Perspective

[Echostorm.9143]

I am not a noob.

I have my CM titles, 600 MP, full raid armor and all my leggy trinkets, my Infinite Omnipotion and full leggy weapons, lots of extra GoBs, I had my warclaw maxxed in WvW before the update and I've taught raids and command OW metas.

I started MMOs in Merdian 59 back in '97 and ran through EQ, DAoC, GW1, SWTOR and on and on to GW2. It is safe to say that I love gaming and it has been a big part of my life.

I don't play as much as I used to, work and family do that but I still get some good hours on weekends and some time with statics on weeknights.  It's still an important escape for me, a stress reliever which I'm sure most of you can relate to.  

A few years ago I sat down at my rig early on a Saturday morning and joined a T4 group and got downed by a burning boulder in Volcanic.  I meant to dodge but my finger only twitched a little, not enough to move the key.  My hands felt stiff as they had started to after 40 but this was new.  I cracked my knuckles and shook my hands and arms while I waited for the group to get out of combat and soon I was back to normal.  Going forward I started to make it a point to do this warmup routine before playing.  It helped but it wasn't a cure. My fingers just wouldn't listen to me sometimes.
I talked to my doctor and they did some tests and then we had a talk about the horrors of aging. They had suggestions but not fixes, I took their advice over the years and while it helps a little,  
I know it is getting worse and that the time I have left as a gamer is probably measured in years at best, not decades, (or perhaps more fittingly, 1 more GTA) and during those years I'm probably going to keep missing dodges and kittening up my rotations.

It is a horrifying moment when you realize you have begun your decline and that your body is failing you, that one of the things you love most, one of the things that you've found so much fun and meaning in is going to become impossible.  I used to game with a family in DAoC.  A guy and his wife, their son and his 65 year old father who lived with them. The older man almost never talked (Before voice comms were common), he had a hard time using the keyboard at all and so he played a class that really only hammered maybe 2 buttons. He did fall behind and get downed a lot but it was ok, he loved being part of it and he got to bond with his grandson. We were all supportive, we knew he was doing his best. I felt bad for him and it never occurred to me that I was looking at my future.

With all the debate and anger that the nerf to Transfusion in PvE has stirred up I'd like to remind some of those who are advocating for the nerf and are upset about carries that not everyone who misses a mechanic and gets downed is doing so out of laziness or entitlement.  I absolutely believe that your group, that just wants to speed through content shouldn't have to carry someone who can't play to your standards but I hope we can still have the space and tools and patience for less able gamers to lean on each other and make it to the end too.  

I'm not looking for advice or pity or likes.  I just want to offer another perspective and remind you to enjoy the time you have in this world and not to judge less able gamers too harshly, I promise you that many of us are doing our best and even if we'll never get much better, we're still having fun.

[Ashen.2907]

Over the years I have gradually altered the specifics of my keybinds to match my own declining reflexes and hand capability (the shrapnel was removed but the nerve damage was permanent and is compounded by age). It makes a difference.

To me an OP ability remains OP regardless of who uses it. That said, I would have been a bit less heavy handed with a nerf.

Edited September 17 by Ashen.2907

[Bladestrom.6425]

@Echostorm.9143 GW2 is designed for the casual player, what's it fault is people who think mmorpgs revolve around speed runs and efficiency and damage meters and gold per hour..  Keep on truckin and enjoy the game 🙂

Edited September 17 by Bladestrom.6425

[EDOTDOT.9265]

I feel the pain, buddy!  I've got pretty extensive nerve damage as well as being mute and 90% deaf.  Things like piano rotations and voice chat just aren't for me anymore.

[Geoff Fey.1035]

The only thing making GW2 still playable for me is my trusty ol' Logitech G600 MMO Mouse. Apparently Logicool (Logitech branding in Japan) still makes the G600t that's fully compatible with the English version of the software, so I ordered one of those (at 1.5x markup, but still cheaper than the Americans doing x4-x8 markup) and am just waiting for it. Will try to repair my ol' faithful once the new one arrives.

[Atoclone.4810]

As an ele main who's not getting any younger I feel your pain. 

I treated myself to the razor Tartarus and their 20+ button mouse, put f1-f4 on the thumb stick. Took a bit of getting used to but now I can have irresponsibly long gaming sessions with out ending up with painful claw syndrome.

My back does still hurt though

[Mithral.8516]

Slightly off topic, but if you want a great option for more ergonomic mouse and keyboard options, check out Azeron. My partner has nerve damage and works at the computers so they can't use a mouse & keyboard for long when gaming. The Azeron Cyborg and Cyro have been game changers for their comfort!