Middle-Aged: Shadow of Gamor.

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Lenny Solidus
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Middle-Aged: Shadow of Gamor.

Post by Lenny Solidus » Thu Feb 12, 2026 1:34 pm

So then, I'd like to if I may ask those of you who still regularly game today just what kind of adaptive methods or conditions have you had to take on to keep your favourite hobby alive? Now I'm not asking for anything too personal you understand nor would I ever - anything that reflects upon where you are presently to how you once were shall suffice just nicely. If, of course, you are completely open to mention anything that is involved with how you've had to learn to adjust as the years have stacked one upon the other and yet you can still enjoy gaming to its fullest thankfully, please do feel free, I'm not trying to discourage it. We all have something to share no doubt.

For me being the Fps Doug that I once was while still retaining a modicum of hair I have long since moved away from the truly sweatfested titles such as R6: Siege, CoD, CS, Valorant all that shite and now find much lighter noted games such as Halo Infinite and Darktide to be more my bag...ok perhaps not the latter in terms of being light gaming fair I mean - you should honestly hear us all panting and thankful it's over with after we complete a mission together. :lol: My biggest issue in my middle term years nearing 53 is that my index finger over the years has taken on the form of, well a dick. It's become slightly bent out of shape and has quite the prominent head adorning it at the top and can often completely seize up on me during a match meaning I have to release relax crack it and continue to pwn noobs and yes I'm not kidding at all about said appearance. My entire family make fun of it on the daily and I do not care, I know what it's capable of. Another thing on top of this is how I've become so incredibly sensitive to sound, and I'm not talking about the game sound coming out of my pebbles I'm talking about how moving my mouse can sometimes make a wire on my desk keep making a tapping noise, and it absolutely infuriates me no end. I have to stop and find the source immediately. I'm not angry person by any means but fuck me having certain sounds suddenly capture your holes when trying to concentrate on a game.

I would say my reflexes and timings have slowed naturally, but there has been many a time I can and sometimes do surprise myself pulling off that 'sick' grenade or whatever and shaking my shoulders and propping up the middle finger letting out a hallowed burley FUUUUCK YOOOOOU! in an act of pure defiance as I did in my twenties. I'm happy that I can still hold my own in an online ruckus of the more slowed variety anyways. Just being part of the winning team is enough rather than trying to showboat constantly as I once felt was always warranted.

On top of this my eyesight, you know you're in trouble when in a game and suddenly a plethora of brightly colours appear akin to one of those old tin based kaleidoscopes in your peripheral vision and refuses to go away. I've had to go from my normal 1.25 to 1.50 and hopefully never have to go beyond and is clearly as I can see everything represented if I then take them off and get in bed with my phone in hand I can't see a damn thing. Perhaps gaming has played its part, but doing artwork for so long surely has been involved too. Do get your eyes checked chaps.

Ah yes, the pissing test. I've lost count of the amount of times I've had to make it through something I can't just really up and walk away from leaving my team in the shit because my bladder is intent on being emptied constantly. The irony being that during most if not all my time spent with the guys on Darktide the very first thing we resign ourselves to on a break is to get more drink. I know that you know that we all have to now get up in the middle of the night bladder near rupturing only for it to let out record scoring amounts completely countering the amount that you drank that day, but having that happen during a match where leaving once again could end up with a team wipe, yes not the best.

Another would be a more common symptom which is back pain, last year I finally gave up buying into all those fancy smanshy dedicated gaming chairs (that snap in half at the base if you own them beyond six to seven months) and settled for a much comfier much more embracing to me at least camping chair - not only do I no longer feel as though I'm constantly welcoming piles, but the allowance of more flexible natural movement has really made me never look back on ever buying a chair of any sort ever again to be fair. There are no doubt downsides I'm yet to recognise, but for now, I'm extremely comfortable in my blue fishing style ass holder far more than I ever was sat in a chair for overly long periods.

So again, gaming in your later years. Share what you like, hold in what might make you look like someone whose finger after years of mouse scrolling and not using auto-roll is now in the shape of a helmeted penis and gets mocked incessantly.

And what do we say to old age?



I AM. I GAME.
Last edited by Lenny Solidus on Fri Feb 13, 2026 3:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Middle-Aged: Shadow of Gamor.

Post by Wrathbone » Thu Feb 12, 2026 1:54 pm

Lenny Solidus wrote: ↑
Thu Feb 12, 2026 1:34 pm
On top of this my eyesight, you know you're in trouble when in a game and suddenly a plethora of brightly colours appear akin to one of those old tin based kaleidoscopes in your peripheral vision and refuses to go away.
Ah, the old silent migraine. I get them maybe once every couple of years and they last about 30 minutes as a crescent of vibrant flickering colours that slowly drifts to the side and out of view. Was terrifying the first time it happened but apparently is nothing to be concerned about.

Back pain is my main middle-age gaming grievance and has led to me almost exclusively playing PC games over the few years since my desk chair is good quality and supportive, whereas my old sofa (replaced last week, funnily enough) was 14 years old and had lost any semblance of support. The new sofa has all the bells and whistles - controls for adjustable footrest, lumbar support and headrest - and is very supportive and comfortable, so I may resume console gaming again soon.

The most humiliating demonstration of age that I suffered through gaming was last year when I dug out my old Rock Band Stratocaster and downloaded Clone Hero to play some of the old favourites. Back in the day, I got pretty damn good at Guitar Hero and Rock Band, being able to 5 star most songs on expert. There was a 5 year span where I played probably a couple of hours every day. Anyway, it turns out I now have what Futurama's robot devil described as 'stupid fingers'. Even easy songs were proving a challenge both mentally and physically, and Deep Purple's Highway Star caused my hands to sieze up during the fast solo towards the end. I used to be able to 100% that. :( It's sad when you realise it's no longer a case of getting back to speed with something, but that you've lost it and it's never coming back. Well, not unless I make a deal with the robot devil to get new hands... :-k

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Re: Middle-Aged: Shadow of Gamor.

Post by Sly Boots » Thu Feb 12, 2026 4:08 pm

My gaming habits have definitely changed a huge amount in the last couple of decades. I can barely remember the last time I played a shooter, and I don't even bother playing/buying anything that requires twitch reactions or remembering complicated combinations of buttons - and as well as no FPS that rules out a bunch of other genres like some platformers, roguelikes (I didn't get on with Hades for example), metroidvanias etc.

And in some cases it's not that I probably couldn't struggle my way through them with effort, it's more that I don't find even attempting to do so in the least bit enjoyable, the rewards not being commensurate with the effort being put in.

Steam tags are a godsend - anything with tags like 'difficult', 'soulslike', 'bullet hell' etc are an instant do-not-buy :lol:

Mostly what I play these days are RPGs, indie narrative games, point-and-clicks (which, by the way, are having a massive renaissance, with a lot of great ones coming out in the last couple of years), turn-based stuff. Generally things I don't need split-second reactions to play, can take it slow and that respect my time.

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Re: Middle-Aged: Shadow of Gamor.

Post by Maturin » Thu Feb 12, 2026 7:35 pm

For me, the issues affecting my reduced gaming are not physical, but mental. In my very late 40s now, I find the increased pressures I'm facing - and general sense of being less contented in life & more worried about my future - have really impacted on my ability to just lose myself inside game worlds. It's not even a question of not having as much time - I have the spare time still - but there was just something inherently easier as a younger man to fill spare time with gaming and switch everything else off in my mind.

For some reason, my general state of mind and how I was feeling in my life was actually really important to my gaming habits. You'd think gaming could act as an outlet to take my mind off other things, but it doesn't really work like that - I have less enthusiasm to want to dive into games in the first place now. Also, I have money worries long term (I'm not set up for a comfortable retirement at all) and the reality that spending loads of money on gaming now will mean less money for me later has also played a part perhaps.

I know we shouldn't look back too much because it isn't healthy, but I do miss my youthful sense of wonder and giddy excitement at gaming.

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Re: Middle-Aged: Shadow of Gamor.

Post by arqueturus » Fri Feb 13, 2026 11:20 am

Can i just give props to the thread title?

Gets a solid titter from me every time I read it :lol:

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Re: Middle-Aged: Shadow of Gamor.

Post by Mantis » Fri Feb 13, 2026 11:29 am

I just don't have as much time anymore primarily. Between work always been intense, social things in the evenings on a lot of days and all my work towards band related stuff I only get maybe an hour or two every few days to play anything.

As such my performance in anything remotely competitive that requires muscle memory skill shots is in the toilet. And to be honest I think I've long lost interest in any kind of multiplayer game where you just do the same thing ad infinitum every 10 minutes. Shooters like BF, CoD, PUBG, Valorant, TF2 and Overwatch are long gone for me, I just don't have the interest in them anymore when you just rinse and repeat something in rounds. Same goes for competitive RTS games, though I do still play them with friends in co-op or solo on story modes. I also couldn't care less about being competitive or good at a game anymore either, so even if I had the time I don't think I'd be bothered to spend hours training my twitch reactions on a shooter. I'd rather spend that time playing a fulfilling single player game or something funny in co-op with friends. It's nothing to do with muscle pains or injuries though.

I think overall my tastes haven't changed that much, I'm just more ruthless with games that don't respect my time. If it's just another copy of a gameplay style that I've played a hundred times already or another open world clone then I drop something within a couple of hours and seek out more interesting and new experiences.

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Re: Middle-Aged: Shadow of Gamor.

Post by Animalmother » Fri Feb 13, 2026 11:52 am

Dick fingers :lol:

I still play games regularly but the range has dropped to just 2 or 3. I mostly play Battlefield 6 but at this stage its more out of habit than for enjoyment. I just can't keep up with the sweaty frag fest its devolved into. I only seem to do well in games that have a mix of bots and real players now. I've started to get back into Red Dead Redemption 2 and am determined to finish it. I just recently finished Resident Evil 4 after starting it about 3 years ago. I started RDR2 about 4 years ago.

My arms have started to get sore over the past few months, if I stretch them it hurts like a bastard. Funnily enough if I position them as if I'm holding a controller they're fine.

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Re: Middle-Aged: Shadow of Gamor.

Post by Hatredsheart » Fri Feb 13, 2026 6:49 pm

For me at 62 it's regular breaks. Thanks to arthritis and neuropathy those old 4hr WoW raids are definitely a thing of the past. I can still cope with the likes of Elden Ring and first person shooters just.
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Re: Middle-Aged: Shadow of Gamor.

Post by Alex79 » Fri Feb 13, 2026 9:45 pm

Wrathbone wrote: ↑
Thu Feb 12, 2026 1:54 pm
Lenny Solidus wrote: ↑
Thu Feb 12, 2026 1:34 pm
On top of this my eyesight, you know you're in trouble when in a game and suddenly a plethora of brightly colours appear akin to one of those old tin based kaleidoscopes in your peripheral vision and refuses to go away.
Ah, the old silent migraine. I get them maybe once every couple of years and they last about 30 minutes as a crescent of vibrant flickering colours that slowly drifts to the side and out of view. Was terrifying the first time it happened but apparently is nothing to be concerned about.
It's happened to me once, ever. Probably about 15 years ago and I was driving on a dual carriageway at the time. I suddenly forgot where I was going and was just driving, feeling confused for a couple of minutes until my memory came back. It was really weird, and I didn't really know what it was until years later when someone else was talking about a similar thing.

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Re: Middle-Aged: Shadow of Gamor.

Post by Snowy » Sat Feb 14, 2026 12:18 pm

Great thread Dickfinger, and loved the replies too.

Gaming remains my main way to switch off from life. I played the original Pong machine on my cousin's TV back in the early 70s and have pretty much been gaming since, I expect that will be true till I pop off this mortal coil. I have a lot less time these days, but I do try and get a little fix in every day where possible.

I used to be an FPS nut, part of the BT Wireplay league-winning Mama clan playing Kingpin, and any other good FPS I could jump into. Quake 2, SiN CTF, Tribes, Planetside, Soldier of Fortune, F.E.A.R, you name it. I also had a lengthy relationship with MMO gaming, with WoW swallowing vast chunks of my life, but I have shaken off that addiction and it now holds no interest.

In FPS/TPS terms, I still love a tactical shooter, and will always make a bee-line towards the chunter-cannon as my preferred option.

My main gaming loves now are five-fold (this has clicked up as I write the fucking post). The first is co-op gaming - we have had our own little group on Discord now for a good few years, and it has become such a part of my weekends it is almost sacrosanct now - the Saturday and Sunday afternoon co-op sessions. Me, Raid, El Gaucho, ManBearPig/LongPlodVanDamme and Dickfinger have played a tonne of different co-op titles over the years. RDR2 Online, Darktide, Ghost Recon Wildlands and Breakpoint, Darktide, Division 2, Darktide, and on it goes. True friends who have largely never met (Dickfinger and ManBearPig are the only ones I have met).

The second love is open-world games, anything that just lets me drift, lets me plug my imagination into idle and storytell along with a good world. Again I would mention Wildlands, but also various AssCreeds, Far Cries, Hitmen, Ghost of Tshushima, and top of the pile RDR2 (AM seriously, stick with it, it's such a good story and game).

I also love a good driving game. Raid and I have played loads of co-op races on various year's iterations of F1 titles and more recently Automobilista 2, plus I have countless hours racked up playing Forza Horizon titles. @Dickfinger, that reminds me we haven't had a session on Forza since I made you puke*

VR gets a special mention. VR transforms games in a way no other peripheral can. The first time I played Elite Dangerous on my Oculus Rift, and shifted from looking into the cockpit from a very 'game' perspective to sitting in it... The interiors of space stations become immense. Looking around while in the cockpit, tracking targets or glancing at the interior of your ship, that previously you have never seen until playing in VR - just transformative. Racing games likewise - running an F1 title in VR ahead of the actual race weekend increases your appreciation for what you are watching a hundredfold. Also drunken rounds of Walkabout Mini-golf of a Saturday evening are just fantastic co-op fun

Finally there are games that just give me something that I love and are always in my rotation. Helldivers 2 probably the biggest for me in recent years, I am a total addict, I just love the gameplay loop. Darktide follows close on behind. Both being co-op titles is no surprise either - both titles are enhanced hugely by being part of a shared experience. Whether overcoming a desperate fight, keyboard-hand crabbed into a claw and almost breathless, or succumbing, it's that shared experience that I think plugs me into my happy place.

What doesn't work though? Recently purchasing BF6 illustrated in no uncertain terms that I have zero ability in adversarial FPS titles. Soulslikes can do one, and take all those isometric controller-games like Hades with them when they do. Git gud? Get fucked. I also struggle with games that overdo it with the amount of complexity and systems they bake in, exerting the brain too much isn't why I am here.

Ah that's enough from me :)

* almost forgot, figured it could amuse folks. Dave and I have had a few sessions on Forza 4 and 5, recreating those old Test Drive Unlimited days of just hooning about. He picked up the version of 5 with the DLC included and I suggested we do some of the Hot Wheels content - a mental confection of roads made of Hot Wheels track pieces, replete with loop the loops, barrel rolls and all manner of insane speed racing. I had played it through and loved it. Unfortunately it kicked the shit out of Dave and made him puke from the motion of the whole thing :lol: Sorry man I had no idea :lol:
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Re: Middle-Aged: Shadow of Gamor.

Post by Animalmother » Sat Feb 14, 2026 2:15 pm

Dong Digits
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Flesh Flute Fingers

I'm some 85 hours or so into RDR2 and have just meet the Native American chief and the army captain. Not sure how close I am to the end. There's still chunks of the map I haven't uncovered yet ( keep getting distracted by side quests). Can safely say this is the high water mark of gaming, one of the best ones out there.

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Re: Middle-Aged: Shadow of Gamor.

Post by Snowy » Sat Feb 14, 2026 3:46 pm

Yep, I think it's the GOAT for me. In completion terms, story plus epilogue you still have a long way to go and plenty to enjoy, as well as what I found a great story. If you haven't had it spoiled, avoid spoilers. Then once you are done, RDR2 online is a blast. You have to jump servers once in a while to avoid cheaters, but for the most part it's really chill and good-natured.

Always happy to jump on, ping me on our Discord if you ever want a crack at online.
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Re: Middle-Aged: Shadow of Gamor.

Post by Mantis » Sat Feb 14, 2026 11:13 pm

Getting a posse together and doing a bunch of missions and bounties online was good fun a few years ago.

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Re: Middle-Aged: Shadow of Gamor.

Post by Animalmother » Sun Feb 15, 2026 12:19 pm

I'm finding that I now have zero tolerance for bullshit mechanics in games that previously I would have just got on with. This can include drawn out tutorials, overly complicated crafting systems, fetch quests and unskippable cutscenes. I've uninstalled so many games due to mild annoyance.

I tried Abiotic Factor recently. Its a great game but I just gave up due to the heavy reliance on crafting and exploration, the 2 things I absolutely love in games! How simple it is to just download then uninstall games these days is probably detrimental to the experience.

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Re: Middle-Aged: Shadow of Gamor.

Post by Rusty » Sun Feb 15, 2026 1:20 pm

Luckily I don't think I've changed anything regarding my playing games. I (yet) don't even need glasses which I thought I would by now (mid fifties) having sat so near to the tv for several decades now.

I don't do competitive games online mainly because I get so annoyed by the sweatlords and/or cheaters. So only single player stuff. Even now, I still enjoy a new season of Diablo 3. Skyrim has kept me amused since release.
And I still enjoy the odd indie games that just scratch an itch.. especially 'idle' games with 2 or 3 hour playthroughs.
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