[Grizzly]

Games either require good reflexes and motor skills or good cognitive abilities - or both. "Sucking at games" is probably much too broad a term - sucking at DCS: Black Shark isn't the same as sucking at Half Life 2 or Super Mario.
However, in theory, if you suddenly got inexplicably bad at some type of games and it wouldn't go away, it would probably be a good idea to consult with your doctor as a sudden loss of reflexes/motor skill/congitive ability can be a symptom of a much larger problem than sucking at video games.
If this wasn't really a hypothetical question I'd advise someone with said problem to do just that.

Just getting worse at every game, which I guess there is a problem in my brain then.

What would you do if a massive cascade of bad hit you and you started being bad at videogames?

The status quo would remain so perfectly intact that neither myself nor anybody else would notice a change.

Dude! Nice ****ing air! I don't even know how you did that!

Dude, it's Malysia (or it looks like it...)

[BlueFlames]

What would you do if a massive cascade of bad hit you and you started being bad at videogames?

The status quo would remain so perfectly intact that neither myself nor anybody else would notice a change.

Dude! Nice ****ing air! I don't even know how you did that!

I came way wide out of the last corner and wound up hitting the ramp-shaped rock at the bottom of the screen.  In fact, it was just the driver's side that hit, so the car was turning over as many RPM's as the engine.  In first-person view it was just skygroundskygroundskyground*WHAP*.

More to the point of the thread, though, rally stages are what I tend to be "best" at in Dirt 2, and when that's a typical performance, I'm obviously not doing all that well.

[redsniper]

I'm already bad at games. That's why I don't play multi much and when I do, it's for the lulz.

[Enzo03]

I'd do what newman said, and for the same reasons.
Put into that light, it'd genuinely scare me if that happened at my young age of 19.

[StarSlayer]

I'd do what newman said, and for the same reasons.
Put into that light, it'd genuinely scare me if that happened at my young age of 19.

Yeah might be worth practicing bouncing and catching a tennis ball off the wall or some basic balance drills and make sure you aren't suffering any noticeable decrease in skill level.

[Hero_Swe]

I'd do what newman said, and for the same reasons.
Put into that light, it'd genuinely scare me if that happened at my young age of 19.

I AM 19, that's why it's freaking me out. I've been gaming since I was 4 too.

I always knew I would never be as good as I was when I was 10-15. But damn, It seems like I've been hit with "The Suck" bug

[Dilmah G]

Bah, it's just games, man. All sucking at videogames means is that now you get the job of coordinating attacks at LAN-parties rather than spearheading them.

[Hero_Swe]

Bah, it's just games, man. All sucking at videogames means is that now you get the job of coordinating attacks at LAN-parties rather than spearheading them.

Man I used to do both...

[Grizzly]

If I suddenly got bad at video games, I think I would check whenn I last slept, and just quit and do something else.

It will probably go better next day.

[Dragon]

I'd go read a book, decrease the difficulty or replay training missions.

[Grizzly]

Heh. If you are getting bad at a video game, you've been playing for too long .

[Androgeos Exeunt]

I'll read a book and sleep early.

I might exercise more too.

Heck, I might even forget about getting bad at it and become good at it again, as I experienced first-hand from playing Tyrian 2000 way too much.

[X3N0-Life-Form]

I'll switch the difficulty to medium or easy.

[Liberator]

What the title says basically.

What would you do if a massive cascade of bad hit you and you started being bad at videogames?

What are you talking about, I'm already bad at video games.

[Marcov]

Suddenly got bad? To what level?

If I got so bad that I couldn't play it at easy, I dunno...probably cheat it off, or create my own scenarios where things are easier.

[Nuke]

i think the biggest issue when you get old is you dont get the same performance out of your hands that you once did. like tonight i played starcraft 2 for 3 hours, and now my mouse clicking finger is in a lot of pain right now. it used to be i could play starcraft for 16 hours straight and feel no strain at all. seems those days are passed. i also noticed fps games were making me nauseous. ive played a lot of those in my day. but i was playing fear several weeks ago and i just had to stop. these dont much affect my performance yet, but they do affect my endurance. at some point they will affect both.

[mxlm]

Trash talk more (this always makes me win, and there are good neurological reasons for it too!)

Please do go on.

I mean, in League of Legends something fun is to insult someone's mother, and then when they stop moving because they're typing jump out of the bushes on them. But I don't think that's what you mean.

[General Battuta]

Well, once you're good at a skill (hitting a golf ball, playing a game, whatever), it's moved into a subconscious part of the brain. Conscious attention to your performance therefore degrades, rather than enhances, your ability to use that skill.

So by distracting yourself with creative trash talk you allow your skill to work unimpeded.

[JGZinv]

Well if you get to the point where your skills playing games have diminished... start making/modding games.
You lead, you organize, you manage, invent, teach.. whatever.

I may not be as good as I was even 4 years ago, but I've definitely shifted from a consumer to a producer role.
You hit 20 and your gaming ability starts falling off at about 8% a year. Least that's how I've seen it.

A lot of burnout is just playing with people that have found that groove, and you get left in the dust. Patience is
shorter, free time is shorter, jerks are in overflowing supply, games cost more, etc.  This is partly why cell phone games and the "3 minute game"
has taken off - for all the gamers that still have that itch, but can't regularly play.

I was competing in Blur when it came out, and we were one of the top ten teams in the world. The game flopped, we got out, and decided
to get back in it a year later. Well now everyone and their dog knows a lot of the tricks we figured out to begin with. Some players that have
stuck around have elevated certain skills/play styles to an art form. Where as before we could walk in any game and take over, now it's often
a win-by-a-hair regular event. You don't play regularly... you get sloppy. You get old, your abilities degrade.

Don't worry about it... unless you're going pro and have to perform for your job - it's normal.

There's plenty of gaming clans out there for the 21 and older group too, where brains over brawn (or er... reflexes) win out.
Try stomping around a FPS game with a full team of 24+ age shooter lovers, you "almost" feel sorry for the little twerps, almost.

Play other games... buy/install an old system and visit titles that you never got the chance to play. The "latest and greatest" is often life sucking...

[Dragon]

Also, if your reflex decreased, it may be time to start playing adventure games, such as Myst, Schizm, one of numerous old Sierra adventurers, or perhaps a puzzle game, such as The Incredible Machine (try it, it's really, really fun ). These ussualy don't require too much reflex (there are exceptions, of course, but not as demanding as shooters), relying on logic and thinking instead. There are also Elite style games, which combine elements of flight sim and economic simulation, such as X series, Privateer, Freelancer or (of course) Elite. Some of them can be played just fine as a trader, X series (aside from X1 and XTension) in particular (it requires a lot of time though).