Aging and Gaming

[Thomas Shey]

I'm 60 and don't see any decline. I'm still able to learn, understand and play new games regularly. Some people can't integrate new rule sets at my age. The brain is a muscle; keep exercising it, and all should be fine. (Let's not talk about the dreaded disease we should not name lest it manifests.)

I seem to have lost some of my multitasking capability (I'm now 68), but some other elements are hard to tease out: I've always had cruddy memory (as in, back when I was 15) so has it gotten worse? Sometimes I lose focus, but is it a standalone problem, or just a side effect of not having all the energy I once did?

It can be really hard to say.

 

[The Soloist]

I seem to have lost some of my multitasking capability (I'm now 68), but some other elements are hard to tease out: I've always had cruddy memory (as in, back when I was 15) so has it gotten worse? Sometimes I lose focus, but is it a standalone problem, or just a side effect of not having all the energy I once did?

It can be really hard to say.

The Internet, forums and social media are mentally draining. I've reduced my daily time. Sometimes I take 2-3 days off. I can feel the difference, even if I didn't get into a heated debate with someone on EnWorld.

 

[Thomas Shey]

The Internet, forums and social media are mentally draining. I've reduced my daily time. Sometimes I take 2-3 days off. I can feel the difference, even if I didn't get into a heated debate with someone on EnWorld.

I'm not sure that's a big difference (though it may impact the energy thing I talked about); I've been involved in arguing with people on mailing lists and things like USENET probably 30 years ago, so doing this on fora or Discord now aren't radically different.

 

[The Soloist]

I'm not sure that's a big difference (though it may impact the energy thing I talked about); I've been involved in arguing with people on mailing lists and things like USENET probably 30 years ago, so doing this on fora or Discord now aren't radically different.

Sure, but you are not getting younger. I used to do ten different things in a day, now I do half of that. Five of those things weren't necessary anyway. I call it wisdom.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Sure, but you are not getting younger. I used to do ten different things in a day, now I do half of that. Five of those things weren't necessary anyway. I call it wisdom.

Fair. I'd enlarge on it, but a nap is calling to me.