35-40 You realize you've spent so much time trying to level up that you haven't done any of the fun quests and crafting you really wanted to do, so you start focusing on those.
40-45 You look around and realize you've somehow managed to accrue skills and experience and loot and feel cringingly compelled to give advice to other players who are newer to the game. "When I was your level..."
35-40 You realize you've spent so much time trying to level up that you haven't done any of the fun quests and crafting you really wanted to do, so you start focusing on those.
I’m on the upper end of that range and this is very true in my case. You also realize your body is no longer equipped with the right health/mana/stamina points to fully enjoy the fun quests.
I feel for you. I was so terrified of this happening that I spent my whole life until 35 basically doing all the crazy quests and collecting all the pointless loot I could.
The fact that I managed to stick the landing at 40 is basically a glitch/exploit.
When I was a teenager, I felt like 40+ was so old that your life was pretty much over and not worth living, but I've done so much self-actualization since my mid-30s that I'm still unlocking many of the things I hadn't previously thought I could do, like find a job I actually love, create stuff I'm proud of and have gotten positive feedback on, getting recognized for my skills and interests, etc. It's unfortunate that it can take a while to get around to doing some worthwhile stuff, but it's better now than later, regardless of what age you are. Thinking there wasn't much more after 40 was just a limitation of perspective on my part.
I followed the tutorial so 18-25 was easy mode. 26-35 was a blur mostly making money for other people. 36-40 was realizing the tutorial was a goddamn lie, going to therapy, trying to make up for missed experiences, and balancing work with reward. Now in the 41-45 phase and wondering what it will look like when I reflect back on it in a few years.
Well, good news: in the more developed nations (that haven't gone dystopian), work-life balance has a high priority for young people. They learned from their parents' errors.
45-50: It starts to dawn on you that grinding is a waste of your time and life, and that it only makes the game makers richer and richer by keeping you bound to a game that you have grown to loathe. You also start to realize that the loot you have made from grinding is mostly worthless crap that you have no use for. Who cares for achievements and PvP medals when your back hurts, your eyesight is all shot to hell and you keep having these migraines?
Me too, especially recently. It's a feeling that had a direct role in the writing of this just the other day. So, fancy seeing exactly the same sentiment from so many other people, here and now!
I read your first sentence without knowing this was about gaming, and I was knowingly nodding my head because I thought you were talking about life and the corporate rat race