A study into Cognitive Motor Performance looked at players playing Starcraft 2. An advantage of using this game in testing was that it is a non-laboratory activity (so has voluntary participation) that requires real-time decisions "conferring a large advantage to players who can act and make decisions quickly".
The authors discovered that around age 24, the looking-doing latency was increasing, and this was consistent across all leagues. Click here for a dandy chart.
From the article:
In summary, we provide the most precise estimate thus far of the onset, around 24 years of age, of cognitive-motor decline in an[sic] complex task performed by millions of people around the world. Despite it's[sic] early onset, the decline is a significant performance deficit, suggesting early adulthood declines are real world relevant. Further, we find no evidence that this decline can be attenuated by expertise, despite claims that domain relevance should be a major determinant on whether attenuation should occur. Experience nevertheless allows one to compensate for these declines indirectly. In our study, older players appear to hold their own despite their declines, perhaps by decreasing their cognitive load through the use of simplified strategies or improved use of the game interface.
Medical xpress highlight that it isn't all bad; older players more readily use short cut and sophisticated command keys to compensate for declining speed in executing real time decisions.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Sir Garlon on Friday April 18 2014, @11:31AM
There is an apocryphal (meaning made-up) "Chinese" proverb I've heard repeated at several martial arts schools:
[Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Drake_Edgewater on Friday April 18 2014, @03:12PM
.
It's true! My personal strategy against younger players in any FPS is "jump like a rabbit until the heath death of the universe".
(Score: 1) by GlennC on Friday April 18 2014, @12:33PM
I'm 50...my gaming "give a shit" performance started decreasing years ago.
Sorry folks...the world is bigger and more varied than you want it to be. Deal with it.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 18 2014, @02:56PM
I imagine a 30 year old generally has less time to play games than a younger person and so their recent aptitude for it would be lower (that is they would be out of practice by comparison).
(Score: 3, Interesting) by enharmonix on Friday April 18 2014, @02:17PM
This is right on the money for me. At 23, I was playing COD: MW and was quite good. By 24, I was unstoppable. At 25, I suddenly found myself drowning against the other players. These days (I'm 36), I can barely keep up with single player so, except for co-op, I don't even bother with multiplayer.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by tynin on Friday April 18 2014, @02:34PM
Well your memory is slipping too. COD:MW came out in 2007, so if you are 36 now, you'd have been 29 when the game came out.
However I completely agree with your sentiment. I was pretty unstoppable, routinely in the 20:1 kill death ratio on random public servers on any FPS in my early 20's. I was an avid CS player, and while I never played in a tournament for money, the clan I was with did very well (MFotS!) doing unofficial tournaments within the scene. People would swear I ran an aimbot, I'd see them, and crisply snap off head shots. I stopped playing games for a couple of years, and now I'm in my early 30's. I recently picked up battlefield 4, and it was quite challenging to stay 1:1, though after a few weekends I was able to get into 3:1, sometimes 4:1 range. But at that point I basically hit a plateau that I've not been able to get past. I no longer go for head shots only, I cannot resolve them fast enough, so I now aim center mass and hope the recoil pulls my shots to the head.
(Score: 1) by enharmonix on Monday April 21 2014, @05:04PM
I'm not sure that was memory. Dementia seems like a better word. You're right. My birthday is in January and MW was released in November (if I recall correctly, which I probably don't), so I was effectively 30 when I started playing. I reached my peak at around 31 and tanked around 32. Not actually sure what I was thinking when I said 24 because I didn't even meet my wife until I was 25 and I had two kids by 2007. At this rate, I'm sure I'll be senile by 40.
(Score: 1) by tnt118 on Friday April 18 2014, @07:26PM
I noticed with the release of FFXIV that my peripheral vision has truly gone to shit. I have to have the HUD all cluttered very close to the middle of the screen so I don't miss anything and it's ugly as sin. Back in my college days I was decent enough at Quake 3 and similar, and later some MMO's. But now the extra struggle causes more frustration than enjoyment for me.
I think I like it here.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 18 2014, @03:08PM
First post!
ummm hm...
(Score: 1) by dotdotdot on Friday April 18 2014, @03:18PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 18 2014, @07:02PM
Gamer's Strategy sucks at 24
In summary, we provide the most precise estimate thus far of the dearth, around 24 years of age, of seasoned gaming strategy in an[sic] complex task performed by millions of people around the world... Youth nevertheless allows one to compensate for these flaws indirectly. In our study, younger players appear to hold their own despite their poor strategies, perhaps by speeding their reflexes through the use of button mashing and Mountain Dew.
(Score: 2) by RobotMonster on Friday April 18 2014, @07:23PM
With all the [sic]s in their article, I don't think I shall trust their analysis more than I trust their grammar.
(Score: 2) by tathra on Friday April 18 2014, @10:03PM
i often do that too, discounting what somebody says if its full of spelling or grammatical errors, but thats really just an ad hominem. skipping proofreading may make it painful to read but it doesnt automatically make an analysis or paper worthless.