Aging and Gaming

[MNblockhead]

While I'm not that old (early 50s), I'm at the age where I now need reading glasses and my brain increasingly rebels at me trying to cram more TTRPG rules and lore into it. "Dag nab it, you still expect me to keep up with constantly changing law and technology and then come home and try to understand and compare the 4 or 5 different rule variants for channeling and casting in Warhammer Fantasy AND troubleshoot VTT modules! Why don't you get a proper hobby for someone your age. Walking. Fishing. Something like that!" "Shut up brain! Just be happy I dropped trying to run MAGE: The Ascension!"

I'm too lazy to look up the science on this; I swear I read an article on it sometime, somewhere; but I find that my recognition is better than it was in my youth, but my recall has gone to hell in a hand basket. Decades of experience being a geek and a bookworm are great for understanding new things I read and making connections, but boy do does it take a lot more time to create the grooves in the gray matter to be able to bring something to mind when I need it.

When I was young, I would read over rules a day or two before a game and run it and would run games in multiple systems. Today that feels like self elder abuse.

This is really the only major thing affecting my gaming that is 100% age related. I'm curious whether this will improve or get worse. Get worse, because I'll get older. But then once the kids are out of the house, and especially when I eventually retire, perhaps having less stress and less demands on my brain will improve things in this area.

Anyway, just musing. Would be interested on how gaming has changed for the better or worse for others getting up in years.

 

[aco175]

I still get to play with my father who is in his mid-70s. He has started wearing his hearing aids more fulltime and that helps. We got him a dice tray to roll into to keep the dice from hitting the minis and such, but he still manages to bounce them out on the regular. He also has started to make up actions and taking turns out of turn.

 

[RenleyRenfield]

I am about the same age, been playing since got a blue box at toys R us. . And here is my sitrep =

- We gave up on D&D years ago. Diablo is much more fun, and its the same thing.

- Tabletop RPGs have gotten SO MUCH better; to the point that older systems are painful and tedious to play, even for nostalgia.

- We don't do VTT. If I wanted to sit at my computer for 4 hours and do combat, I'd boot up diablo again (or insert fantasy videogame here)

- We learned the lessons of Metcalf and got good at running the new stuff, and boy howdy has it been worth it! From 2d20 Dune and Infinity, to Apocalypse Keys and Blades in the Dark. RPG design is 100% more fun engaging than it ever was.

- I have all my old 1st ed D&D books, MERP, and more GURPS books than i should admit. And you know what? = I won't ever play them again. Everything does what they did but better in every way...

my 2c

#getoffmylawn

 

[MGibster]

Anyway, just musing. Would be interested on how gaming has changed for the better or worse for others getting up in years.

For the most part, gaming has improved over the past few decades. Let's compare gaming at 25 compared to 45.

25: Had to budget for each RPG book I bought.
45: The costs associated with RPGs are incidental. (Storage is a concern now.)

25: Difficulties balancing gaming with other social activites or obligations.
45: Easier finding a regular time to set aside for gaming purposes with others my age.

25: Easier to find new players.
45: Harder to find new players close to my age.

And there are new games that continue to be made that are just great.

 

[aramis erak]

I'm also mid-50's... have no problem learning new games if I can physically read the text. I've dyslexia, and have always had issues reading cursive, so 7th Sea 2E was only readable by copy and paste into a new document, as the small cursive font, one which has really poor letter uniqueness, is just about the worst font I've ever tried to read.

What I have difficulties with is due to (1) living outside an urban/suburban area (2) Not wanting to play D&D, (3) most of my FTF group are my eldest's friend group. Several are college students.

 

[GMMichael]

When I was young, I would read over rules a day or two before a game and run it and would run games in multiple systems. Today that feels like self elder abuse.

Ah, to have kid-brain again. Aging might be one reason that I'm preferring light games now. And dropping my glasses to read things (why are game rooms always so poorly lit?).

I still get to play with my father who is in his mid-70s . . . He also has started to make up actions and taking turns out of turn.

There are games for that.

- Tabletop RPGs have gotten SO MUCH better; to the point that older systems are painful and tedious to play, even for nostalgia.

Hear, hear!

- I have all my old 1st ed D&D books, MERP, and more GURPS books than i should admit. And you know what? = I won't ever play them again. Everything does what they did but better in every way...

You'll need these for the nostalgia, and for tons of awesome ideas that can be borrowed by your game of choice.

 

[MNblockhead]

I still get to play with my father who is in his mid-70s. He has started wearing his hearing aids more fulltime and that helps. We got him a dice tray to roll into to keep the dice from hitting the minis and such, but he still manages to bounce them out on the regular. He also has started to make up actions and taking turns out of turn.

Have you thought of gifting him a dice tower this X-mas?

I've never really gotten into dice towers. I just love the feeling of rolling dice too much. But they do help keeping dice on the table.

 

[MNblockhead]

I am about the same age, been playing since got a blue box at toys R us. . And here is my sitrep =

- We gave up on D&D years ago. Diablo is much more fun, and its the same thing.

- Tabletop RPGs have gotten SO MUCH better; to the point that older systems are painful and tedious to play, even for nostalgia.

- We don't do VTT. If I wanted to sit at my computer for 4 hours and do combat, I'd boot up diablo again (or insert fantasy videogame here)

- We learned the lessons of Metcalf and got good at running the new stuff, and boy howdy has it been worth it! From 2d20 Dune and Infinity, to Apocalypse Keys and Blades in the Dark. RPG design is 100% more fun engaging than it ever was.

- I have all my old 1st ed D&D books, MERP, and more GURPS books than i should admit. And you know what? = I won't ever play them again. Everything does what they did but better in every way...

my 2c

#getoffmylawn

For the most part I agree, but I played every edition of D&D at Gamehole Con last month, and enjoyed each one. But, yeah, I'm not going to run AD&D as a campaign ever again.

 

[MNblockhead]

For the most part, gaming has improved over the past few decades. Let's compare gaming at 25 compared to 45.

25: Had to budget for each RPG book I bought.
45: The costs associated with RPGs are incidental. (Storage is a concern now.)

Yeah, this is a huge advantage to gaming when older. Assuming no job loss or crazy health expenses. But I've been fortunate so far...

25: Difficulties balancing gaming with other social activites or obligations.
45: Easier finding a regular time to set aside for gaming purposes with others my age.

I find this the opposite. Work and family responsibilities and schedules make keeping to regular schedule difficult. My solution has been to schedule one long game once a month and deciding on the next month's date at the end of each game. Sounds like a recipe for failure but it has worked for my group for a decade. There is no way any of us could commit to the same day of the week or month.

25: Easier to find new players.
45: Harder to find new players close to my age.

In the 80s, in my area, there were SO many people playing TTRPs that finding new games and groups was never an issue.
On the other hand, the Internet has made it much easier to find new groups, especially if you play on line.
I've never worried much about age. That said my regular group are all in their mid-30s and above.

And there are new games that continue to be made that are just great.

Very true.

 

[MNblockhead]

I'm also mid-50's... have no problem learning new games if I can physically read the text. I've dyslexia, and have always had issues reading cursive, so 7th Sea 2E was only readable by copy and paste into a new document, as the small cursive font, one which has really poor letter uniqueness, is just about the worst font I've ever tried to read.

What I have difficulties with is due to (1) living outside an urban/suburban area (2) Not wanting to play D&D, (3) most of my FTF group are my eldest's friend group. Several are college students.

Are you against playing online? Makes it much easier to play when not near a population center with a lot of gamers and finding games other than D&D.