Aging and Gaming

[R_J_K75]

I broke and slapped it across the room and it smashed to pieces.

I really wish I was there to see that. I'd have said I'll drink to that, cheers, bottoms up.

 

[Jahydin]

Just hit my 40s and I can sympathize with avoiding complex rule systems despite completely devouring them when I was younger. I think having a more mentally challenging job hasn't helped in that regard either.

Hasn't stopped me from collecting them and reading them slowly, but the chances they hit the table or I create something unique with them drops dramatically.

Just watched an interesting video from Rick Beato where he talks about "Fluid vs Crystalized" intelligence and how it relates to musicians. Have since been thinking about how it might relate to how I go about things these days.

 

[R_J_K75]

I don't mind having younger players when I run game day events, but I don't have a lot in common with people in their 20s and I don't really have a desire to hang around them. I'm sure they don't want to hang around with me either.

Besides myself and a friend I've known since 1995, and have been playing together since then on and off, my group consists of my next-door neighbor who's early to mid-30's and his brother who is a few years younger and every so often their younger brother who is 21ish. I can totally agree with the age gap differences. We get along outside of RPGs, help each out and hang out and have beers, concerts, party's and such. But if we didn't have those other connections, I'd never game with them most likely.

 

[R_J_K75]

Just hit my 40s and I can sympathize with avoiding complex rule systems despite completely devouring them when I was younger.

I want a simple system with a clean resolution system

 

[pukunui]

My eye sight is going which is strange I had eyes like an eagle most of my life. Guess thats just part of getting old.

I'm 43. When I last went in for an eye check, the optometrist said, "Welcome to your 40s! You're going to need bifocals soon!" Sigh ...

I got into D&D via 2e in the 90s. Don't remember much about the mechanics. Only really have nostalgia for the art. I think my ability to memorize and recall rules is still sharp, but I am becoming less and less interested in learning new game systems. I know 5e inside and out, and while I sometimes feel tired of it, any time I have the opportunity to learn about another system, I end up dumping it in the "too hard" basket.

Something that is almost certainly a sign of me aging is that I find it virtually impossible to read more than a few pages of rules text at a time without falling asleep! That never happened when I was younger!

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Something that is almost certainly a sign of me aging is that I find it virtually impossible to read more than a few pages of rules text at a time without falling asleep! That never happened when I was younger!

I have a weird issue where I just never fall asleep like, accidentally, nor even on vehicles or the like. For a while I thought it might be related to taking ADHD medicine but I've had several weeks without that before due to supply shortages (a really tough time I can tell you, not fun), so I now know it isn't. I can't even fall asleep on planes or the like, when I would really like to, even if I'm tired, and alcohol only makes it harder too!

BUT

For a glorious 2 years after COVID about mid 2020 to mid 2022, I was "normal for 40s" on this. I absolutely nodded off like other people my age, on trains, whilst playing really boring videogames, whilst reading rules text, watching movies, etc. I was just getting used to this, and thinking "Hey, this is quite a change, maybe it's not so bad! I do feel more rested!", when it snapped back to "normal for me", which is I can get incredibly tired and drowsy, but I don't fall asleep unless I'm literally lying down and probably have at least a sheet on in me (I also wake up ridiculously easily, which is very annoying for everyone involved).

That said, one change has remained! From like, 20 to 40, I mostly operated on like 6 hours sleep a night - if I slept much more, I got headaches, and I never seemed to be more tired or less energetic than other people who slept longer. But at 46 now? If I don't get close to 8 hours, I am going to be tired, I am going to missing energy, and I'm even going to be weaker than normal (as the gym shows).

 

[pukunui]

I have a weird issue where I just never fall asleep like, accidentally, nor even on vehicles or the like. For a while I thought it might be related to taking ADHD medicine but I've had several weeks without that before due to supply shortages (a really tough time I can tell you, not fun), so I now know it isn't. I can't even fall asleep on planes or the like, when I would really like to, even if I'm tired, and alcohol only makes it harder too!

BUT

For a glorious 2 years after COVID about mid 2020 to mid 2022, I was "normal for 40s" on this. I absolutely nodded off like other people my age, on trains, whilst playing really boring videogames, whilst reading rules text, watching movies, etc. I was just getting used to this, and thinking "Hey, this is quite a change, maybe it's not so bad! I do feel more rested!", when it snapped back to "normal for me", which is I can get incredibly tired and drowsy, but I don't fall asleep unless I'm literally lying down and probably have at least a sheet on in me (I also wake up ridiculously easily, which is very annoying for everyone involved).

That said, one change has remained! From like, 20 to 40, I mostly operated on like 6 hours sleep a night - if I slept much more, I got headaches, and I never seemed to be more tired or less energetic than other people who slept longer. But at 46 now? If I don't get close to 8 hours, I am going to be tired, I am going to missing energy, and I'm even going to be weaker than normal (as the gym shows).

That’s rough! I feel for you. I can’t sleep on planes either or in unfamiliar places or if there’s an annoying noise.

But regardless of whether I want to fall asleep or not, reading a D&D book (or similar) is pretty much guaranteed to make me sleepy.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

But regardless of whether I want to fall asleep or not, reading a D&D book (or similar) is pretty much guaranteed to make me sleepy.

Books definitely help me if I'm in a "sleep possible" position, 100%, I think it's something about reading itself, because it also works with subtitled TV shows, so long as they're not too exciting - like calm anime (Fruits Basket or Monster for example) so long as I have the subtitles on will absolutely induce sleepiness (whereas something like JJK or Chainsaw Man will absolutely not lol).

And yeah if I want to read one and not fall asleep, I have to start reading it when I'm definitely not even slightly tired! And preferably sit up, too!

 

[MNblockhead]

I have a weird issue where I just never fall asleep like, accidentally, nor even on vehicles or the like. For a while I thought it might be related to taking ADHD medicine but I've had several weeks without that before due to supply shortages (a really tough time I can tell you, not fun), so I now know it isn't. I can't even fall asleep on planes or the like, when I would really like to, even if I'm tired, and alcohol only makes it harder too!

BUT

For a glorious 2 years after COVID about mid 2020 to mid 2022, I was "normal for 40s" on this. I absolutely nodded off like other people my age, on trains, whilst playing really boring videogames, whilst reading rules text, watching movies, etc. I was just getting used to this, and thinking "Hey, this is quite a change, maybe it's not so bad! I do feel more rested!", when it snapped back to "normal for me", which is I can get incredibly tired and drowsy, but I don't fall asleep unless I'm literally lying down and probably have at least a sheet on in me (I also wake up ridiculously easily, which is very annoying for everyone involved).

That said, one change has remained! From like, 20 to 40, I mostly operated on like 6 hours sleep a night - if I slept much more, I got headaches, and I never seemed to be more tired or less energetic than other people who slept longer. But at 46 now? If I don't get close to 8 hours, I am going to be tired, I am going to missing energy, and I'm even going to be weaker than normal (as the gym shows).

 

[MNblockhead]

Books definitely help me if I'm in a "sleep possible" position, 100%, I think it's something about reading itself, because it also works with subtitled TV shows, so long as they're not too exciting - like calm anime (Fruits Basket or Monster for example) so long as I have the subtitles on will absolutely induce sleepiness (whereas something like JJK or Chainsaw Man will absolutely not lol).

And yeah if I want to read one and not fall asleep, I have to start reading it when I'm definitely not even slightly tired! And preferably sit up, too!

True for me with physical books, but if I'm using an electronic device I won't sleep.