Gaming is getting hard for me

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I have been gaming since i can remember. I love everything there is about it. Hell i stream almost every night on twitch even. (mostly talking to myself :slight_smile: ) I cant think of or imagine my life without video games, exceptā€¦ its slowly coming to an end.

I have really bad arthritis in my wrist and both hands from many years working manual labor, dating back to when i was 12 years old working on farm. I have had multiple injuries to both hands and regularly get ganglion cysts in my wrists and thumb joints.

I can take meds to dull the pain but they can have other serious effects on my liver and so on.

That said, i cant play all games i love anymore, if its a shooter FPS style game, i can play for maybe 20-30 mins before the pain starts to be very noticeable, by an hour, im not able to really play. Also with the arthritis im noticing my reflexes arent where they used to be. I used to be a pro CS player and i cant respond like i used to, its not that i dont see whats happening, i just cant get the precision i once had due to it. It frustrates the hell out of me, again, i can take meds that help the pain, but when playing a shooter, i want to be clear headed too, advil doesnt cut it :slight_smile: 12 hours pain relief my behind! lol

That said, i sat here at my PC one night and really thought about what i could do to continue to play games and enjoy my time in them without becoming frustrated, and it hit me. MMOs and Diablo style games. They have been my god send the past 3 or so weeks and honestly i couldnā€™t be happier.

I know eventually, my fingers wont fing enough to play even mmos, and im ok with that, because hell there is always candy crush, thats just taping a damn screen :slight_smile: but until that time, im going to enjoy what i can play now and just take it all in.

Also, this post isnā€™t about getting sympathy, its me venting and sharing my journey the past two years of noticing the pain is getting much worse and impacting my day to day and also sharing how im starting to adapt to work around it and still enjoy my love for gaming while i still can! Also note, i know there are many out there fare worse off than me and still game, hell one of my streamer friends was in a bad car accident and lost use of his left hand and plays CS:GO with one hand and an MMO 18 button mouse!

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On the pain side, have you tried just putting your hands under the hot water tap? That got me through the pain of rehab without pain medication when I broke my hand by stupidly punching a fridge. Donā€™t punch fridges. Seriously, they are armoured.

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Do what is best for your health! Itā€™s okay to take many breaks; play for a little bit, take a break and read something or go for a walk. etc. Think long term!

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Gaming and aging donā€™t seem to go well together for some of us. There are many of us here who share your pain (literally haha) so feel free to bitchā€¦we are happy to listen. Maybe we need a category for gaming with pain.

:wink:

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Iā€™m actually wondering if there are controllers out there that work like most of the prosthetics work, basically taking signals off of minute muscle movement or directly from nerves.

If so, time to chop off your hands!

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Maybe a getting old[quote=ā€œSplutty, post:5, topic:1640ā€]
If so, time to chop off your hands!
[/quote]

LOL dispite painā€¦ i like my hands. I am going to be trying a new med this weekend and will keep you posted on how it works.

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We are glad you can find the positive in it ā€“ too few people these days can. Even in the darkest time, the smallest pinpoint of lightness can turn into a giant ray of hope.

We implore you all, reach out if you are in pain, if not to us, then to a trusted professional.

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This 100% I am working closely with my doctors. What works for me might not work for you and visa versa :slight_smile:

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Kel, I did similar at one point, except it was a metal closet door. You have my sympathy on the fridge, at least the closet door gave some, canā€™t imagine the fridge did! lol

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Have you tried different keyboards and/or mouse/controllers? Iā€™ve had injuries to wrists/hands and bouts of repetitive overuse/carpel tunnel. A split keyboard is the only thing I can type on for long.

Also the mouse size/dimensions can make a difference in how you hold your hand.

Just a thought. I know as Iā€™m maturing, gathering/collecting, crafting and decorating houses is lots of fun too!

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As an over 60 gamer, I feel your pain. I have nerve damage in my left arm/hand which prevents me from gripping game pads for long periods of time. It also hinders my playing games like European Truck Simulator where I use the keyboard for truck controls. After I make one cross Europe delivery I have to stop. However I am determined to keep gaming until I canā€™t, or I forget what a PC is, or I attend my funeral.

Old gamers donā€™t die, they just miss a lot :sunglasses:

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Yeah. Aiming correctly does become harder, I have noticed.

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I made a very small dent. Its barely noticeableā€¦lol

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Me too (over 60)ā€¦ I have one finger in my left hand (ring finger) that has gone quite arthritic and is starting to get crooked! It hurts if I press down too hard on the keysā€¦ luckily in the throes of battles, I donā€™t notice it too much (yet)ā€¦ One of these days Iā€™ll prolly have to take some NSAIDS to play, but Iā€™m lucky so far!

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I can relate. I sold my XBox last year because I canā€™t use a controller anymore, and heavily modified my pc gaming environment to reduce pain. There is only one mouse I can use for any length of time, the Corsair mmo mouse, but I canā€™t use the side buttons. Itā€™s just the angle on it is the only thing that works for me. Likewise the only thing that works for my left hand is a generic Delux mini keyboard, which isnā€™t the most responsive thing. With mmoā€™s I heavily mod things to make them easier for me to play, which is why I play WoW a lot, because it has the most available. I even tried the one button macros, and at some point I may have to go with them, but not yet. Itā€™s hard telling friends I canā€™t do instances with them, in part because I just canā€™t hit keys fast enough for any length of time.

So good luck to you in dealing with this! I hope you find ways to keep gaming.

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I used to mock the very concept of ā€˜esportsā€™. These days Iā€™ve been realizing that there is definitely a complex physical/mental/emotional component to gaming that canā€™t be ignored. My personal challenge tends to lean towards social interaction since even standard tasks like grocery shopping can stress me out.

Iā€™ve noticed that as I get older I am starting to enjoy games that have more relaxed pace. And those all-day-off marathon sessions are fewer and farther between. The current game of the month SWL, has introduced me to the concept of good puzzles and mysteries that slow the pace in a physical sense, and require a bit more thinking and info hunting. I can still fire up an FPS, but find I need to take breaks much more often.

I think there will always be something to do in the gaming world regardless of our age and the challenges that come with it :sunny:

It will be interesting to see what the gaming industry comes up with in the next 10 years in regards to gaming equipment and even game design when it comes down to us older folks (who have supported the industry for much longer than the esport spring chickens lol).

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To follow up, my doctor recommended a new treatment and its working wonders! Thank you all for sharing your stories. It means a lot to me knowing there are others that have the same experiences and can relate and share as well. Getting older is a journey and its funner with you all involved!

Thanks again! Feel free to DM me if you are interested in knowing what im doing. I dont want to post it on here because i donā€™t want people to think im playing doctor or come across this thread and get the wrong idea. :slight_smile:

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Iā€™ve been gaming and loving it sense the Atari first came out, so I can understand the love of gaming. I worked as a Diesel Tech for over 22 years, and it took a toll on my health. Mainly my knees and hands. Iā€™m able to manage the pain with over the counter pain meds at this point, but in the next few years I see the pain taking over. But like anything else I do, Iā€™ll just move on through it and find a way to game anyway. Good luck with your pain management, and enjoy gaming as long as you can.

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I feel for you. I hope that the demise of your gaming is further down the road. Until then, Game On!

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Iā€™m with you as well dealing with digital neuropathy in both hands.

As we age there are many opportunities to think that something is too difficult or canā€™t be done and for sure we may be limited but we donā€™t quit. Keep trying in whatever it is as the act of trying can be incredibly beneficial to us mentally and psychologically. Physical success may be tougher/impossible to reach for sure.

KEEP ON GAMING!