Gaming habits

[glynnahab]

I'm sure that this has been discussed in the past on this site, but there are a enough newer people - myself included - to make this topic relevant, (in my opinion at least). So here goes...

As I've gotten older, my gaming time has suffered a significant decline with all the responsibilities of adulthood and crap. I barely get a few hours to myself each evening, and often I won't even play a single game throughout the day. A large chunk of the gaming I do get to enjoy is the hour or so I'll spend playing a platformer or racing game with my 5 year old.

For some unexplainable reason , I've continued buying games. My collection now - while not overly impressive - is currently larger than I will ever play.

I'm sure many of you guys know the feeling. My gaming time is now so valuable that I can only force myself to play a select few games at a time. Right now, I'm playing Bully:Scholarship Edition (Wii) and Secret of Mana. (The latter is played mostly with my son. It's helping to fuel the desire in him to learn to read more. )

Anyone else out there in a similar situation? How do you manage your gaming time?

[Droid party]

For some unexplainable reason , I've continued buying games. My collection now - while not overly impressive - is currently larger than I will ever play.

I'm sure many of you guys know the feeling.

I certainly do. My collection is the biggest it's ever been,currently 16 consoles and I don't even know how many games.My friends give me shit for how many games I buy that I never touch.(I keep telling myself that I'll get to them someday)

[RackGaki]

I've been buying quite a bit of games myself. Won't play a lot of them. And thankfully, I'm buying less new ones as of late, sans NTSC/J 360 shmups. As an older-ish gamer, I've only got 10 hours or less a week to play games. Every now and again I will get a good RPG and set aside more time, but it's rare.

I hope to play less new games and more old ones. Try to get out of the trend of playing the next best thing. There are games in my collection, especially RPGs, that will be rather difficult to play with as many as I have. One could spend 100's of hours playing Disgaea, and I never opened Disgaea 2, let alone buy 3.

One reason why I've been playing more "retro" games - shorter, and usually more immediately satisfying.

Sucks getting older. Instead of playing Ikaruga yesterday, I dug up my septic tank. At least I limit the amount of time I'm on this board while at home. Why talk about gaming when I can actually game?

[zarathstra]

I've been playing a lot of my DS lately (mostly Final Fantasy Tactics A2) and the ocassional bout of Fallout 3, but other that, I'm not getting much play time. MOst of my DS play is during breaks at work or during the hour in the morning when my computer refuses to function (long story).

I bought my first retro games not too long ago (Neo Geo Pocket Color and some games) and I've barely been able to play them!

[Flashman85]

I like creating to-do lists, so I just add "Play Legacy of the Wizard" or "Beat Dragon Warrior III" to my lists to encourage me to keep at them.

Plus, if I get nothing else worthwhile done that day, I at least feel productive for playing Legacy of the Wizard.

[nickfil]

Yup I am in that same boat. I just don't have enough time to play everything I missed growing up and everything new that I want to give a shot. Fallout is a great example. I really want to try out the new one, but not without playing the old ones first. That's like what.... 100 hours of gaming? Just for those 3 games!!! RPGs are a killer.

I could probably play all the games I have at this point and be fine for at least the lifespan of the next generation of consoles without buying anything more. That said I'll probably pick up deadspace soon... Plus the simpsons game and turok are super cheap on black Friday at best buy so I'll probably get those too... And there were a few games on that ps2 hidden gems list that looked good...


Oh shit. I have a problem.

[Chrono]

I go through phases of playing a lot and not playing at all, at the minute i'm spending most of my spare time buying/playing/talking about computer games, probably buying more than i'm playing at the minute as i'm normally stuck behind a computer - amazon and ebay are closer than my saturn.

[kingdomheights777]

man do I feel ya, with work, wife, kid, a band, i just don't get to game that much, last night was the first time i sat down with no interruptions while i finally get to play through BioShock, I got to play for FOUR HOURS STRAIGHT!!!!

[Pulsar_t]

I think developers should focus on delivering intense experiences in as short a time a possible, AND charge for said experience the same way Hollywood charges you for DVDs. Fallout 3 for instance has tedious gameplay and is frankly made for people with too much time on their hands. It would have been nice to include a mode that allowed you to plunge directly into the story with less fannying about and the inane hiking involved.

[RackGaki]

I think games are a bargain compared to DVDs. They offer a visceral experience unrivaled by passively observing.

What gets me is the complaints of games being too short. If you're willing to pay $20 for a two hour DVD, but are intent on bitching about paying $60 for a six hour game, you need to be slapped.

I agree with Pulsar_t, that many games run on too long. I would be hesitant to ask the developers to shorten them, but often times I like my RPGs to be at least 30 - 40 hours anyways. Kind of epic by design... it's easier to become attached to the protagonists when you spend so much time with them. They don't have a solid two hours to build up a story that can evoke emotions like a movie. It's better to be broken up.