Am I getting better with age?

[cityside75]

Is it possible that my classic gaming skills are improving with age? I'd think that wouldn't be the case (especially at my ripe old age of almost 39), considering that my reflexes were definitely sharper 10-15 years ago, and I was playing more games back then.

Here's what happended today that shocked me: I pulled out my Atari Lynx that I've had since new in 1990. I haven't touched it in years, and it's been many more years since I've put any real time into it. I popped in Roadblasters and proceeded to blast through it like I never have before, calling it quits with continues left at level 25. This was my first game. I don't recall ever making it that far before on the Lynx version, and I did put some real time into the game years ago.

Next I popped in Ninja Gaiden and lost a bunch of guys remembering the controls, but still proceeded to make it almost to the end of level 3 in my first game (using continues). My recollection is that I only made it that far a few times in all my time playing it before (I know that's pretty sad...)

So what explains this high level of play after years of not playing at all? Am I just better at games now? Maybe I'm aging like a fine wine!

Also feel free to share any observations on the Lynx. After years of viewing it as the redheaded stepchild of the early portables, I was really appreciating the power of it, and how awesome it handled scaling, very arcade-like!

[Haoie]

Lecturing the youngins already, gramps?

[Raedon]

My arcade classic gaming skills always improve. I couldn't get past a few levels of Ms. Pac-Man back in the day. I've memorized patterns enough to get pretty far.

I've got a few classics I'll mindlessly play if I get really bored. My Dig Dug game has been rising without much sign of stopping. I'm not becoming some prodigy at Dig Dug but I'm far better and more skilled with the game then I was as a kid who could play it a few times at a grocery store while his mom shopped.

I'm loosing my skill in other games though. I used to be so-so at PC FPS games. Around the time of Quake Arena and UT, that was all I played. Now I have almost no PC FPS contact. I played Bioshock and Half-Life 2 as a single player game. I cheated my was threw the story if it got hard and the games were erased once the single player experience was done.

I have no comment on the Lynx. Nor do I want to remember the Game Gear.

[Lerxstnj]

I would challenge any younger kid to a game I've been playing 10 or more years than!

[WoodyXP]

I would challenge any younger kid to a game I've been playing 10 or more years than!

Word life.

[cityside75]

It would make more sense to me if I'd been playing the Lynx periodically for years and had slowly gotten better. But these were some of the best games I've had after years of no play. Of course, I play many other classics these days so maybe the skills just transferred over. I don't know, but it was a nice feeling to see something that wasn't deteriorating with age! :)

[tpugmire]

I had a similar thing happen just this past week. I popped in Castlevania, which I haven't touched in probably 15 years or so and got all the way to Frankenstein before I died. I was lucky to even get that far as a kid using continues and all, so it's nice to see that I'm not the only one who's getting better (or luckier) as I age. :)

[izarate]

Sometimes you just are "in the zone" :)

[retroman]

my thumbs are as hot as ever at 30 if not better then when i was a teen or younger.

[Ed Oscuro]

Maybe life really does work like D&D: As you get older, your intelligence increases, which improve spot checks - in other words your eyesight improves. ROFL

Anyway, I'd say I'm a better gamer than I used to be, but I'm still a youngin'.

[Rogue]

At least in racing games, when I stay like, weeks without playing, or months, I generally brake my records. It's curious how it happens.

But it's not casual records. Records that I've tried to brake but couldn't.

I think it's natural, nothing special. You get used to it with a interval without that action.

[Ed Oscuro]

At least in racing games, when I stay like, weeks without playing, or months, I generally brake my records. It's curious how it happens.
Take your foot off the brake and hit the gas; that's my patented strategy for breaking your racing records.

[darkslime]

At least in racing games, when I stay like, weeks without playing, or months, I generally brake my records. It's curious how it happens.

But it's not casual records. Records that I've tried to brake but couldn't.

I think it's natural, nothing special. You get used to it with a interval without that action.I'm can't figure out if you used the wrong form of brake as a play on words or if it was an actual mistake.

[Fuyukaze]

At least in racing games, when I stay like, weeks without playing, or months, I generally brake my records. It's curious how it happens.

But it's not casual records. Records that I've tried to brake but couldn't.

I think it's natural, nothing special. You get used to it with a interval without that action.

I do the same thing. Games like MSR on the DC are prime examples. I still havent been able to beat that game though.

[kupomogli]

I dunno. For me I've gotten worse on some, better on most.

For shmups, I used to really love them as a kid. Now I dislike them for the reason that I'm really not good that them. I know on Galaga I used to be able to get to atleast stage 40 on a regular basis and I did sometimes hit 50. Now days it's rare that I get up to 20. I don't really play it often anymore, but yeah.

Other games I enjoy still I think I've gotten better no matter what the genre. Platformers I'm good at back then or now, really doesn't make a difference as I could walk through most platformer games no problem.

There are some games that I've become a lot better than I was before. Big fan of the Armored Core series and know that I could do way better than when I played them previously. Realistic racing titles I used to rarely let go of the gas until the corner, as every corner should be able to be taken at 200+ mph, even though now I don't do this and I'm pretty good at racing titles now. Also good at FPS games, but I'm still not fond of the genre.

[kedawa]

My reaction time and reflexes are declining, but my ability to think my way through and see patterns has improved steadily.
I play a lot of fighting games, and I find that even though I can't react as fast or pull off ridiculous combos, I still do well because I play smarter and pay more attention to the mind games involved.

[Rogue]

I'm can't figure out if you used the wrong form of brake as a play on words or if it was an actual mistake.

lol, don't be so mean, I know that my engrish is bad.

But is a bit understandable. I've said: If you don't play a racing game for some time, when you play it again, you play better. And you can notice that because you brake your own records.

[vivaeljason]

I think it's a mix of recognizing patterns, muscle memory, and determination for me. I've noticed recently that when I play the Legend of Zelda, I beat it a HELL of a lot faster than I used to. I know exactly what to do on every screen, know when to strike with ye olde sword, and am more willing to continue playing than when I was young (where I would have likely said 'screw it' about halfway through).

I honestly think that the development of my attention span has a lot to do with it.

[Dire 51]

I can relate: I'm 35, and recently I had something similar happen while playing Columns for the Genesis. I made it to level 128 and had a high score of 6,691,883 (6446 jewels used), then quit because I had to, not because I wanted to. Thing is, I've always been no more than a slightly below average Columns player. I usually can't even crack level 20.

[Bloodreign]

I've gotten better at Mega Man's original series, in the past the games would eat me for lunch, now I can at least make it through the 6 robot masters in the original game without having to continue. The other games happen the same way, even with Gradius, though a little practice has helped with that series.

[Tallise]

When you haven`t done soemthing in a long time your generally not drained out on it like you used too... your mind remebers it, like riding a bike, your not going to suck at it in 5 years. being better at soemthing after not doing it for a while happens to a lot of people, for me i think its mental cuz your not as stressed out on it as you were before so everything kidna falls into place. like when you sleep on a big decision. I don`t know if i make sense lol

Also alot of times with older arcade games even its not about speed, but thought... in my opinion... you dont do well when your psyched out. You do better with a casual state of mind....