Talk, read, and think about games more than playing them?

[trdbglr]

I definitely noticed this a few years ago. I generally don't have the hardware for teh awesome gamez, so I retrogame, and it's great. Playing a lot of games can blunt your sensitivity I feel, same thing with books, or movies. You end up not getting addicted, but you get used to a regular diet of games or movies or whatever, and you become less critical, or rather, you become less aware of how special games are, appreciate them less.

So, yea, I read reviews and talk about games (and movies) more than I watch or play them. Playing too many games or watching too many movies kind of rubs me the wrong way. Unless, however, we're talking multiplayer, i.e. playing a given multiplayer game regularly, in that instance its more like you're learning to speak a language and so you do it to practice, and because its fun. Single player games have to be really good for me to even want to play them.

[Capcomwarrior]

I definitely noticed this a few years ago. I generally don't have the hardware for teh awesome gamez, so I retrogame, and it's great. Playing a lot of games can blunt your sensitivity I feel, same thing with books, or movies. You end up not getting addicted, but you get used to a regular diet of games or movies or whatever, and you become less critical, or rather, you become less aware of how special games are, appreciate them less.

Wow, the whole post was really interesting, but espec this section here I can speak on. You touched on something that I have really noticed in myself, although slightly different. For me, simply owning many games causes me to be "less aware of how special games are, and appreciate them less. (This is talked about in one of the links somebody provided earlier in this thread too - thanks) Especially true when I have tons of roms and emulators.

Its kind of like a double edge - enjoy the experience/benefits of many many games, but at the same time appreciate each one a bit less... since you can just move on to the next!

I have to say though, I find no negative effects whatsoever from reading many books.

[aaron]

i'd like to add that i buy video games way more than i play them.