Aging and Gaming

[Piperken]

Reading through a few of the experiences ppl have been generous enough to share as it relates to gaming, it got me thinking as to what aspects of a book or a pdf would encourage me to delve through, or purchase. At least at this moment, in no order:

• Good writing: Evocative, not overly long. Gives inspo. After I put the book away, it makes my thoughts return to it. Where game mechanics are discussed, consistency.
• Good organization: Well thought out at the chapter level. Easy to find granular items as a reader if I opt to just dive in. Likewise, a pleasure to read just cover-to-cover. Good linking, in the case of a pdf.
• Good design: Well thought out at the page level. Not dense, or cluttered. Typography choices that are legible, that make sense. Visual art that is inspiring of the game, when possible.
• Mechanical ideas/concepts: Is it elegant (however you define that)? Does this system/subsystem appeal to me right now? Does it make me reconsider what I do now? Can this subsystem be immediately borrowed?

I feel in regards to disliking stuff that is dense, complex that requires a lot time or commitment to read and tying that intimately to personal issues of aging, we could be more gentle.

Health issues aside, where I am at in terms of "life," affects the place gaming has, but that's not because of aging. There's cultural trends in different artistic mediums, preferences lean now towards stuff that is shorter, that can be digested in shorter chunks of time, etc. These are not just limited to table top games, and we're influenced by these currents as well.

I also think getting to certain ages, gives you the benefit of hopefully recognizing what aspects of a thing you truly like, what those things happen to be, to appreciate them (like finding the types of wine you enjoy most, if you happen to drink wine) and to spend effort in seeking those out.

It takes a journey to get to a semblance of that.

 

[The Soloist]

I'm almost 60. I buy board games, RPGs, and wargames to play them solo, which forces me to keep learning new things. It's better exercise than sudoku. These days, I'm tackling Sword & Sorcery Ancient Chronicles, which is crunchy but fun.

It was never easy for me to learn new rules. Some days, I can't learn new rules. It's just a wall of text. I wait a day or two, and then I can. I always struggled, so I don't know if there was a decline.

For RPGs, we play online, but we shifted away from more complex systems. The youngsters in their 40s are too tired after work and have no concentration for complex combat with multiple abilities and powers. Instead, we play investigation games like Vaesen.

If the rules are badly written and organized, it's not about you or your age; it's about the author. That was true in the 80s and is still true today.

 

[DragonLancer]

I just turned 51 a couple back and I can certainly say that the older I get the more difficult I find things.

For the past 15 years give or take, we jumped from D&D from D&D 3.5 to Pathfinder and it's not been a problem until the last couple years where I find I now struggle with the complexity of that system. It addles my brain and that is why I've come back to D&D with the 2024 release. It hurts my noggin a lot less.

More importantly I have found that my ability to focus has gotten worse. I can't help my look at my phone or online (when I've had to use my Laptop) because I struggle to focus. That was never an issue 3 or 4 years ago.

 

[Jahydin]

I'm almost 60. I buy board games, RPGs, and wargames to play them solo, which forces me to keep learning new things. It's better exercise than sudoku. These days, I'm tackling Sword & Sorcery Ancient Chronicles, which is crunchy but fun.

Too cool! Wife and I just finished the first game and had a blast. Went all in on Ancient Chronicles, but have yet to play it. Too many games...

 

[AnotherGuy]

More importantly I have found that my ability to focus has gotten worse. I can't help my look at my phone or online (when I've had to use my Laptop) because I struggle to focus. That was never an issue 3 or 4 years ago.

This. I'm supposed to be planning for an adventure for 2mo, but I'm struggling...

 

[GrimCo]

I have been struggling with the fact that I was losing touch with this hobby for years now. I just turned 54, and I can honestly say that I had fought against the prospect that my best gaming days are behind me now. Currently, I am no longer invested or interested in any RPGs other than what products I already own. It is no longer worth the effort to keep up with new ideas, new ways to play the same games, or new approaches to the same formulas that have worked well enough for years. I am tired, and I want to spend my time having fun instead of arguing and debating about things that are not.

I found out that somewhere along, i stopped caring about what goes on in ttrpg industry and hobby in broader sense, and talking to fellow gamers i know irl, most of them are same way.

People have their regular groups, they have their favorite games, they play them, they enjoy them and that's it. Very few of us even remotely pay attention what's going on in broader ttrpg space.

You see, getting older doesn't just slow you down, strain your eyes, or make you weak. It also gives you wisdom, experience, and perspective. You have memories and nostalgia of what games have meant to you, how they shaped your life. You learn to appreciate that was once good can still be good. And someone that sells you the promise of something better, doesn't always understand what "good" really means to someone else.

I would say it gives you perspective on what is it that makes playing ttrpgs fun and enough wisdom to prioritize fun aspects over everything else. That's specially true when free time is luxury. When you're young, you feel like time is all you have. If you try out new game and don't like it, so what. You just spent couple of hours, no big deal. Older you get, you appreciate your time more.

And maybe we all get to a point where eventually we decide that it was good enough. Then we go back to that point where things felt just right for us. Or we leave it all behind with the memories untarnished and unchallenged by the vague promise for a better version.

Most of people i know, they found one or two games that are "good enough" and they just stick to them. They don't waste time chasing potential "best game ever", they stick with what works for them.

Life has been good so far. I know it was better for me with gaming. It still is. But now I choose different games. Easier games. Familiar games. Board games. Pinball games. Games I play in my head. And games I remember playing, or would have liked to play... I can still replay those, too.

For me and my group, it's kinda same. We stick with 2 games we know, we like, are fun and if no new games are ever released, we have all we need till we die. It's not that we don't try new games, it's just that we pick them very selectively and they tend to be on the lighter side of things.

 

[aramis erak]

I would say it gives you perspective on what is it that makes playing ttrpgs fun and enough wisdom to prioritize fun aspects over everything else. That's specially true when free time is luxury. When you're young, you feel like time is all you have. If you try out new game and don't like it, so what. You just spent couple of hours, no big deal. Older you get, you appreciate your time more.

Then you hit retirement... or disability... and time suddenly becomes plentiful again. But it's harder to use that time.

 

[Jahydin]

You see, getting older doesn't just slow you down, strain your eyes, or make you weak. It also gives you wisdom, experience, and perspective. You have memories and nostalgia of what games have meant to you, how they shaped your life. You learn to appreciate that was once good can still be good. And someone that sells you the promise of something better, doesn't always understand what "good" really means to someone else.

Your entire post is spot on, but this paragraph in particular really got me thinking about how much I appreciate when others share these experiences via podcasts, forum posts, and/or blogs.

Especially when it comes to early Thieves. Hearing how each table handled them and made them viable is one of my favorite pastimes.

 

[The Soloist]

Especially when it comes to early Thieves. Hearing how each table handled them and made them viable is one of my favorite pastimes.

For early Thieves, these days when I solo AD&D, all skills start at 50% (+/- racial and dexterity bonuses) except climb surfaces, which stays the same. I either give a bonus or apply a penalty based on the quality of the lock or the difficulty level of the task. +2% per level after the first. Feels right when I play it.

 

[tomsonn2015]

I solo with miniature & board games, but D&D.... wouldn't get anything out of that I think.