are you a better player now, or when you were a kid?

[Slime Slayer]

Where you good when you were a kid? could you beat zelda 2 at the age of 8? Are you progressivly getting better, or have you hit your plateau?

---------- Post added at 08:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:17 AM ----------

I did a few things when I was young, but I think I've gotten better with age, I'm pretty sure the 29 year old Steve could beat the 8 year old Steve.

[Dudebro]

I think I've gotten better, I have more patience now as well.

[Tails]

Better, totally crush 8 year old Tails.

[Winnebagel]

Sort of the same here. I think I am better at a lot of types of games now, but in some areas I am the same as I was when I was young.

Growing up, my siblings and I (especially GG and I) would always try to find the absolute hardest games imaginable. We used to rent games at a local store (grocery store of all things) we lived in for awhile, and we would both (or all) try to beat the game as quick as possible.

Normally we would take turns on a stopwatch (like I would play 10-20 minutes and then GG would), and then if we beat it fast, then we would try to beat it separately.

We would get really disappointed if the game could be finished too quickly. Off hand, I remember being really disappointed in Phantom Fighter and Wrath of the Black Manta because they felt too easy. Playing them today, they are a bit better then I gave them credit for back then.

Anywho, I have rambled on to say that I personally think playing the toughest games we could find back then (i.e. Battletoads, Shatterhand, Double Dragon II, Guardian Legend, etc.) kind of developed any skills we have. I think the WB of today would win in most things with the 11-year-old version, but some types of games would end in a draw.

[Tails]

You lived in a grocery store?

[Winnebagel]

You lived in a grocery store?

Whoops! That should have read, "We used to rent games at a local store (grocery store of all things) in a town we lived in for awhile.

Nice catch Tails! That would have been cool to live in a grocery store. All the food you could want. :)

[Kong]

I know the 14 year old Kong could beat just about any other version in nearly anything to do with math or athletics. Both require practice and I did them way more then.

When I was about 12 me and a friend would rent 1 - 3 games every weekend and beat them all. I don't think there was ever one that we didn't beat. If we had to we would take shifts and play the game all weekend day and night.

Because at 12 I was playing so much more and willing to practice so much more I think 12 was a peak. But at games I didn't play then such as 3D Tetris, Speed Cards, Othello, Go, and other strategy and puzzle and board games I would win now.

---------- Post added at 06:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:12 PM ----------

When I was 13 I had a friend that lived in a store. The store had one of these
http://www.thomaspinballinc.com/billiarddoctor/products_pictures/hoopfever.jpg
that we got to play for free as much as we wanted. He also had a Sega CD and Stratego we played those instead.

[Tails]

Kong you should really contact the National Enquirer and tell a tidbit about your life.

[Slime Slayer]

I think I might have been better at strategy based games. Rotk, sim city, uncharted waters... that kinda skill set. Which is weird because I like to think I am smarter now than I was then.

[Demon-Mask]

I would destroy the 8 year old me at anything.

[zarny]

I'm the same as I was when I started playing.

[jim5cents]

I think I've gotten better, I have more patience now as well.

same.

I know the 14 year old Kong could beat just about any other version in nearly anything to do with math or athletics. Both require practice and I did them way more then.

same, also included on this list is driving, building things, cooking, sexual stamina, money making ability, and the ability to spin game to the ladies.

[Kong]

also included on this list is driving, building things, cooking, sexual stamina, money making ability, and the ability to spin game to the ladies.
You were better at all that when you were 14? :o

[jim5cents]

misread your post, no, better now, actually better at math now...thanks to texas instraments.

[Kugyince]

I was better when I was younger. Had more patience and was both willing and able to devote hours upon hours upon hours to a single game.

[Seahawk]

Thanks to discovering shooting games I'm much better at everything now in general.

Two exceptions that come to mind: Super Mario Kart, I used to absolutely destroy that game when I was a kid, now I struggle every time I do 150cc. I think this has something to do with the controls, digital vs. analog. Also, I'm not so great at Mario Party anymore, I wonder why. There are probably more little exceptions like these but I can't think of any at the top of my head right now.

I can't play RPGs now, I don't have patience anymore.

[Dojah]

I think I was alot better as a child then I am now. Growing up my brother pretty much had control over everything in the room, we shared a room. He is 8 years older then I am so I was forced to watch alot of the time. I played every chance I got though. More of my gaming came from playing at a friends house, they usually had the consoles long before we did. When I was younger I could kill any game out there, including shooters. Now thats not the case at all. I dont know if anyone remembers the Blockbuster challenge?, but I was the winner for Colorado. I think part of me plays as an adult because I missed so much as a kid, if that makes sense. Yet another reason why RU is such a cool place.

[Tails]

I think I was alot better as a child then I am now. Growing up my brother pretty much had control over everything in the room, we shared a room. He is 8 years older then I am so I was forced to watch alot of the time. I played every chance I got though. More of my gaming came from playing at a friends house, they usually had the consoles long before we did. When I was younger I could kill any game out there, including shooters. Now thats not the case at all. I dont know if anyone remembers the Blockbuster challenge?, but I was the winner for Colorado. I think part of me plays as an adult because I missed so much as a kid, if that makes sense. Yet another reason why RU is such a cool place.
The Judge Dredd one? I remember winning in a store and not allowed to go further cuz of my Mom.

[Dojah]

The Judge Dredd one? I remember winning in a store and not allowed to go further cuz of my Mom.
Yep, Judge Dredd, and NBA Jam, then later to Judge Dredd and Sonic.
That sucks your mom wouldnt let you go further, why if I may ask?

[Tails]

I was too young, and something about being overprotective or something. All I know is some kids were twice my age then.

[joz]

I think I was better when I was a kid. But that's only due to the time I spent on playing. I've been here on RU just under a year and I'm still getting all the rust off. Then again I never played on a keyboard before. I know that I was better at Megaman as a kid since I remember beating many stages untouched and I also managed to beat Megaman X in under an hour untouched the entire game. Riplie's Believe it...or not!

[Tails]

I can beat Megaman X SNES in under an hour on a real system myself too. I beat it's remake on hard as well.

[Mareeps]

Definatly better now, back when i first started playing games, I only played against lv.1 computers on SSB. Now I can easily take lv.9 cpus on Brawl.

[TrakMastaTom]

I think it depends. If I were to play the first Zelda for the first time today, or a game like Crystalis, I would never make it through it. But when I was a kid and had nothing better to do I beat both games.

But I could destroy 8 year old Tom in Street Fighter 2.

[ZedIsDead]

When I was 8, I had a bad habit of playing games on easy mode. Needless to say, I wasn't very good. 22-year-old me would wallop the 8-year-old version.

[sabby]

I think younger me has helped shape how older me plays games. I went through the hard knox as a kid and with all that information I "gathered", I am a better gamer now. Because of that, older me takes younger me to the wood shed.

[Gamenguru]

Playing the games I did when I was a kid definitely made me a better gamer today. My biggest challenge as of late has been time. I have been so busy that I haven't been able to play as much as I did in the past, or even as much as I did last year. Trying to rectify that problem though, because I've been experiencing the symptoms of "RU withdrawal". ...:tremble:xxp

[DrunkN]

Nine years ago I could stomp Pokemon Blue easily, now I can't get myself to grind.

Everything else should be obvious.

[fenrir1887]

Well, I wasn't very good as a kid until I picked up Street Fight II New Challengers. Now, if you give me a game like Tekken it gets deadly in a hurry.

[pinoycelt]

The 8-10 year old version of me playing Atari 2600 was definitely better than me today, but I would stomp any younger version of me when it comes to Flash games. Other than that, it's pretty much even in terms of playing ability.

[Belmontzar]

I was better at quick split decisions and speedy combat as a kid, now im more methodical and strategic in my combat. So in some areas its obviouse but in others its not so much. Oddly enough I think in teh case of fighting games my memorizing how attacks go makes them not feel as natural as when Ijust hit the buttons on instinct. Granted I can do more complicated tasks in games now, but the simpler things just kinda escape me more easilly now.
For example in Sonic and knuckles Igot all the way to the second act of the Lava reef zone before I got game over. the kicker? All that time in game, and I had never earned a continue. o.O I had no idea that was even possible until I did it myself haha XD. So im not sure if thats brilliant of me [getting that far on limited lives I mean] Or really stupid. [I never earned a continue.]

[bald bull]

always a loser

[Belmontzar]

seeing as ya got at the moment 44 first place and 3 cleared games im not sure how ya can think that to be honest.
Unless ya mean me in which case -shrug- win some lose some. you get better with failure after all. I just gotta get back into retro games again to earn some of my old pep back [now that im on an awesome computer again!]

[krehztim]

I was a kid in the heyday of arcades (I'm 44). I used to spend 8 hrs every Saturday and Sunday in Aladdin's Castle. But I'm probably better now at most games, except anything that requires detailed memorization. I don't have the time and patience to deal with memorizing more than a half hour's worth of patterns/terrain. Maybe if it weren't for the full time job and kids, I could do it, but I think the days of memorizing Xevious from start to 10 million are over. Though remembering everything Mario comes easy for some reason, whether it's kart tracks or worlds.

[Dudebro]

Funny we had an arcade named Aladdin's Castle too. It was in the mall though so it was kinda tiny.

[BlackLilia11]

ALADDIN'S CASTLE THOUGH. Couldn't afford it much as a kid so I stuck to my Gameboy and gamecube for the most part. I'd say I've gotten better it's just that I'm too busy nowadays to game as much as I want. After a long hiatus of not gaming, it's very clear how rusty I am and that there's much need of improvement.

[Dudebro]

Welcome to RU blacklilia.

[krehztim]

I took a long hiatus too, once the kids started popping out. I've had MAME for about 10 years, and I'm still working off the rust. I used to play Joust for 5 hours on one quarter, but I can't even last 10 minutes nowadays. I love the older console games here on RU, but the community is what makes it awesome, IMO. Welcome, Blacklilia.

[psimaster]

I used to always hit "fight" in Dragon Quest games.

[Slime Slayer]

I used to always hit "fight" in Dragon Quest games.

Same, but I'd always hit run.

[CatalystiCam]

Better easily. Less willing to put up with stuff though. Shorter attention span and disinterest in playing anything that will upset me.

[Dudebro]

I'm better now because I mainly stay with slower games that require strategy. Years ago I used to try to be good at fighting games and stuff but it just never worked out very well.

[Mareeps]

Way better, things I used to struggle with I can do one handed.

[Slime Slayer]

I always wanted to be good at fighting games too. I love watching the tournaments and reading up on all the advanced technical stuff, everything about them fascinate me. Unfortunately I suck at them, the one I'm best at is probably 3rd strike, and even then I'm mediocre at best.

[CatalystiCam]

I've never played anything enough to be competitive at it. I jump around games too much. Hence short attention span. Playing anything competitively drives me nuts, so I don't do it typically. There is very rare exceptions.

Joined a Diddy Kong Racing tournament at PAX. One of like 3 games I said I'd ever compete in. I'd like to think I've mastered the game and it's extremely fun to play. Made it to the second last-round where it was me and 5 other people (two 3-person competitions). Everyone left was using Pipsy. I was using conker, and I lost. Things like that drive me nuts too. I guess Pipsy is the best character in game. So getting beat to that facotr is irritating. I don't want to use some annoying squeaky mouse. I want to use Conker. Come on, I mean it's conker. Non-balanced character rosters drive me nuts as well.

I've already written off playing smash 4 as well. Not great at it. Upsetting to play. I think it's beneficial to everyone to avoid the few games that are upsetting to play to me.

[Seahawk]

Old me had more patience for long games like RPGs. Now I almost never play them anymore.

New me could beat my younger self in video games easy. Old me couldn't do shooting games or fighting games at all.