too early for that to be a factor. You just weren't as focused that game or out of practice.
 
As I'm starting to get older I'm playing more SP games when I have time to game. I just hate people I think ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

lol, but joking aside, I think gaming is a hobby with so much immaturity, and even when I was young and more competitive with things like CS/TFC I was never a shit talker. Honestly. Too polite a young chap. Easier to put up with it when you're younger though, as you're in that age bracket, but as you get older you tend to have less time and patience for blatant non-stop immaturity/aggression. Many kids, let alone adults need to learn how to chill the fuck out.

I think my skill level is probably roughly similar to when I was younger. As I play bits of many games now, rather than just obsessing over one game, I'm probably not super sharp at anything in particular. That's the same for anyone though, if all you play is one specific (or a handful) game then you'll get really good at it. The Souls series is something I've played a lot of in years gone by, and while I can solo it all, I still die a lot and am not as crazy good as anyone who does level 1 playthroughs or completes it with spoons. I'm still probably in the upper tier bracket though as many others don't have the patience or time to learn. I started playing with Asian English import Demons Souls, so like anything in life if you play it for years you get better (all Souls games, even sequels, have similar skill sets being required).

tldr; play more SP games and ignore MP/competitive as people are assholes and most of us have less time the older we get anyway. No need to worry about feeling old. Chill, enjoy what you can enjoy now and just let younger you be a part of history.
 
I'm 33 and I can't even finish some SP games now. Damn, I'm just stuck on mission 4 in Dishonored 2. I think it is time to switch to farming simulator.
 
35 and won a Mario Kart Double Dash tournament a couple of weeks back against 20 others, most of which younger than me.

I had never played the game until a month before the tournament, while many of those playing had, so it wasn't even a "years of practice" thing.
 
Depends on the game of course, but I find this is true when you’re playing super twitchy, reflex based games. 15 year old me was a solid competitive Unreal Tournament player. 31 year old me today does alright in comp shooters, but not like I could then.
 
GrizzNKev said:
holy fuck the end of my life is rushing toward me. Threads about age are terrifying. I've been here too long. Been playing games too long. I'll be old and have never loved because I gamed too hard
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Wonko_C said:
I used to care but I'll be 38 next month and I'd rather live for myself than keep trying to (unsucesfully) follow what we're all genetically programmed to do. Breeding only helps overpopulating this already crowded planet more.
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These comments are sad as fuck, particularly the second one. You don't have to want to have kids to want to be with someone. This new generation of people with their "I'm ok with being single in perpetuity" mentality is just weird and disconcerting. Video games don't replace human contact and sexual health. There's nothing wrong with being a virgin or celibate, but resigning yourself to that fate is just odd to me.
 
31 and still shit on most people in FPS games.
 
I've noticed a massive decline in my 'skillz' since starting med school. I only play video games for 4 weeks out of a year, and I usually stick to single player.

Bloodborne is kicking my ass and it's really frustrating. I haven't beaten the first level or boss yet.
 
Reflexes can be trained. Many players in their late 30s and early 40s are still finding success in fighting games. If your goal is to win, to be the best, train very hard.

Thanks for supporting UFGT :)
 
I'm 29 and playing better than I literally ever have. I am improving of all things and just made 9th place at Combo Breaker for Injustice two while it had nearly 400 entrants. I find that whole "lack of reflexes" a crutch as those can be compensated, especially in fighters. The problem is drive and if you don't have the drive that's fine but don't make excuses for it. Not saying you specifically, I just see it far too often as to why an older player isn't doing well.
 
My 8 yo me could beat battletoads, Bayou Billie, Ninja Gaiden and basically any NES game in 2 days with ease. I struggle playing in anything but normal on today games. FeelsOldMan.
 
JPS Kai said:
Allow me to preface this by saying I was never an amazing tournament player. I've taken first in a few locals but most every tournament I've taken place in has seen a showing of second place (If not worse). My fifteen minutes of Fame were playing in UFGTX's Mugen charity tournament and taking second. Even with an OP character, I couldn't clinch a win.

Today, I went to a barcade in Columbus to celebrate my 30th birthday. There waa a high score challenge in Joust and the winner got a shirt and a free beer. After some back and forth against one particular gentleman, I reluctantly couldn't match his high score and had to relinquish the high score title.

It was that moment, I realized that my reflexes just aren't what they used to be. Maybe they're perfectly fine for my work as a game reviewer but I'm just not a spring chicken anymore.

My question for you, GAF: How do you stay positive knowing that you just can't be as good at gaming as you used to be five or ten years ago?
Click to expand...

I don't get it. You came in second after stating you usually come in second. So it's not that you lost your competitive edge... you were just never that great to begin with.

And that's ok.

Most people here are far from pro gamers.

Also, I'm 28 and better at Rocket League than I've ever been at anything else except maybe CoD around MW2. But that was mostly due to sound whoring.
 
44 and I'm fine. If I do have slower reflexes, I haven't noticed. And any loss there is more than made up for in experience, especially on old games that I know very well.

I'm as good or better at, for example, the game in my avatar: Tempest 2000. In fact, I never beat it when it first came out (age 21). I was stuck 8 or 9 levels from the end. I beat it years later, in my 30's, and once or twice since.

Games don't get much more reflex heavy than Tempest 2000. When I start sucking at that, I'll know I'm slipping.
 
I'm 40 and mainly play strategy games and rpgs. I have always sucked at action games, and I'm certainly no better now compared to my younger years. Although I'm pretty good at Splatoon.

I will enjoy strategy games until my brain joins my reflexes in the dumpster.
 
I just don't play competitive games for the sake of climbing ladders. No ranked matches, no scoreboard creeping, and nothing that would stress me out. I thought about getting PUB but realized I just enjoy watching Grimmz play it instead. Life's too short to get stressed out over games.
 
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