Do you play games as much as you use to?

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DarkNessBear

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Do you play games as much as you use to? This is not: Do you have as much time to play games as you use to? But more along the lines of: Do you use your free time to play games as much as you use to?

I've been feeling that over the past couple years I have been playing games less and less. And I have lost that "addiction" I had with gaming not too long ago.

It seems like every day I check online and am waiting for that one special game that will truly hook me again. I remember, waking up at 6 in the morning just to play Diablo 2 or Starcraft. Or ditching school early to go home and play Dark Age of Camelot. Now every day after work I rarely touch a game, and almost force myself to play something...

I stare at my game library wanting to play, but nothing there intrigues me. I go into Gamestop looking for something that I know will hook me, but I see nothing. Is it just me maturing as a gamer? Or does the industry not have any more of those games that "hook" you?

So, do you play games as much you use to? And are you addicted to any game (Games you wish you were playing when you are away, if so which ones)?

Is there any cure for this game hiatus!? (I'm thinking Diablo 3 may cure me... :))
 
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Actually I don't, but my love of gaming is probably twice as strong.

The reason being I feel like I've grown up and unfortunately flaws that once weren't very apparent to me once are becoming painfully obvious now. So I'm naturally picky these days(rightfully so), and when a game is really good I feel I appreciate it so much more.

Maybe your cure is that you need to find what games you actually like as an adult. If I kept going the same route as I did when I was a kid, I'd probably ignorantly have casted out gaming awhile ago. But I feel trying out new game genres and experimenting is really what's been helping me out....a bit vague, but true. Don't feel restricted to what's new either, try out older games that look cool to you. Years ago I wouldn't have imagined liking puzzle games as much as I do...seriously the L block and me are best buds.
 
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I probably play games more often than I used to like 4 or 5 years back... partially due to better time management. Though what I do find is that I'm playing an awful lot of older games now... more than I used to.
 
Nah. I still game a lot, but school keeps me pretty busy and a lot of my free time is spent with friends.

3 years ago all I did was sit in my room and play Halo 2. Now I really only game late at night or on days where I just don't feel good enough to get out.
 
I play games more than I used to. I work mainly as a freelancer, so that leaves me with a lot of free time between jobs, a fair-sized chunk of which gets used clearing up my game backlog. Even when I'm working full time, I generally have more free time than I did when I was in high school/college (not to mention more money to spend on gaming).
 
I guess I play games less these days. But that mainly becuase I actually have a job now... back in High School I would play games most of the time instead of doing my homework.
 
Not at all.

Now if I play video games for an hour a week that is a lot. I dont have the patience to play most games these days. I dont feel like waiting 10 minutes to get past the stupid start up screen. Or pushing buttons frantically to try to skip some lame cut scene. To me its like going to 6 Flags, you wait and wait and wait and then get a couple minutes on the roller coaster, and then back to waiting. Not my cup of tea.
 
I play games way more than I used to due to moving into my own place (after sharing) and giving up on TV due to the amount of crap thats on.

Probably manage at least a couple of hours a night.
 
No, I do not play games as much as I used to. I've got a ton of un-played, quality games I just can't muster the interest to start. I have the time to play them - several free hours a day - but for whatever reason I just don't feel like spending it on these big experiences. The game I play the most is by far Rock Band. I might spend an hour on it in a day, which would feel like too small a chunk to dedicate to other games, but is just perfect for several Rock Band sets.

It doesn't make me feel like I'm maturing as a gamer. I'm de-maturing if anything. Getting lazier. I really don't feel like taking the effort to learn the mechanics of a new game when I can get a reasonable level of enjoyment from the same thing I've been doing.

I've also been playing the DS on my lunch break.
 
I play a lot less than I did the past few years. Call me crazy, but the games coming out from now till the end of 2008 don't excite me much. I am still buying Gears 2, SOCOM, Madden etc but I'm not sitting here begging for their release dates to come sooner. I only play games now when someone calls me to play something online like CoD4. Sometimes, I even feel like telling them I don't feel like it. I'll probably get more into playing games next summer (when I start college).
 
Definitely less. Gone are the days of CSing for 3-4hours straight. I play TF2 maybe for an hour at a time, then I'm up for watching TV/movie/or whatever. GTAIV - playing a few missions per night is just fine by me. Probably the only multi-hour game I've played recently is Rock Band. And before RB1 it was Diablo2, during the summer 2007 ladder reset. Otherwise, I rarely play in long stretches anymore.

My friend tells me - oh good, you can concentrate on important stuff now (finance, 401k, stocks, bills!, etc.). fuck that! Not looking forward to becoming like my dad. E.g. His idea of a relaxing night is sipping on tea reading the newspaper. Unfortunately, I don't see how different that is from me drinking Coke Zero, reading forums. It's practically the same thing...ahhh

*this convo came up on how old we'd be by the time Diablo 3 comes out. Mind you we're all young 20's, but he said his is such a depressing way :(
 
My gaming has went in ebbs and flows, but I definitely don't play as much now as I did during the peaks (middles school-early high school, then again played a lot the first couple years of college).

But I do play more than I played from the last couple of years of college through last generation. Not a ton as I don't have a lot of free time, but I probably squeeze in around 5 hours most weeks, and some weeks play a lot more if I have more free time or do an all nighter playing a co-op game with a friend etc.

I'd credit the 360 for rejuvinating my interest as I've probably enjoyed it the most of any console since the SNES.

I don't see my self ever gaming 10-20 hours a week on average like I did in my gaming peak times though. Just too much work today and I have to many other interests that I enjoy more than gaming these days.
 
OP, I feel your pain. I've found that as I've gotten older that games just dont hook me like they used to. I dumped my backlog and only kept the stuff I had the intention of playing, then found that after two weeks, I didn't touch those either, I dumped them as well. I find that I don't have the attention span to sit down and marathon a game like I used to.

What I find odd though, is that my DS holds my attention way more than my 360.
 
I almost feel guilty if I play games more than a hour or so at a time on a week day. I feel like I should be doing something more productive, like work. I guess that is a part of getting older... If only work involved playing games...

My weekends are mostly consumed by lots of drinking and recovery... so that doesn't leave a lot of time to sit down and get into a game.
 
I would say up until MGS4, I was playing more video games than I ever have. I have had my own video game console since before I started elementary school. I don't know why, but Metal Gear Solid 4 has totally killed my gaming interest. Not because it was bad, but because it was so freakin' awesome. Ever since then, I have cut my gaming time way down. I have been enjoying more movies than games lately. But I am sure my gaming desire will ramp up shortly. That or I will have a huge tradelist.
 
I play games a lot more than I used to but this isn't due to there being better games on the market now or anything like that.

I play more now simply because I work from home and I often play games during the day while working. I just have a ton of free time while working and gaming is something that I can do while working.
 
Rock Band tends to eat all of my gaming time.

After getting some decent games, though, (Jeanne D'Arc and Disgaea: AoD), I've fallen in love with my PSP. My consoles go untouched, and my handhelds get all the action now. Between those two, Apollo Justice, Pokemon, and FFIV just coming out (plus my huuuge backlog), its hard to put them down because I can bring them anywhere. Chilling in the kitchen, keeping an eye on cooking food? Time to kill between classes? Eating lunch? Poopin'?

I've just been getting frustrated with GTA IV, tend to not have the time commitment or attention span for many games (like Mass Effect, which I would love to finish), or end up playing really late at night and falling asleep (I'm sorry, P3:Fes :( I still love you, though)...and I'm always torn between newer games to be on top of things, and the ridiculous backlog that I have accumulated since joining this site (I've probably played about 1% of all of my games).
 
Console gaming tends to be too much of a time sink for the limited opportunities I have to play it. I put about 15 hours into Okami over a two week period this month and that was a lot! But then I haven't touched it for a week.

Handhelds have the advantage of portability/convenience, and generally quick start up and shut down. It's a lot easier to boot up Etrian Odyssey three times over the course of an evening and play for a half hour each time than sit in front of the TV for an hour and a half.
 
I usually play after I put my son to bed and get everything ready for the morning. so 1 hr or 2hrs a night 3-4 times a week.
 
I like a lot of other people seem to play more on handhelds these days. I just recently finished Ninja Gaiden 2 (Warrior) though on the 360. I find I'm more into action games like that these days since they aren't a huge time sync and I can usually play for even a half an hour and get through a few checkpoints. I think I'm on like the 7th dungeon of Zelda Twilight Princess and I've yet to go back to it. I always feel like I need at least an hour or two to play which I don't always have. I am trying to be a lot more selective at least these days so I don't end up with a crazy backlog.
 
I'm with you fella's. :D

I play games more than I used to. Partially because a couples years a go when I was in high school I had no time between studying and working to play. When college rolled around I started taking classes I actually enjoyed therefore I finished my work faster and could have more times for games. But I find I am playing less RPGs and more shooters, action, and fighting games. Back in middle/high school I would be playing 2 to 4 RPGs at a time. Now I am slowly working through P3F and FFIV.
 
No, I do not play games as much as I used to. It's 100% because of time/growing up. I'm 31, have a job/career, a 2 1/2 hour commute, a house to take care of, wife, 2 kids (under 3), etc. Those things are waaay more important than playing games.

But, gaming is part of my DNA. So, I read up during the week and play on the weekend when everyone else is sleeping. I get in about 3 hours a weekend. Sleep is over-rated!
 
I go in spurts. I'll play a new game or TF2 for several hours in a week, then play nothing for the next few weeks.

I'm getting bored of games in general (still waiting for a FPS/RPG hybrid that's better than Deus Ex...), but I'll always love the culture. :3
 
[quote name='mrelusive']I go in spurts. I'll play a new game or TF2 for several hours in a week, then play nothing for the next few weeks.

I'm getting bored of games in general (still waiting for a FPS/RPG hybrid that's better than Deus Ex...), but I'll always love the culture. :3[/quote]

same here. i have this "been there done that" like feeling about gaming.

rpg's for example, i use to be like wow can't wait what other rpgs there are coming out this year [during dreamcast and early ps2 era]. but after playing some [2-3 games] rpg's you sort of feel like, whatever. even the new anounced rpgs being announced for xbox 360 and ps3 later this year, i'm like who gives a crap. the last rpg i played was tales of symphonia for gamecube. i do own ff12 and dirge of cerberus but they're still in shrink wrap. what does that tell you.

i do find myself playing more older or rather classic retro games like the super mario brothers and kid icarus. i don't own a ps3 or xbox 360 as it would have been a wasted investment. gta hasn't given me any reasons nor does devil may cry and so on. gears of war was great on pc and hopefully it's sequal will also be on pc. the only interest i have for purchasing a ps3 is for metal gear solid 4. it's not the game of metal gear that got me wanting to make the jump but rather the deep story of the metal gear solid series.

i only own a wii and it does offer more then enough for me. mario galaxy is great, smash brothers is awesome especially what they did with that single player story mode and mario kart is okay. the best part of the wii is their virtual console. no more emulators! you get to play them directly on tv. and the addition of the wii ware channel. i downloaded toki tori and fell in love with it. the ds is great in what some of the developers come up with.

all in all, i guess my disappeal has either due to the conclusion that there are a lot of clones, experienced too much gaming and creates a sense of repetition and/or simply put that i'm too good in gaming [in one's own perspective]. btw, i wish and hopefully that capcom may release fighting games for wii ware or something.

i also have this sense that console gaming has gotten too complicated or awkward. fps for instance on the dual analog doesn't feel comfortable as compared on the pc or wii.
 
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Well, not only don't I play games as much as I use to, the percentage of my spare time that goes to games is down also. Though, I really don't put it to loving gaming even less.

When I was younger, and had more free time, I had less interests, and I had more time. So, I could read for an hour a day, watch hour of tv, hang out with friends, and still have time to game.

Now, with if I'm lucky 2 free hours on a weekday (and goodbye that when we have kids), I can't do everthing. So, where probably 50% of my free time went to gaming, it's probably 20% today. Yet, on vacation weeks when there is extra time, almost all the extra time goes to gaming.

Can't wait until retirement, gaming bliss until I die.
 
Lol when do you plan on retiring? I'm just thinking of how slow my reflexes will be, not to mention joint ailments as you get older.

Plus I think we might all develop the "let's see the world before I die" kind of thing. And there better be space travel or cities on the moon by then.
 
[quote name='mav451']Lol when do you plan on retiring? I'm just thinking of how slow my reflexes will be, not to mention joint ailments as you get older.

Plus I think we might all develop the "let's see the world before I die" kind of thing. And there better be space travel or cities on the moon by then.[/quote]
If my reflexes have disappeared in 40 years, then I guess I'll get around to all the turn-based RPGs I've had on the backburner for a while.
 
An alternate title for this thread was going to be, "Are you as addicted to games as you use to be?" But, I didn't want the "you can't be addicted to a game" debate. But, that's what I truly meant.

I use to think about games all the time, and wake up early to play them and rush home to play them some more. Now I just play whenever I get around to it, and if I do have a bit of spare time, I usually watch TV or surf online (Usually about games... although I should be playing them instead of watching/discussing them...)
 
I don't play as much, but I do think about them and read up on them A LOT. Probably more than I used to because I need the escape from real world crap (mainly work and stuff like that).
 
Yeah i play less too these days
i feel like im not a real gamer anymore, now my friends kick my ass insted of me and i feel ashamed, because im not up to date. i played guitar hero and ddr for the first time this year and they been out how long?
i mostly blame it on depression and that because when was the last 10.0 on a video game reveiw on ign, and beause there f*ckin expensive now seriously look at rock band it;s over a huindred dollars
 
I play way less than I use to. I actually spend more time looking at games online or reading about them in magazines than I do playing video games. The last game that hooked me was MGS4. I played it around 30 hours the first week, but haven't touched it since. I haven't played many other games since then either.
 
Less for the most part. I use to play games all the time back in H.S., and now I don't play as much. I still play quite a bit, but not as much.

My main issue is RPGs. I use to play them more than any other genre, but I'll admit many RPGs I purchased have either gone un-played, or I play them for like 2 hours. I have such a crazy backlog of them I barely played, just not sure what to do (and I still buy them).

I did beat MGS4, which is one of my favorite games ever.
 
Nope... now that i can actually afford the games and consoles, but i don't have the times, ironic isn't it?

This is why i prefer short games and games with autosave checkpoints. Anything else, it's just pain in the ass to play.

I prefer simply games now a day, like PJ Monsters, Stardust HD etc... Pick it up and have a blast. I even hate to get up and change a game disc...
 
I don't play as much single player games as I used to. Since high school, I spend the vast majority of my time on multiplayer gaming, usually online. I may spend less time on games naturally because of school and other things but I definitely moved to primarily multiplayer gaming.
 
Well, guys, to be honest, I play games more now at age 31 than I have at any other time of my life.

My family wasn't very well off, so I couldn't AFFORD to play games as much. Now I have a lot of disposable income.

I spent Preschool / Elementary school / Middle school / High school / College studying like crazy, building a CV, making myself GOURD. Not something I'm bragging about, as I probably should have sat back and enjoyed life more. As a result of that I had less time to play games than I would have liked. Less time to date. Less time to listen to music, which is something I'm only just now starting to get into.

I married well, and became part of a power couple. High pressure professional lifestyles. Had a nervous breakdown. :bomb:

... Now I have time and money, I guess. Playing games more is part of my general philosophy now a days to enjoy the WORLD more. Games, travelling, learning guitar, volunteering, enjoying my wife's company.

Anyway... that's my long winded comment and all.
 
I don't play as much as I used to, but I'm playing more consistently and finishing a higher percentage of the games that I have. I used to have the renting mindset where I'd try to motor through it in a weekend... but I usually never got very far b/c I would get burned out or just didn't have the time to play before it was due back. Now I buy the games that I want to play, and leisurely complete it over a month or so.
 
I don't, but that's mainly because I don't have enough (what I now consider) good games.
My standards have changed; before, I was entertained by simple video games much more easily.
 
Throwing out the "I don't have as much time to play" argument, I'd say things have stayed about the same. My focus on genre has shifted, but I still look forward to coming home after work to play whenever I can. The advantage of being a CAG is that I have a huge backlog so that if I'm drained from having spent a month on an RPG, I can sift through and find a platformer or FPS to play for a while before starting the next RPG.

The other thing I've noticed is that before finding CAG, i used to only have 3-5 games in my library, so I usually played the same games over and OVER, but with my current backlog, I don't ever have that problem (which has actually made me enjoy gaming more).
 
I play many, many more games than I used to. I got into this crazed obsessive fanboy mode with last gen and built a huge backlog for every console to the point where games became a chore. I basically stopped playing but kept buying. After I sold off all my games I started to get back into it but wasn't 100% gung ho.

I sold my PS3 because I desperately needed the cash and took about two months off from gaming as a result. When I came back to it I felt 'refreshed' and now limit myself to only buying games that I truly find fun to play (surprisingly a lot of crappy games that I just get kicks from) and will only allow myself a maximum of one unplayed/unopened game in my log at a time. This has helped me enjoy games immensely.
 
I play video games a lot less now than I used to way back. It's funny though since (oddly enough) I buy more games now than before and since it's summer I even have more time to play too. I guess I just got lazy :T
 
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