Signs your gaming skills are fading away

Mr.Answer

Mr.Answer

CAGiversary!
Excuse my rant/confession but it has been made apparant to me that my video game skills are fading away. I'm 33 and have been gaming since 78 and pong, vic 20, atari, intellivision, c-64 etc.etc. Always been a decent player, never read instructions, and always enjoyed myself.

I'm fading. A few weeks back I bought Project Gotham Racing for the 360, was having fun learning the ropes on novice career, everything was very easy and the novice setting helped my boys and wife to play some too. Things were going fine until I got to the 'target speed' races on two of the early courses. For three weeks I have been playing the game thinking I had to hit the 'target speed' EXACTLY (on novice for the first race was 55.5 mph past the speed camera) finally tonight it occured to my lame self that 'gee, maybe I'm just supposed to go AT LEAST that fast" YUP----moron moron moron.

Sure this could be seen as just a stupid slip up, but I was playing DOA4 the other day and couldn't beat anyone and ...this is a tough confession... had to call up my kids to get past a level for me.... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!



Finally I have noticed that the game I have played the most on the 360 have been HEARTS.



How much time do I have left? Tell it to me straight. I fear I only have 6 months of gaming 'skills' left.




Where have you gone super mario...a fading cag turns his eyes to you (woo woo woo) What's that you say ms pac man super mario has left and gone away ? (hey hey hey)
 
Mr. Answer, I'm afraid there is only one way to make an accurate estimate for the amount of time you have left before all, "gaming skill," escapes you.

*snaps on a white pair of disposable latex gloves*

I'm going to have to ask you to pull down your pants including any underwear you may be wearing, bend over and spread those cheeks!

eusa_dance.gif
 
You've had nearly 30 years of gaming, I'd say that's a decent run. I'm only 22 and already I'm suspecting I might have early onset. Sometimes I can't even beat a game unless I have Action Replay and a walk-thru. I can't imagine what I might be like 10 years from now. :cry:
 
[quote name='Swift900']Mr. Answer, I'm afraid there is only one way to make an accurate estimate for the amount of time you have left before all, "gaming skill," escapes you.

*snaps on a white pair of disposable latex gloves*

I'm going to have to ask you to pull down your pants including any underwear you may be wearing, bend over and spread those cheeks!

eusa_dance.gif
[/QUOTE]

:rofl:
 
[quote name='dcfox']You've had nearly 30 years of gaming, I'd say that's a decent run. I'm only 22 and already I'm suspecting I might have early onset. Sometimes I can't even beat a game unless I have Action Replay and a walk-thru. I can't imagine what I might be like 10 years from now. :cry:[/QUOTE]


I wonder if I (or someone) could get a grant to study this tragic disease?
 
Nah, you aren't losing your skills. You are simply not playing enough. I am guessing that now with kids you have less time for games then you once did, therefore you get less practice. The more you play the better you get, as you play less your skills decay over time. There does come a point where your reaction time will fail you in your late 40 or 50s but you still have much time left.

When I first played Gitaroo Man I completly failed the first level 4 times until I finally got it. Some levels took me over 3 hours to beat. In the end I managed to beat the last level after several days of trying. Now I can beat any level on my first try with good results. It just takes practice and dedication.

Playing just any time will not do. To improve you should play in blocks of atleast an hour t whenever, this allows you to get in the mind set and memorize the combos or technique of the game. Play daily if possible to see faster improvement. Keep up this regime and you can see results in as little as 2 weeks!
 
I found that sometimes when I do something too much I get worse. If I take a break for a few months then I find that I do better than I did before and often improve. Sometimes its not as drastic though. For example, I notice I'll be doing extremely well at a game and then all of a sudden suck. The next day I still suck. I stop for a week or a month and then I'm better than before.

This happened with custom robo recently. Got to the very end and lost the 10th fight of 10 (between saves). First fight I had ever lost and it was right before the very end of the game. I then had to start the string of 10 over again, and proceeded to lose 5 times in the first of ten. Then when I passed that I lost on the 2nd of 10. I couldn't get anywhere until I stopped for a week.
 
I think you guys are being far to kind for this CAG pariah. I played for three weeks trying to hit the MPG exactly at the 'target'. I can't even look my wife in the eye any more, for I know that she knows deep down that she will soon need to take over the gaming job and she dreads that day.
 
don't feel bad about the doa 4 thing. i, too, suck. i lost my first ten fights online, and i still can't get a victory.
 
Played an entire season in MVP 05 (182 games). I used to be able to lie down on my bed and just play the game casually. By the time I got to game #92, each time I tried to lie down and play I couldnt focus at all. My hitting would be off, I would give up bad pitches, etc. So I have to sit up sitting crosslegged and near the tv to focus on the game. Now I have that problem with almost every single game I play. The only ones I dont have this with are poker games.
 
I am the same way. I used to kick ass at every game I played. Now... not so much. My main problems are as follows:

1. Many more games owned, so I don't dedicate anywhere near as much time to each individual title.

2. Adult onset ADD. I'm not kidding. I'm 99% sure I have it. Plus the internet cuts way into my potential gaming time.

3. Lack of time. I have only a fraction of the free time that I had as a kid. I don't even play games every day.

And I'm only 21...
 
I've been looking up games I played a lot as a kid. A lot of them are listed as "VERY HARD" or "ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE to..." but it seemed really easy when I was like 8. I've been downloading old school rts and adventure games and for some reason, I can't seem to beat levels that I found were easy when I was in grade school. And no matter how hard I try, I can't get through the entire game of Bubble Bobble without dying (when I was 4, it got so boring that I made the boss at level 100 mad on purpose so he'd go a bit faster).

I'm only 20! Noooo, game skills, PLEASE come back!!!

I think that it's not only the matter of lack of time but that it takes much more to entertain us now. When I was 3, I could entertain myself for hours with a box. If you gave me a box now, I'd slap you. Therefore, I was much more patient and would actually spend hours saving and loading a small section to get the best result.
 
My Dad is going pretty strong at 46, he plays tons of Tetris Worlds for Xbox, as well as Project Gotham, and Star Wars Battlefront. Those are pretty much the only games he plays, as it takes him a while to get used to more complicated controls. Back when I spent more time with him, he could take me in Madden, was decent at Goldeneye, loved Starfox 64, and I swear to you that he is the greatest of all time at Wario's Woods for SNES (He used to play it for 5 hours straight every day, and had to go to the doctor because he was having headaches from playing it so much). Maybe it is just a lapse in concentration, I find it hard to concentrate on most games and I'm only 19.
 
I'm the opposite. I'm getting much better now than I was when I was playing on my GEnesis and saturn. I beat many games that I start and most games don't present as much of a challenge to me anymore. I think I play games a lot more now than when i was younger. It appears that a majority of this board starting playing video games at age 3, and played these games hardcore. Meanwhile, I only started playing games at age 7, and never did they really absorb the majority or plurality of my time. Even now, it's something I do during breaks and weekends.

However, I'm sure a portion of my new found skills is the attention I pay to speed runs I see people play, and my attempts to emulate some of them (1:30 in MGS2 on Easy). These attempts more than likely bleed over into other games.
 
i think alot of the problem could be how much effort you have left to give after dealing with kids n such things such as stress due to these things leave me mentaly tired.
You realy have to be relaxed and ready when dealing with games to focus enough to stay steady and get into a zone especialy with racing or shooters.
 
Not me I'm still a savage beast when it comes to games, like everyone has said if you don't have the time to play your skills will atrophy.
 
My dad is 58 and has been playing Psychonauts and every Oddworld game like there's no tomorrow lately. And he's never been a gamer before like 3 years ago. So I dont think you'll lose it.
 
I think part of this also has to do with people outthinking themselves when they have a controller in their hands. Has it ever happened to you guys that you're actually somewhat better at a game when you aren't really sure what's going on? I'm starting to think beginner's luck isn't luck at all, but rather the fact that when you're playing a game you first started owning, you probably play it in unconventional ways, since you're still learning, and the less you know about a game, the more inclined you are to try different ways of doing things.

Also, I think people start looking for different things in game. When I was 14 or 15, I would want only games that were a minimum of 25-30 hours, and I didn't care for multiplayer at all. At 20, however, I much rather would play a game that I can just pick up and play. Sure, we have the consoles in our room, but it gets harder to will yourself to play, say, Skies of Arcadia (which I love and wish I could finish), namely because there are other people in the room, and the more hardcore games take too much concentration, so I tend to default to simpler games, like Viewtiful Joe, or Top Spin, etc. That's probably why my DS gets more play-time than any other console we have.
 
I'll be 40 this year.

My son (15) can kick my ass at most games out there, except the old school games I grew up with. Robotron 2084 :)

I know part of it is lack of play time. I get maybe 3 hrs a week to play anything, and usually it is something on my gameboy.
 
i too have noticed my gaming skills decreasing. Last weekend a friend was over and we decided to play some NES Contra... holy shit were we terrible. I remember when i was a kid i had no problems beating that game. Now i'm lucky if i get out of the second level.

Another instance is i got the Sonic Mega Collection and i remember beatins Sonic 2 more times than i can remember as a kid. Now i cant even get through half the game.

Ive also noticed with some current generation games i sometimes have to reference a walk through cause i'm stuck on a puzzle oir a boss. Even just a couple years ago i never used a walkthrough.
 
i think when you were younger you had more of a focus on gaming. I remember i would put in countless hours behind the controller, but the older I got the more I didnt have time for marathon gaming and that I was never as focused on the game itself. I think you gotta just put more focus on gaming, while gaming. Maybe light some candles put on some barry white and just play for the fun of the game, that or retire and make a triumphant comeback a year later.
 
*sniff*

I feel your pain.

Between work, going to the gym, spending time with my gf and trying to get 6 hours of sleep a night I might get 2-3 hours a week in gaming. I used to get 5-6 a day!

It now takes months to beat RPGs instead of days. :cry:
 
[quote name='Kayden']*sniff*

I feel your pain.

Between work, going to the gym, spending time with my gf and trying to get 6 hours of sleep a night I might get 2-3 hours a week in gaming. I used to get 5-6 a day!

It now takes months to beat RPGs instead of days. :cry:[/QUOTE]
I hear that. I actually just gave up on rpgs because by the time I came back to them, I didn't know where I was or what I was doing.:)
 
Sing my skillz are fading? I think i only bought one PS2 game last year and it was a compliation. And i only bought a few PC and GBA games. But once some prices fall ill pick up a few i guess.
 
I don't know if mine are fading or not... I'm almost 24... and I've been at it since I was 4 when my parents bought us a NES. That's almost 20 years of gaming. I still enjoy gaming, I just don't know how I do compared to when I was younger. I do realize I have less time to game though. Ikohn4ever mentioned "marathon gaming" I thought damn... I need to do that every once in a while... I need to make room for it. Even if it is to finish all of these unfinished games I've started and get to some of them I've bought and haven't even put in my PS2 or GC. I still haven't gotten around to FFX or FFX-2 yet. Geez, that's like... 20 billions hours of gaming in those two isn't it?
 
[quote name='csidegamer']I'll be 40 this year.

My son (15) can kick my ass at most games out there, except the old school games I grew up with. Robotron 2084 :)

I know part of it is lack of play time. I get maybe 3 hrs a week to play anything, and usually it is something on my gameboy.[/QUOTE]

Like the OP said sometimes I need to get my 10 year old to help me pass a stage. I also don't play as often as I like.
 
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