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[OpinionatedCyborg]

I only play exceptional games now, and I often go 4 - 5 months without playing any games at all. But when I find a great game, I'll make time to play it... and then I'll usually unceremoniously quit playing it as quickly as I started.

I still love games that reward a high level of skill, have fun gameplay, and are unique in some way. Starcraft 2 was incredible. I loved the first Ninja Gaiden and Forza games for the Xbox. I played the shit out of Super Meat Boy for a week or two last year. indie games like Limbo are incredible experiences. Portal 2 was amazing. And if I ever get around to buying Shogun 2: Total War, I know I'll spend at least a couple weeks playing it whenever I can.

While I play games as often or less often than a casual gamer, my taste in games is still totally hard core...

the only genres I have completely given up on are JRPGs. wasting 30 hours playing shit like Final Fantasy VI or Chrono Trigger might be fun in grade 4 but the thought of doing that now makes me shudder

e: I also love music games for handheld systems. I know 2 - 3 years ago I had periods where I played Ouendan, Elite Beat Agents, and Rhythm Heaven. so addictive, difficult, and perfect for my then-summer job

 

[Jake.]

the last videogame i played 'properly' (i.e. not at a friends house or whatever) was half-life 2 when it came out on pc. i just have no interest anymore.

 

[Sanky Panky]

I'm 26 and I only play/look forward to games like Fallout, Skyrim, ME3, economic simulators... aka games that let me be the badass I haven't become in real life...

I think as an adult I simply have more things competing for my attention after a long day at work. Continuing education, good nonfiction books, documentaries about issues I care about, etc. If it is a linear game with a story, I just want to get through it quickly to move on to more mentally stimulating things...

Spoiler

*spends 2 hours watching recorded Millionaire Matchmaker on Bravo*

 

[mxgt]

I have much better things to do with my time than play video games.

Like browsing neogaf

 

[Leona Lewis]

I used to buy games day 1 and follow every tiny piece of news that came up about games I looked forward to. But now I typically wait for price drops and play one game at a time, usually spoiler-free. The different is staggering - as a teen, I'd spend maybe $400 on games a year, but now I spend less than $100.

When I'm LTTP and get a game as good as Demon's Souls for $15, though, I feel a little guilty :-(

 

[Seraphinianus]

i do not like it as much before. in fact, it's almost one of those things where you know everything about it so well that it bothers the shit out of you.

Really, the worst part is never finding people who enjoy it and know as much about it as me, who aren't complete social retards. Not that I searched very hard, but jesus, please, if you're a gamer and you meet another gamer, please stay calm, don't raise your voice, don't do anything embarrassing, and don't just start talking aimlessly about everything video game related in the world without giving the other person an opportunity to speak.

so who does that leave to talk with about games? gaming side and other gaming forums...not very satisfying.

 

[Peagles]

Nope.

I find myself playing less games though. I'm trying to reverse this. I seem to be collecting games and not playing them.

Same here, life just gets in the way and gaming is relatively low on my priority list. Buying games makes me feel like I'm still involved though :lol

 

[LProtag]

I find myself being more choosy about what games I invest time into playing. I try to only buy stuff I know I'm going to play and enjoy.

I guess life is just busier so I don't have as much time, I'd probably play more if I could.

 

[params7]

NEVAR

 

[Buddha Beam]

I used to play games all the time, but for the last year or so, I've just been massively disinterested in them. The last games I bought were during Christmas time (DKCR, Kirby, Sonic and Epic Mickey. I haven't even opened Kirby and Epic Mickey, yet. The last game I beat was Dead Rising 2.

This happens, so I figure (or at least hope) that it isn't a big deal and that sooner or later, I'll be pulled back in. I lost interest for about a year and a half shortly after I started college too. Then one day I played Viewtiful Joe at a demo kiosk at Wal-Mart. Went out the next day, bought a Cube and VJ and played video games almost constantly every day after that... until about the aforementioned 12 months or so ago. I'm just waiting for that right game to come along that so completely hooks me and pulls me in that it manages to reignite my passion for something I've spent the better part of my life engaged in.

Although... I have no idea if that will happen any time soon. Aside from Nintendo and occasionally Capcom and Sega, they don't make the kind of games that appeal to me anymore. It's all about trying to be interactive summer blockbusters these days. Thats not what I'm looking for in a game at all.

But for now, well... at least I'm not spending a few hundred bucks a month on games anymore. haha.

 

[AlimNassor]

I'm vastly more choosy. I wait for price drops because I have no money anymore. I believe this gen is terrific but it's starting to get old. I've played less games this year then any year before. Partially due to the 360 breaking on me 3 times this year, and myPC being unable to play vidya games.

I say one day I'll quit, but, then I doubt that. My dad works graveyard hours and rarely has time for anyone but still manages to find ways to play video games.

 

[Replicant]

I work, have gym/boxing class, and attend Japanese class so I don't have much time for gaming. But I do spent a lot of time on games during the weekend. Currently almost platinuming Mass Effect 2.

 

[JCX]

I miss jrpgs. Seems like most big releases now are Generic Bald Shooter #347. I'm glad that the fighting genre has had a resurgence in popularity, but I don't have the will to get good enough to play online and my friends don't really play that much anymore.

 

[alejob]

A waste of time and money tbh.

Thats how I feel though I will probably buy a next gen console still. I own a Wii and PS3. Play SOCOM once in a while and thats it.

 

[LuchaShaq]

I have my ups and downs with regards to gaming time but even if I totally quit for some crazy reason I wouldn't view it below people who see shit movies like transformers or watch American idol nonsense every night.

 

[overcast]

I go through phases monthly where I will focus on either movies, tv, or games. I just constantly cycle those 3. So yes, I still love games. I'm 18 and I can't play nearly as much as I used to back in the day.

 

[Alpha-Bromega]

i could buy hundreds of books for the cost of one console is how i think of gaming

 

[Deeku]

Videogames are still great, but like everyone else, I play a lot less than I used to for the same reasons. One thing that hasn't changed is my buying habits. I still buy most of the big releases, niche jrpgs and what not, but I tend to pick and choose what I actually play and leave the rest for when I'm not busy with other things in life.

 

[Qasiel]

I've been playing video games since I got my Master System and haven't slowed down since.

I'm 26 now, and I still enjoy things like reading and socialising away from games, but I'd say that gaming is a big part of my life and looks like it's going to be for the forseeable future. This isnt a possibility that feels me with dread, though.

 

[SyNapSe]

Opinionated shitborg spoiled a book in the HP series with a "xbledore x's by x" post right after the book released. I'll assume it was because he was a childish fuck, but any time I see him, I cringe at the fact he hasn't been banished. That shithead edited it a couple of hours later so nothing happened. I secretly hope he dies awfully but I randomly see him pop up in threads and it ruins my hope & faith in humanity and justice.

As you get older games are a tougher value/proposition. Steam brings an incredible reprieve to that but decent gaming PC's cost a bit.

 

[Deleted member 22576]

I pretty much only play a handful of releases every year. But I'm constantly playing older games and my staples. I actually just started Fallout3 a couple days ago. And still to this day, if I get home from a bar late at night.. I'm gonna boot up Crackdown not the hottest latest game.

It takes something from the likes of Valve or iD to get me to go Day1 nowadays.. but if its a good release you can be sure I'll get to it eventually.

 

[njean777]

Nope still play regularly, I don't really like any other medium of entertainment. I workout daily, go to school, hangout with friends, and play games when I am not doing any of the above. Its all about moderation. IF you can not moderate yourself, then you have much bigger issues going on.

 

[ScientificNinja]

I'm 35.

I devoted 14 years of my professional life to the games industry and have amassed a shit-ton of memorabilia, behind-the-scenes stories. In any given week, I would have given at least an hour or two to five new games.

I left the industry a little over two years ago. These I play maybe 4-5 games a year. Notwithstanding my personal tastes, most 95% of games on the market are shit. I don't just think so, I know so - game companies literally budget for the number of triple A games they'll release two years in advance.

Why do I continue to linger in OT? Because my mind is still wired to think like a gamer, unfortunately.

Games I've played over the last two years:
- Mass Effect 2. Fucking amazing.
- Borderlands. Questionable, predictable, buggy, boring, unfulfilling.
- Uncharted 2. Short, sweet, a little cliched, but good fun.
- Killzone 3. Three games in, still doing it wrong.
- Pac-Man CE DX. Holy fucking shit I love this game.
- Halo Reach. Fun, but predictable. Glad it was over when I finished it.
- Street Fighter 4. Didn't like it as much as I thought I would.
- The Witcher 2. Loving it.

What I'm looking forward to:
- Skyrim
- Mass Effect 3

What most of my leisure time is spent doing these days:
- Working on my house
- Reading books
- Cooking/Fine dining
- Photography
- Playing with my kids

 

[blame space]

i wish video games weren't big business.

 

[ToxicAdam]

I go in and out of gaming. I quit playing for much of my teenage years, then quit again for 5 years in my twenties. I only play about 4 hours a week now in my mid-thirties.

I've really been struggling with how much gaming I allow my children (twins, age 6). I didn't want them to play any, but my wife convinced me otherwise. I don't really see them as a positive aspect in people's life. I see them as (potentially) harmful as nicotine, soda pop and marijuana.

But, I would be too hypocritical to deny them the chance to play games. It's a pretty effective tool to use to punish them and I have been strict on their play time. But, I still have reservations.

 

[Alpha-Bromega]

Killzone 3. Three games in, still doing it wrong.

what's wrong with KZ2? 3 did everything wrong but we can all agree on that

 

[Satchel]

31 and showing no signs of slowing down.

I'm runnign out of room for everything as a matter of fact. I adore gaming far too much to ever even think about giving it up.

 

[njean777]

I go in and out of gaming. I quit playing for much of my teenage years, then quit again for 5 years in my twenties. I only play about 4 hours a week now in my mid-thirties.

I've really been struggling with how much gaming I allow my children (twins, age 6). I didn't want them to play any, but my wife convinced me otherwise. I don't really see them as a positive aspect in people's life. I see them as (potentially) harmful as nicotine, soda pop and marijuana.

But, I would be too hypocritical to deny them the chance to play games. It's a pretty effective tool to use to punish them and I have been strict on their play time. But, I still have reservations.

I would be interested in how you see them as harmful as substances that actually kill people due to using them. As long as you teach them to game in moderation everything should be fine.

 

[Devolution]

I go in and out of gaming. I quit playing for much of my teenage years, then quit again for 5 years in my twenties. I only play about 4 hours a week now in my mid-thirties.

I've really been struggling with how much gaming I allow my children (twins, age 6). I didn't want them to play any, but my wife convinced me otherwise. I don't really see them as a positive aspect in people's life. I see them as (potentially) harmful as nicotine, soda pop and marijuana.

But, I would be too hypocritical to deny them the chance to play games. It's a pretty effective tool to use to punish them and I have been strict on their play time. But, I still have reservations.

Give them stuff like number/super munchers, math blaster, and oregon trail.

 

[ChocolateCupcakes]

For the last 3 months I haven't played anything except the U3 beta. But in the fall I will play a bit more like Uncharted 3, Batman: Arkhum Asylum, and maybe a few others.

 

[Plywood]

For a while I grew sick of gaming. All the experiences felt shallow and repetitive, I think it had to do with the games I was playing.

 

[Skeyser]

I wasted wayyyy too much time that could have been better spent on them.

 

[Vustadumas]

I don't have time to be obsessive with gaming, as I once was, but I still play games, in one form or another, every day. iPhone probably gets the majority of my gaming time now a days. Easy pick up and play games kick ass. PC has also snuck back in, as I've been catching up on some stuff I've missed. Consoles are more often than not, used as Netflix or movie rental players, and the big AAA titles. I do still play Gears, on a regular basis, but that's been the only steady console game I've played, for the last few years.

I still have the passion for gaming, and I'll never, ever lose that. It's a part of me.

 

[DjangoReinhardt]

I play less than I used to, but the quality of the average game I play is much higher because my standards have risen as my free time has decreased.

 

[Draft]

I've never gotten the reason people cut them off completely. It's like, does anyone just up and remove movies, or books, or music from their life? Cutting back, sure. I'm not a teenager anymore, I can't sit down and grind through ridiculously long games all the time. But to not play them at all? After all the fun I've had with them? Just seems a bit drastic.

 

[dream]

90% of them are a waste of time and make me think I've completely outgrown this shit. The other 10% consists of truly exceptional titles like Deus Ex 3 that make me glad I haven't completely outgrown this shit.

 

[ToxicAdam]

Give them stuff like number/super munchers, math blaster, and oregon trail.

They've only had Leapster games (educational) until this past summer.

I would be interested in how you see them as harmful as substances that actually kill people due to using them.

Nicotine, Marijuana and soda pop can't kill you.

 

[tekumseh]

I still buy a lot of games, but I don't spend a great deal of time playing them. I've actually become more of a video game voyeur: I'd much rather watch someone play Call of Duty or Demon's Souls, etc., than actually play it myself. It's so much more relaxing that way, and far less frustrating...

 

[Lunchbox]

90% of them are a waste of time and make me think I've completely outgrown this shit. The other 10% consists of truly exceptional titles like Deus Ex 3 that make me glad I haven't completely outgrown this shit.

you only like it cause you can punch women

 

[Prez]

90% of them are a waste of time and make me think I've completely outgrown this shit. The other 10% consists of truly exceptional titles like Deus Ex 3 that make me glad I haven't completely outgrown this shit.

There's just no time, man. You have to cut out things in order to focus on others. I'm too passionate about music to give up time for something else. 90% of my alone spare time goes to listening to music, 10% to playing music. I'd like to add in some time to read some classic literature, but I'm already having a hard time cutting back on the music.

So no time for videogames, movies and television for me. But every once in a while I take the time to watch a good movie and there are a couple videogames I'd like to replay (Super Metroid and some Zelda games but that's it)

 

[njean777]

They've only had Leapster games (educational) until this past summer.




Nicotine, Marijuana and soda pop can't kill you.

Pretty sure nicotine, marijuana, and soda all lead all lead a person to be more susceptible to cancer, heart disease, high blood sugar, depression, etc.

Games don't kill you either from playing them, if anything they help you think more (if you are playing the right game) and some even compel people to socialize more then they normally would. Your example was horrible, as games are nowhere near as bad as Nicotine, marijuana, and soda pop. Since they don't effect your health, unless of course you become obsessed with them. Which in that case that is your own fault not the games.

There's just no time, man. You have to cut out things in order to focus on others. I'm too passionate about music to give up time for something else. 90% of my alone spare time goes to listening to music, 10% to playing music. I'd like to add in some time to read some classic literature, but I'm already having a hard time cutting back on the music.

So no time for videogames, movies and television for me. But every once in a while I take the time to watch a good movie and there are a couple videogames I'd like to replay (Super Metroid and some Zelda games but that's it)

So you are replacing one obsession which another, you may just be somebody that is easily obsessive.

 

[Phoenix]

I'm 38 and I still play them from time to time, but in most instances only with my kids. I will pick up the occasional Battlefield 3 or Diablo 3 or something and play that until I'm done with it, but the days of 5 hour deathmatch sessions and the desire for 120 hours of gameplay are pretty much done. I have shit to do now and a game that is going to eat up months of actually play time is a liability as it will never be finished

Oh, I do play games on mobile though. Tends to fit in well with the amount of free time that I have for gaming. Small portable and largely disposable experiences.

 

[Prez]

So you are replacing one obsession which another, you may just be somebody that is easily obsessive.

Yeah, but there's so much more to music. Go out to concerts and music bars all the time, I'm in touch with musicians and I'm studying to be a sound technician. It's the bomb =)

I'm actually more of a culture freak. I love going out and enjoying culture. These past two years I've studied languages in college and it's opened up my eyes. I love music, language and culture and I've always been auditory oriented.

 

[dream]

There's just no time, man. You have to cut out things in order to focus on others. I'm too passionate about music to give up time for something else. 90% of my alone spare time goes to listening to music, 10% to playing music. I'd like to add in some time to read some classic literature, but I'm already having a hard time cutting back on the music.

So no time for videogames, movies and television for me. But every once in a while I take the time to watch a good movie and there are a couple videogames I'd like to replay (Super Metroid and some Zelda games but that's it)

Pretty much. As I get older I just sort of feel like there are much better things to do than sit in front of a TV for 4 hours playing a video game.

 

[qcf x2]

Street Fighter, that's about it.

...MIGHT get NBA 2k12 depending on how I feel about basketball when it comes out.

Generally speaking I think they're horrible wastes of time and life. Not all the time, though. If it's pouring outside or you're recovering from an injury or you're stuck waiting for something/someone, for example. Or every once in a while to chill out.

I'm glad I think this way now, though. Saves money and encourages me to maximize my time and/or productive capability. I don't judge others for their interest, though.

 

[njean777]

Yeah, but there's so much more to music. Go out to concerts and music bars all the time, I'm in touch with musicians and I'm studying to be a sound technician. It's the bomb =)

Well there is also a lot to video games, especially if you want to work in the industry or start making them also, but I am happy you found something else that you like and are interested in it. But video games for some are not a waste of time.

 

[Prez]

Well there is also a lot to video games, especially if you want to work in the industry or start making them also, but I am happy you found something else that you like and are interested in it. But video games for some are not a waste of time.

It's a personal thing. For some people it really is a waste of time, but that doesn't imply that it's a waste of time for everyone.

 

[Devolution]

They've only had Leapster games (educational) until this past summer.

The ones I listed were educational and fun for me as a kid .

 

[Coeliacus]

I replaced games with learning guitar. I'll play Street Fighter with friends but that's about it.

 

[ShipTheCheese]

Yeah, im moving in with the g/f in a couple of weeks time, so I reckon my gaming days will be cut short drastically. Though she's kind of a nerd herself too in some ways, and she enjoys watching me play games like Uncharted, so I've not lost hope yet.

Ah well, growing up and all that, I suppose.