How do you personally make time for gaming?

[Exhuminator]

Speaking of GOG, they added a bunch of new Lucas Arts entries today including The Dig and Loom and even Outlaws. However I am most excited about this.

@TSTR cool you're into music making. I used to develop popular VSTs back in the day and dropped a few albums of my own. Fun stuff but I got tired of it after a while for reasons.

[Frag Mortuus]

I go through phases where I don't play games at all for months or close to a year. But, a game will release that totally engrosses me and I will play like crazy. I've been into Destiny since I got it as a gift for Christmas. I have put 127 hours into the game as of today, and haven't even started getting burnt out yet. My wife is also a gamer so when she saw how fun the game looked she started playing as well. The problem is that we wanted to play together. So, when we got our tax refund we found a great deal on a second PS4 and the game and I know play at my computer desk while she plays on the TV.

The way we make time is that we don't play until the kids go to bed. This gives us the time to eat dinner as a family, get the kids washed up, play with them (either Disney Infinity, Mario Kart, a board game, build with blocks, or just whatever the kids want to do). Then we tuck them in for the night and get on Destiny with all of our friends that also play. It works out brilliantly. My wife will usually only put in an hour in the evenings, but if I don't watch the time I can stay up until midnight or later. I'm on Adderall for Adult ADD and sleep deprivation is part of the territory with any major stimulant. But, I'm usually pretty good during the week, I'll be in bed around 11pm. But, on Friday and Saturday night I get on around 9 and don't get off until about 2am. I consider this my "me" time. Everyone in the house is sleeping, I'm online with my friends (real life and web friends), and I don't have to worry about anything except having fun.

So, if you keep a tight schedule it is possible to play games and also be a good husband and father, as well as a productive employee and good friend. Organization and discipline is how we make it work. However, if anything has to get bumped out of the schedule at any given time, gaming is the first to go. The last thing to go is the family time.

A lot of times my wife will just turn VEVO or Youtube on the TV and she and I will think of awesome songs that we haven't heard in a really long time and play them for the kids. They are HUGE music fans just like we are, so they go crazy dancing and having a great time. Last night I playing some old No Doubt (Just a Girl, Spiderwebs) and my daughter was enthralled my Gwen Stephani. She is very much a "girl power" girl. She loves strong women figures (super heroines, lead roles in action movies, women singers those type of things), so she thought it was awesome that a girl was singing in a psuedo-rock band. I think she may be open to rock now where as she didn't care for it before.

This turned into a much longer post than I anticipated :/

[dsheinem]

This turned into a much longer post than I anticipated :/

The best part was your apt description of No Doubt as a "pseudo-rock band".

[noiseredux]

I still love Gwen. IDGAF.

[dsheinem]

I still love Gwen. IDGAF.

you are also a Juggalo, so your opinions about music are moot.

[noiseredux]

I still love Gwen. IDGAF.

you are also a Juggalo, so your opinions about music are moot.

you listen to Dad-Rock, guy.

[Blu]

Noise, some Dad-Rock is awesome!

Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, CCR, The Fugees, Rolling Stones, and Jethro Tull!

[dsheinem]

I still love Gwen. IDGAF.

you are also a Juggalo, so your opinions about music are moot.

you listen to Dad-Rock, guy.

Damn I was expecting something snappier from an alpha-juggalo such as yourself.

Sonic Youth is dad-rock, bud.

[irixith]

I'm single, mid 30s, self-employed and single...but I don't live with my parents, in a basement, nor is anything I own covered in cheeto dust. Gasp!

So, I play games whenever the heck I feel like it. Which actually is far less than ever before, even though I have the finances and time availability to fritter on it as a hobby. There are less and less new games that pique my interest, which leaves more time for other hobbies, experiences, etc.

Probably doesn't help overall in the discussion, but thought you might find it interesting that a single person with no kids who doesn't have trouble finding the time chooses not to, even though gaming is their main hobby.

[Exhuminator]

Noise, some Dad-Rock is awesome!

Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, CCR, The Fugees, Rolling Stones, and Jethro Tull!

This is more like grandpa rock these days. No really.