PixlBit

So there's a scene in the film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood where Leo DiCaprio's character, Rick Dalton, is describing the story of a book he's reading to a younger actor. The book is about a bronco buster named Easy Breezy who had a successful career earlier in his life. He has an accident that, while it doesn't keep him from being a bronco buster, it does hamper him a little physically and a lot mentally. According to Dalton, as Easy hits middle age he feels his best years are behind him and he's feeling more useless (and as he hits that last word, Dalton breaks down in tears). Now, this is mostly Dalton's insecurities and failure to grow as an actor (or person) talking more than his ability to act but I couldn't help thinking about that scene as I've been replaying Super Mario World. 

Of course, I haven't had an accident that has stopped me from being able to play video games and my inability to just plow through the game as I could in my younger days is due more to the fact that I haven't played it in so long. Once you're out of practice, such skills can be perishable I guess. In those days, I had plenty of hours to sink in a game like SMW. These days, I realize I took for granted how solid and challenging the level design is. I'll have to relearn it all and practice again. And that applies to a lot of games that I'm revisiting on my SNES Classic. So, while I don't feel as useless as Easy Breezy, I did/do feel as insecure as Rick Dalton. Rick Fuckin' Dalton.