"Gaming Life Expectancy?" Topic

No, not what you're thinking…

I chatted with a TMPer recently who confided that he's largely retired from miniature wargaming now, due to the effects of getting older.

Now, that's not too surprising, aging affects all of us differently. What surprised me was that he was only a few years older than I am! It was a reminder that aging also affects some of us sooner than others.

I wonder if anyone knows what "gaming life expectancy" would be? I don't mean how long will gamers live, but how long can gamers game on average before age stops them?

I suppose it also depends on which afflictions would limit your gaming ability. Obviously, on the painting side, you need good eyesight and steady hands. On the playing side, you need to be able to roll dice and move figures (or directly someone else to move them for you!).

Your thoughts?

Age allows me the luxury of buying painted figures with the occasional self- painted figure. Age allows me the luxury of enjoying the folks playing the game. Age allows me to want a simpler set of rules. When I can't roll the dice I am done. One of my dear friends recently passed away. He enjoyed the hobby until he his health failed and he stepped away from active playing. He knew when to pack up the field.

Based on some of the events I've attended recently, I see some gamers who play well past the point where it's likely practical. I've seen older gamers fall asleep during a session, stare blankly into space and have to be practically shouted at to get their attention, or not able to read the print because it's too small for them or even see the miniatures, or not able to hear other gamers shouting from right next to them.

On the other hand, I certainly plan to game until I hit that level myself.

I still love to play, but sometimes it does bother my back a GREAT deal these days and I wonder ?

Russ Dunaway

Entirely dependant on the health of the individual.

My back is my weak point. Just about anything related to my hobby seems to hurt some part of it these days.

Still managing to do some of all the things I never had time for before I retired but do need to be careful and stop when the warning twinges come.

I'm 70 next birthday and my eyes are certainly worse than they were but I'm still painting 3mm figures and don't plan to stop that anytime soon.

EXERCICE! esp. your back.
don't get too deep a table, better have two.
exercice the brains too… and wargaming is good!

I see no reason why age should stop miniature warfare, but you do have to make provision for it. A lot of my effort in the past four years has been to create old age armies--games with simple rules, playable on a 3x3 table with highly visible troops and emphasizing quick games.

Lots of possibilities, but my best results so far are 1/72 Napoleonics using Aelred Glidden's "Charge! for Dummies" rules. Castings are clearly visible and survive being dropped, rules are under two pages of decent size print, we can fight a Charles S. Grant scenario twice in an afternoon, and we can do it sitting down.

Next question?

I hit 63 next birthday and the only limitation on my gaming is my body not being able to move around the table as quick or bend over the table so easily and that I'm running out of gamers in my age range.

So, like Robert above, I've changed my gaming style. Smaller boards, simpler rules.

Good question really, I shall continue as long as my brain and body functions

Take care

Andy

Hmmm. Should note that the next level is trickier. I have painted horse & musket 54mm figures--highly visible--with a supply of 1" dice. Simple rules and short scenarios will still work, but they really need a 6x8 table, so I can't play sitting down. At this stage they're a precaution rather than a necessity, but I'm open to suggestions.

Note that so far, I've seen very few wargamers who have trouble with 28mm horse & musket castings and 16mm dice on a 4x4 table. But I want to have things ready just in case.

There is no One True Way to miniature wargame. Adapt your games to your condition.

We have a gamer or 2 in groups I have played in that make the decisions with others moving the troops when bending and reach become a problem. I think it depends on the person and his or her luck in health.

At 73, my biggest problem is hearing at conventions. At home with up to 8 players, it is not much of a problem. The acoustics of conventions are the problem.

My brain is not as fast as it used to be. However, I have improved it with 1-2 years of 80 minutes a week of BrainHQ exercises.

I work out 40 minutes on a Nordic Track cross country ski machine four days a week and weight lifting on three.

So far I can still handle the physical aspects of wargaming. I currently have a 15' x 7' table that is about waist high. I have stools, but mostly stand. My legs do get tired after a day long game.

I still paint with the same amount of detail I always did. Now though, besides my bifocals, I use drug store magnifying glasses in front of them. Figures on painting blocks really help with steadying hands.

So who knows how long I will last.

I can understand the desire for simpler rules. Don't go too simple though. Your brain needs to be challenged to keep working. The old "use it or lose" it idea.

Tom

Barring some kind of mental illness or truly debilitating physical illness I'll be gaming till the day I die.

A friend had an annuerism decades ago and his short term memory is shot. He was not middle aged at the time so you never know. I've also seen a couple of relatives get Alzheimers and the loss of cognitive ability in a short few years is highly depressing.

Let's face it, most gamers, young and old, aren't in the greatest shape! Just look at some images from gaming cons and that by itself will tell you the health status of quite a few.

An interesting phenomenon that I'm starting to see in this day and age of the hobby is that in the past many of us played the same rules for quite some time. This meant that if you were in your 20s or approaching 70 you could just show up for the game and play in your sleep! With the amount of new games, rules, etc., at least in my group there's been a lot of explanation of new rules, how the game works, etc. This causes several of our guys to start dozing off, they're only paying attention during about half the game, etc. If this continues I think it by itself would preclude any new games being introduced in the future.

I would think that staying active with gaming may actually help keep the mind young. As for those in decline giving up the hobby, I once knew a wargamer who stayed active in the hobby even after he lost his sight to diabetes. He would simply ask others playing the game what were the dispositions of his troops. In some ways this type of playing blindly might have more in common with the decisions that real generals have to make on the battlefield. The only downside that I noticed that occurred when this guy continued to play after he lost his sight was for one of his opponents, who once commented after loosing a game, "oh great, apparently I can't even beat a blind guy."

Russ,

As for your back issues, you may want to take a look at purchasing an "egg sitter support cushion." I also have back issues and this product works wonders for me. I was introduced to the product by a student of mine who suffers from muscular dystrophy. Since using an egg sitter, I have been able to increase the time that I paint ten fold without suffering any serious back problems. Here is a link to the product: link

I hope this helps,
Kevin

My grandfather was farming into his nineties. My dad painted into his eighties. I plan on gaming into my 120's.

I might even play in Walhalla (the sky one, not Bavarian).

At 55 my eye sight has taken a hit and subsequently my painting has fallen way off. Maybe it was the computer (day job) or just the roll of dice. I am gravitating toward painting larger scales now (40mm and 54mm).

I do workout regularly 4-6 times/week and plan to continue to do so as long as I can. I have noticed that if I do a lot of sitting I have more aches and pains. And this hobby is a sedentary hobby.

I am in the process of setting up a painting table so that I can stand at it. Going to give this a try.

I started when I was 15,I'm 65 this year and don't intend to give up until they pry the dice from my cold dead hands and I bet they all show 1s

I plan to keep on gaming as long as I am able and relatively with it. I'll be 69 in December, and try to stay reasonably fit.

Hells Bells Bill, I never had good eyesight or steady hands, it never stopped me.

Still going strong at 67.

Turning 60 in several days and spinal arthritis are making me turn to smaller table size so I don't have to stand as much or reach as far. I haven't attended conventions for years because I developed an auditory processing issue that makes it darn near impossible to hear and focus in loud, crowded places. I'm also trying to downsize my miniatures collection because I'm realizing I'm just not going to play as much as I once thought I was. I'm gravitating to solo playing board wargames with a smaller footprint and lower counter density. I won't give up playing miniatures; I'm just adapting to a new reality.

I don't have the choice – it's part of who I am

Phil

65 and counting, I can still cycle 65 miles on a folding bike so not all wargamers are unfit.

Several years back I went to a High School reunion. It was a rather sad event, in that I saw old school friends who'd been savaged by time and circumstance.

Reading this thread has evoked a similar response. I trust & hope all of you will be able to game for a long, long time to come.

I'm 73 and been in the hobby for about 38 years. I'm more involved today in the hobby than I have ever been. I plan to keep going until I simply cannot….

Long Valley Gamer, that is how I feel about it too. Keeps the mind active.