When I was a kid, I had this fantasy that gaming 10s of years later would be fantastic… Schooling all the kids with my 20+ years of experience they lack, running circles around them.
Turns out dulled reflexes are a bitch and it’s exactly the opposite.
Competitive multiplayer games are nowhere near as much fun as they used to be. I do still feel good about being able to complete (non-dexterity-based) puzzles and make complex deductions a lot faster than them, though.
The trick is too just play the 20 year old game online still instead of moving on to the newer shooters. Everyone still playing is 30+ and have diminished reaction time as well so you still have a shot lol.
Honestly I can go 3 days without playing Rimworld and I’ve completely forgotten what was happening, and half of my mods are unfamiliar again so I have to start over.
I ended up getting glaucoma in my late 30s, so my eyes have really sucked in my middle age. Occasionally though, life throws me a bone and it all seems to click. I agree though, I prefer co-op these days. Not much use in multiplayer aside from maybe sim racing
Last time I was really good at competitive shooters was in my 20s playing MW2, Left 4 Dead, and Battlefield 3. Battlefield 4 and Black Ops 1 were when I felt it shifting, and now I just don’t play online shooters anymore.
I feel like multiplayer games need a special chill lobby for verified players over 30. One where you can step aside and deal with the kids without causing issues. A space where you can call it a night without spoiling the fun because it’s 8:15 and you really need to get ready for bed.
That’s funny - MW2, BF: Bad Company 2 and BF3 were the last competitive shooters I really enjoyed, too. I had a good time playing Apex Legends for a while, but not because I was good at it… more because I could have fun playing my own version of The Running Man until someone inevitably found me. I was that wimp that would drop in some remote corner of the map and spend as much time as possible avoiding combat.
It took me two years and a bit of fiddling with the controller setting to “git gud”. My K/D ratio for the first couple of years was 0.11 (prolly lower but that was the lowest it would show.) and I eventually got it up to 0.71 (approx 1.1 for the last few seasons).
Im amazed at how many people play these games without a headset. I can usually hear them before I see them.
While twitch reflexes help, you can also get a big advantage by game knowledge, tactical thinking, creative plays and/or patience. Not too many kids playing though…
Arc Raiders has been pretty fun imo. There’s a ton of room for outsmarting your opponents, or even just diplomacy in some cases.
Just last night, I was paying in a group of three, my two teammates were up ahead with me lagging behind. Another group suprise attacked us from on top of a huge concrete wall with massive high ground advantage, firing on my teammates whom had little more cover than sparse trees. This group hadn’t seen me yet, so I told my friends to keep them occupied while I flank. I found a strong position to their side where they had no cover from me, but I had cover from them, lobbed a couple grenades and opened fire. It caused them to scatter in a panic, trying to find cover from both me and my teammates, and we absolutely slaughtered them. Felt incredible. Damned shoot on sight bastards lol.
Also, runs can be an absolute maximum of 30 minutes, but usually shorter, so good for people with actual lives to live.
This is me with Overwatch. My game sense helped me so much more than click head skills. I would support main and shot call and it was a huge game changer. I eventually went to dps role and was amazed and how effective I actually was just from literal years playing backline and knowing how most games would flow and who to target. I eventually outranked my support and tank roles in dps despite being mediocre from a skill standpoint.
When I was a kid, I had this fantasy that gaming 10s of years later would be fantastic… Schooling all the kids with my 20+ years of experience they lack, running circles around them.
Turns out dulled reflexes are a bitch and it’s exactly the opposite.
Competitive multiplayer games are nowhere near as much fun as they used to be. I do still feel good about being able to complete (non-dexterity-based) puzzles and make complex deductions a lot faster than them, though.
The trick is too just play the 20 year old game online still instead of moving on to the newer shooters. Everyone still playing is 30+ and have diminished reaction time as well so you still have a shot lol.
CS 1.6 is still going for a reason 😂
I was ranked in the top 10 for pistol kills in modern warfare 3 for over a year and a half.
Then I lost interest in fps games for a few months. Tried to come back and play with some friends, and completely sucked ass.
This is my main problem as well. I can still get to the same skill level I had, but if I stop playing for 2 weeks, I’m basically back to square one.
Honestly I can go 3 days without playing Rimworld and I’ve completely forgotten what was happening, and half of my mods are unfamiliar again so I have to start over.
It’s why I switched to the boardgames for the competitively itch
I ended up getting glaucoma in my late 30s, so my eyes have really sucked in my middle age. Occasionally though, life throws me a bone and it all seems to click. I agree though, I prefer co-op these days. Not much use in multiplayer aside from maybe sim racing
Oooof when it clicks
Last time I was really good at competitive shooters was in my 20s playing MW2, Left 4 Dead, and Battlefield 3. Battlefield 4 and Black Ops 1 were when I felt it shifting, and now I just don’t play online shooters anymore.
I feel like multiplayer games need a special chill lobby for verified players over 30. One where you can step aside and deal with the kids without causing issues. A space where you can call it a night without spoiling the fun because it’s 8:15 and you really need to get ready for bed.
It’s not necessarily just your reflexes, the console players with their built-in aim hacks are fucking ridiculous these days
e: OR SO I WILL KEEP TELLING MYSELF
That’s funny - MW2, BF: Bad Company 2 and BF3 were the last competitive shooters I really enjoyed, too. I had a good time playing Apex Legends for a while, but not because I was good at it… more because I could have fun playing my own version of The Running Man until someone inevitably found me. I was that wimp that would drop in some remote corner of the map and spend as much time as possible avoiding combat.
I’m 53… and that was how I started playing.
It took me two years and a bit of fiddling with the controller setting to “git gud”. My K/D ratio for the first couple of years was 0.11 (prolly lower but that was the lowest it would show.) and I eventually got it up to 0.71 (approx 1.1 for the last few seasons).
Im amazed at how many people play these games without a headset. I can usually hear them before I see them.
You might have fun checking out Hunt Showdown.
While twitch reflexes help, you can also get a big advantage by game knowledge, tactical thinking, creative plays and/or patience. Not too many kids playing though…
Arc Raiders has been pretty fun imo. There’s a ton of room for outsmarting your opponents, or even just diplomacy in some cases.
Just last night, I was paying in a group of three, my two teammates were up ahead with me lagging behind. Another group suprise attacked us from on top of a huge concrete wall with massive high ground advantage, firing on my teammates whom had little more cover than sparse trees. This group hadn’t seen me yet, so I told my friends to keep them occupied while I flank. I found a strong position to their side where they had no cover from me, but I had cover from them, lobbed a couple grenades and opened fire. It caused them to scatter in a panic, trying to find cover from both me and my teammates, and we absolutely slaughtered them. Felt incredible. Damned shoot on sight bastards lol.
Also, runs can be an absolute maximum of 30 minutes, but usually shorter, so good for people with actual lives to live.
This is me with Overwatch. My game sense helped me so much more than click head skills. I would support main and shot call and it was a huge game changer. I eventually went to dps role and was amazed and how effective I actually was just from literal years playing backline and knowing how most games would flow and who to target. I eventually outranked my support and tank roles in dps despite being mediocre from a skill standpoint.
That’s why I’m an RTS enjoyer. Less twitch reflexes and more know-how, control, and good habits.