24 here but if cynicism and bitterness are factored in I'm more around 43.
I'm in a BF2/Firearms/DOD :S clan that sports quite the age range though. From 17 to a couple of guys who are late 50's with the mid range trending towards late 20's early 30's. Good group.
I just went through Star Fox 64 in a sitting last night after not having played it in a few years. Remember the days when you could go through a game in a night?
Scratch that... Remember the days when you could go through a game in an hour or so?
Man, that game was 50 minutes of concentrated awesome. I think that's why Assault disappointed me so much and has made me unsure if I even want Command.
Anyways...
I'm 24, single and unemployed. I have lots of time and more than enough money. But even I don't finish very many games any more. I feel like I've become more used to everything. A game has to grab me and grab me hard or I'll lose interest after a few hours.
Because I've "seen it all before", a game had better have a damn interesting setting or interesting characters or I'm out.
So I guess my reasons for playing less are a bit different. But still, it oddly means that I too am kind of looking forward to the Wii (if I can find the bloody thing) and why I rather enjoy my DS. After all, I'm reasonably sure the Wii will be able to give me stuff I haven't seen before (while the DS already has).
I also echo the request that all games should have a save-anywhere option. Every single one. I never know when I'm gonna have to put down a game (console or handheld), and nothing turns me off from a game faster nowadays than having to redo something I've already done. Even New Super Mario Bros. was driving me crazy with its stupid "You can only save at Mushroom Houses" thing (although I'm more forgiving with the DS since you can just close it).
Every freakin game should allow you to save anywhere. You would think by now game dev's would get this. Hell IMO I think mmo's shouldn't have a timer on your hearth/gate spell/whatever (WoW's hearth stone for example). You never know when something might come up and does it really hurt the gameplay?
I'm with you about MMO's and timers, as far as something like the hearth stone goes I think they should limit it to a certain amount of uses per day to minimize its exploitation potential.
Also, I've noticed alot of people saying the PSP isn't designed for 10-15 minutes but I've been playing through GTA:LCS and I've noticed 2 things. The missions aren't all that long 5 minutes average with a few that run up to 10 minutes, and you can pause the game mid mission, hit the power switch and it will hibernate, allowing you to turn it back on at a later time and start right where you were without ending the mission or anything.
I guess it's just that I've owned both the DS and PSP and for whatever reason I prefer the PSP just due to the fact that I'm 1. A graphics whore and 2. I like longer games.
JamesDM on
If you have any complaints about this poster then feel free to: Иди на хуй, Сучьи
Steam, PSN, XBL, Xfire and everything else JamesDM
My gaming addiction has definately slowed down with age.
It was pretty intense last year when I was on the WoW, but I quit that and have never been happier.
I tried playing Final Fantasy 12, but got sick of it after around 10hrs.
It seems I can no longer get into playing alone unless I'm really baked out, and even then I find myself turning to other things that seem more fun now (Guitar, going out w/ friends).
Also, not having a timer on your hearthstone would make PvP pretty friggin lame.
I'm 22 and do not play as much as I did a few years ago.
A few years ago, I used to play 4/6 hours per week, now I play, maybe 1 week per month. And, 10, almost 20 hours in a row, when I get a chance to play a bit more than usual.
mark on
"I think Han Solo is the character we wish we were but we aren't, while Jar-Jar is the character we wish we weren't, but we are."
I think it's pretty natural that, over time, you'll find you have less time for certain activities. As you get older, your activities grow more diverse, and you have many more responsibilities. This is especially apparent on a nice summer day, while you're staring out of your office window, wishing you could just go play in the park.
While I'll have to admit that my gaming time has severely decreased since the 'care-free' (pishaw) days of my youth, I don't think the time itself has grown any less valuable to me. If anything, only more so. I really feel bad for people that never got into gaming, and don't know the bliss of sitting down after a stressful day, and blasting the hell out of some aliens, or what have you. I still have interest in playing 'longer' videogames, such as Zeldas, regardless of the fact that I may need to do it in sporadic 2-3 hour spurts. Though I have to admit that my interest in shorter 'pick-up and play' games has increased as well. Thank god for the DS.
I was certainly losing my interest in videogames sometime during the last generation, but with this one it's been sparked again. It's really an exciting time to be a gamer right now (IMO, the most exciting it's been since the SNES/Genesis days) so even though I don't have time to play, I make time. It's something I've done as far back as I can remember, and it's something I don't see stopping any time in the near future.
tl;dr: The addiction for me is about as strong as it ever was, regardless of the fact that I do, in fact, have much less time to play.
I'm not a middle aged gamer, but I can feel myself approaching that area (as far as time is concerned), and that's why I clicked the thread. I'm only 21, but I'm got a pretty decently full plate. I work 24+ hours per week, I'm in college full-time, and then I also have a client that I do freelance graphic design work for. I am also in a full fledged relationship where we're living together. Time is a bit limited with all those things, but actually I think I'm playing more games than ever now. At home I've got Shadow of the Colossus, Psychonauts, Resident Evil 4, and Devil May Cry 3 all in the middle of plays. I'll pick up whatever one I have time for or I'm in the mood for. Previous to this time I never had more than one game that I was playing at once.
I really do think every game, console or handheld, should have some sort of quicksave option. I don't even care if the thing deletes the save after I load it back up. I just want the ability to take 10 minutes and play. If I could do that I'd get far more gaming in than ever. I fear that developers just won't get this and we'll never really have that option be mainstream. If that happened I fear I'll stop playing games altogether, as I'm just not interested in built-for-10 minute session games. I need the epic feel in my games.
Resident Evil 4 is doing the save thing pretty good. I can play the game for only 10 minutes to a half hour and know that I'll hit another save point, which is reassuring. I used to play solely RPGs, and that assurance was almost never there. You could spend a couple hours in the game between save-points, and I always hated that. So, even if I had a good hour-2 hour chunk of time for gaming, I couldn't really pick up my RPG, because I wouldn't know if I'd be at a savepoint at that time. Stuff like this really needs to be fixed.
Time is a bit limited with all those things, but actually I think I'm playing more games than ever now. At home I've got Shadow of the Colossus, Psychonauts, Resident Evil 4, and Devil May Cry 3 all in the middle of plays. I'll pick up whatever one I have time for or I'm in the mood for. Previous to this time I never had more than one game that I was playing at once.
I'm in the same boat, my backlog is huge. I think it's why I still manage to find time to play often. I'm currently playing FFXII, Disgaea 2, God of War 2, SSSX Blur, Sonic, Phoenix Wright, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (again), Resident Evil 4 (perpetually), and a quite a few others that I can't recall at the moment, and I think the diversity helps feed the addiction. This is also a result of having more money and less time, but it's not a bad problem to have, if I say so myself. I rather enjoy not knowing what I'll feel like playing when I get the chance, and I find the variety makes it much more rewarding.
The weird thing is that a lot of us probably now spend more time reading about games on websites etc. and chatting about them on forums like these than actually playing them. I have to admit I do too.
That's because most of have the intronets at work...>_>
Ohhh yes, posting to you right now from the Inland Revenue offices!
I can agree with a load of people in this thread, I'm 25, so not old by any stretch of the imagination but I've been gaming ever since I was old enough to move a joystick (Stick!). I've seen generations come and go and I agree with the comment above that whilst I don't play anywhere NEAR as much as I used to, I spend a hell of a lot more.
I love my Wii though, the games are ideal for playing in short bursts, I love having a quick race on Excite Truck whilst waiting for my flat mate to get her make up on, I love being able to get in a good few minigames on Warioware whilst my girlfriend takes her time deciding what to wear (To be honest I could probably get through Zelda in the time she takes) and as for Zelda itself, I'm finding that a lazy Sunday afternoon kind of game. Although thank God for the save function in that, I'm constantly called away to give someone a lift somewhere, nip to the tip, look after a friend's kids.
What does terrify me is the number of you on here that are my age or younger and are married with kids! Not that it's a bad thing, I'm more terrified because I'm nowhere near doing that!
In summary, I agree with the OP. Much as I love my 360, it doesn't get anywhere near as much love as the Wii.
Heh, that said, I must admit that after recently managing to find time to play through Crackdown coop I'm enjoying multiplayer a lot more. It lets me catch up with a good friend I don't see as often as I'd like. We can chat, catch up and at the same time throw cars at each other. I actually waited for my GF to go to sleep the other night, snuck downstairs and played online for a good hour with my friend
::Edit:: Incidentally, the most fun gaming experience I had on my own recently was buying the new special edition "Another World" with spangly hi-res backgrounds and the extra levels added in that I missed out on on the A500. The game lasted what must have been an hour but I loved every single damn minute of it.
What does terrify me is the number of you on here that are my age or younger and are married with kids! Not that it's a bad thing, I'm more terrified because I'm nowhere near doing that!
No joke. I'll have to admit a twinge of jealousy, but I can't even think of this at the moment. Most likely because history shows that I only seem to be attracted to mentally unstable women.
is there any other kind?
EDIT: I think soon someone should open up a retirement home for gamers. Think, by then it'll be socially acceptable to sit around in diapers all day, playing games. We've earned it, dammit. This does not, however, supercede my group of friends' plans to kick-start 'Octogenarian Pit Fighting', because if and when I hit 80, I want to hit something with a mace.
Being 27, married, with a fulltime job, I 100% agree with pretty much everything in this thread, and I’d like to raise my hand in support of the ‘save whenever’ feature being standard for all games. Like the OP I find myself gravitating towards games that can be picked up and put down at a moments notice, but I’ve found that this doesn’t mean you have to restrict yourself to traditional pickup-and-play games like racers, sports games etc. I can happily play through any epic length games so long as you can save whenever you like. If I perceive that I need more 20-30 minutes on average to get to the next save point in an RPG or whatever, I won’t play it unless I have 3-4 hours spare, which these days means I won’t play it. If I can save whenever it’ll get played, even when I’ve only got 10 minutes – all those 10 minutes add up fast when playing a longer game.
The funny thing is I tend to play games I can turn off at a moments notice for hours at a time. The very fact I can stop anytime means I can keep on going right up until the wife decides she wants control of the TV back or the train gets to my station, or whatever. If I’m playing a game with save points and I might stop if think I’m not going to have time to reach the next save. When I look back 50% of the time I would have had time (because the wife decided she would have a bath rather than watch program X, or the train was running late etc etc etc), but I didn’t know that at the time and so played it safe to avoid having to play through the same section again.
EDIT: I think soon someone should open up a retirement home for gamers. Think, by then it'll be socially acceptable to sit around in diapers all day, playing games. We've earned it, dammit. This does not, however, supercede my group of friends' plans to kick-start 'Octogenarian Pit Fighting', because if and when I hit 80, I want to hit something with a mace.
I've always maintained that I will never play MMOs until I have the free time -- and retirement is nothing but free time, baby!
Back when I had the brick Gameboy and Tetris, which was about 8 years ago I guess, my dad was 52 or so, and he picked it up to see how it was.
He became fucking monster at Tetris. He would regularly get scores in the millions, having never played any other video game in his life. I don't know if his woodworking skills gave him some kind of spatial magical powers but he would sit there gleefully stacking blocks that fall at incredible speeds, far beyond my ability as a pretty hardcore gamer.
I think it's not so much the lack of reflexes in older people (old enough that fine motor skills start to dull a bit) that make them prefer certain games, it's the specific appeal of a certain type of game. Of course, my dad has nerve damage from using jackhammers and such, so he wouldn't be a ridiculous Tetris-er now, most likely, so there is always a physical component.
I also echo the request that all games should have a save-anywhere option. Every single one. I never know when I'm gonna have to put down a game (console or handheld), and nothing turns me off from a game faster nowadays than having to redo something I've already done. Even New Super Mario Bros. was driving me crazy with its stupid "You can only save at Mushroom Houses" thing (although I'm more forgiving with the DS since you can just close it).
Every freakin game should allow you to save anywhere. You would think by now game dev's would get this. Hell IMO I think mmo's shouldn't have a timer on your hearth/gate spell/whatever (WoW's hearth stone for example). You never know when something might come up and does it really hurt the gameplay?
I'm with you about MMO's and timers, as far as something like the hearth stone goes I think they should limit it to a certain amount of uses per day to minimize its exploitation potential.
Also, I've noticed alot of people saying the PSP isn't designed for 10-15 minutes but I've been playing through GTA:LCS and I've noticed 2 things. The missions aren't all that long 5 minutes average with a few that run up to 10 minutes, and you can pause the game mid mission, hit the power switch and it will hibernate, allowing you to turn it back on at a later time and start right where you were without ending the mission or anything.
I guess it's just that I've owned both the DS and PSP and for whatever reason I prefer the PSP just due to the fact that I'm 1. A graphics whore and 2. I like longer games.
As an owner of both I perfer the DS. I just think it has better games and more of them. The PSP does have plenty of games that you can pick up and put down (Lumines, Pirates!, GTA on psp seems to be centered around the 5min mission, etc.. heck most of the games on the psp can be picked up and put down without a big time investment) so I'm not sure where some are getting that the psp is just a portable ps2.
I this thread. For the past few years since graduating from college and getting a job I've been pretty bummed out about how I seem to not like playing video games anymore. I'd only find 1 or 2 games I like to play every few months and not want to play much even if I had the means or the time to do it.
Reading this thread helped me come to the realization that, like many of you, I hate the following:
1. Not being able to save whenever I want to
2. Having to repeat the same parts over and over
Before reading through this thread I was starting to think that I didn't like videogames anymore. Also, the idea of limiting the amount of consoles I own is a fantastic idea. The truth is I won't go back and play the old games I own and never finished. There's usually a reason why I never finished that. And I wont ever have time to or want to play through all the games available for the multitude of consoles that I own (360, PS2, Gamecube, PSP, DS, PC, etc )
I really think that I should sell off a few of my consoles. It will probably help me appreciate and enjoy the ones I do own. And I'll also feel less overwhelmed by options when I do decide to buy a game or play one.
I really think that I should sell off a few of my consoles. It will probably help me appreciate and enjoy the ones I do own. And I'll also feel less overwhelmed by options when I do decide to buy a game or play one.
You make me think of all the (4,5 of them) games I've bought in the past few months and did not even install on my computer...
mark on
"I think Han Solo is the character we wish we were but we aren't, while Jar-Jar is the character we wish we weren't, but we are."
I think part of the problem I've had with game recently is the incredibly repetative nature of many of the games. I play for a while, and in some cases it's fun, but eventually I find myself wondering why I'm putting all this time and effort into something that has no real world value. Reaching level 25 was the same as reaching level 5 -- it just took longer. New items don't do a hell of a lot for me, either -- they're only cool in the context that they're superior to what my character already has. All the while, I'm really not making any progress in the plot. I'm not seeing any of the new setpieces or monster designs. I'm just poking generic goblin 483 over and over.
That's just RPGs, though.
Stategy games are a little different. It's been a while since I've played a TBS or RTS in which I fought an epic war. That's really what I play for -- the "story" that grows from the particular variables in that game session. I just have to go through a hell of a lot of sessions to reach that one game with the epic war. RTS's are smaller in scope, and again have the same repetative nature RPGs have. There's a start up time to it. I've found more often than not, I enjoy watching other peoples' replays than playing an RTS myself.
FPS games -- well -- I beat an FPS once, and it ceases to be enjoyable. I know the levels and where the enemies are: there's no need to play it again for many, many months.
It's that repetative nature -- the padding -- I do the same shit over and over and over again at work, I want to come home and be entertained. For there to be entertainment, there needs to be progress. I buy a short game, though, and I don't think I'm getting my money's worth from it. I beat a game, it usually gets shelved permanently unless it does the random level thing.
I really think that I should sell off a few of my consoles. It will probably help me appreciate and enjoy the ones I do own. And I'll also feel less overwhelmed by options when I do decide to buy a game or play one.
You make me think of all the (4,5 of them) games I've bought in the past few months and did not even install on my computer...
The reason I stopped playing PC games. Or at least, gave up on trying to keep a gaming-capable computer around. I hardly have the time to play the console games I want to.
Does anyone else worry sometimes though that they seemt o be growing out of gaming? I'm only twenty, but the most games I play are a few rounds of CSS with RL friends every few nights, and the odd hour or two of Oblivion
Compared to the amount of time I spend doing other things (comics, films, friends, sailing, girl/menfolk) gaming is becoming a distant sideline. I don't remember the last time I bought a game. Maybe Crackdown? And that was months ago.
Does anyone else worry sometimes though that they seemt o be growing out of gaming? I'm only twenty, but the most games I play are a few rounds of CSS with RL friends every few nights, and the odd hour or two of Oblivion
Compared to the amount of time I spend doing other things (comics, films, friends, sailing, girl/menfolk) gaming is becoming a distant sideline. I don't remember the last time I bought a game. Maybe Crackdown? And that was months ago.
Maybe you are growing out of gaming, but I wouldn't worry about it. You're just making time for other things that are more interesting. Lately I have taken up auto crossing (!!), playing piano, reading (books and making time for a newspaper everyday), watching movies, spending time with a great girlfriend and generally making for time for socializing.
Hell, I don't even spend a lot of time surfing TV channels. I turn the TV on when there's a show I want to watch and turn it off afterward, or I just wait for the DVDs on netflix.
Maybe I'm starting to realize that I need to make the most of my time. Plus working 40+ hours a week makes you appreciate your free time.
It's that repetative nature -- the padding -- I do the same shit over and over and over again at work, I want to come home and be entertained. For there to be entertainment, there needs to be progress. I buy a short game, though, and I don't think I'm getting my money's worth from it. I beat a game, it usually gets shelved permanently unless it does the random level thing.
Yeah, that's my problem too - excessive padding. Now from some games this doesn't bug me. Titan Quest, for example, is mostly just the same thing over and over (see mob, fight mob, collect treasure, equip anything that is better than what you have, repeat), but I enjoy it nevertheless. Arcade style games that are just the same thing over and over with the difficultly level steadily going up also entertain me. However, though JRPGs have long been my favorite genre, I find myself liking them less and less these days since there's so much repetition. For example, I was really excited for Devil Summoner 3, and yet I haven't played more than the first 2-3 chapters despite owning the game for around 4 months now.
Give me more games like Half-life 2: Episode 1 - short, but oh so sweet.
I hate grind. There was a time when I couldn't imagine buying a game that'd last less than 10-20 hrs. Nowadays, when I play a game (well, story-based, at least) that lasts 30-40 hrs, I criticize and point out areas which could have been trimmed down or cut completely, because those consist of pointless filler that waste my time.
I also find myself playing less and less games. I spend too much time reading on them. I should probably do something about that.
I did recently find something that makes the grind in Titan Quest a bit less of a chore, simply for the sheer over the top nature of it.
Somebody put together a mod that increases the monsters in every region of the campaign to their max cap. Everywhere from three times the total to ten times the total in each group. Makes leveling easier, and fights basically become these epic rolling brawls from one end of the act to the other -- there is no place to pause and rest. Combine that with another mod that makes it easier to send monsters flying from a hit, and it actually became somewhat fun again.
EDIT: I did something similar with the original Dungeon Siege. As some of you know, the game can pretty much play itself with all the automation on (autocombat monsters previously hit). A mod had been released that added Yoda as a playable character, gave him some really decent combat animations, and a light saber. Some dungeons, I only had to hit one monster once, and the little dude would go through his attack animation, killing the monster and swinging just in time to hit the next one running up, causing the attack sequence to start again -- making his way from the dungeon entrance to the dungeon exit without me having to do a damn thing but watch. Kind of funny.
Gonna voice up with a lot of the young 20 year-olds that feel middle-aged. I'm 23 and was actually thinking about this very thing before I saw the thread. Games take up less time. Between commuting, working on the weekends, school, homework [art majors get fun yet time consuming assignments] and spending time with friends there isn't anywhere to squeeze them in.
My backlog is immense. There are so many games I want to get [C&C3 makes me hot when I think about it] . There are only two games on my plate, that can be on my plate. WoW [say what you will, but with so many of my RL friends around the world, the accessibilty of the expansion, and the Warcraft lore I cannot give up WoW so easily] and Guitar Hero 2 on the 360. I must have the #1 score in the world.
Even as a college bachelor I don't have time....I hope that when I get older I can still find time for hobbies.
Gotta agree with the "save everywhere" and "fuck repitition" sentiments.
Yeah...after my next 3 hour class and a 6 page paper I might squeeze in a couple guitar hero songs before sleep....that sounds nice.......
I did recently find something that makes the grind in Titan Quest a bit less of a chore, simply for the sheer over the top nature of it.
Somebody put together a mod that increases the monsters in every region of the campaign to their max cap. Everywhere from three times the total to ten times the total in each group. Makes leveling easier, and fights basically become these epic rolling brawls from one end of the act to the other -- there is no place to pause and rest. Combine that with another mod that makes it easier to send monsters flying from a hit, and it actually became somewhat fun again.
I've used this mob too and though I'm not using it at the moment with my Warfare/Nature wolf focused character (extra damage from Battle Standard x 3 wolves = ownage), I plan to use it with the next character I build. I've only used it on x2 mode; I can only imagine what x10 mode is like.
DragkoniasThat Guy Who Does StuffYou Know, There. Registered Userregular
edited April 2007
You know it's funny though. In defense of the grind, I have an easier time getting back into long RPGs than I do actions games.
I mean let me like compare say Metal Gear 2 to FFX. I mean if I stop playing the game for 2 weeks or so(which I do a lot of time) I can get right back into the RPG, probably take me a few minutes to remember what my current quest was but it's nothing too complicated. But if I'm playing an action game like DMC or MGS of the sort then I have to get back into the "zone" before I can play it again. Not to mention I still have to remember where I left off.
The same thing with fighting games. I mean a few months ago my brothers and I were Soul Calibur masters, knew the ends and outs and everything. The disc breaks and we don't get a new copy until now and I find that I'm rusty as crap. Same thing with games like Tony Hawk too.
So, I think that while it may be true that RPGs can take a lot longer...I find that it's a bit easier to return to them after not playing them after a while then with other games(except the ones that are pick up and play to begin with).
Well lets see I´m 22 and I spent 9 hours a day at work (8 working and 1 for lunch), about 5 and a half at college, at least one hour in the car commuting, so I have left 8 hours and a half at home during week days. Since I need to sleep at least 6,5-7 hours or else I will sleep on the job or class I have about 2 hours "free" each day, discounting a shower, meals and college stuff I´m lucky if I have half an hour a day for myself during the week. So yeah gaming definitely is not a priority.
Getting a DS has managed to make me able to squeeze some gaming in there during the week, but not really that much. Most of my gaming has to be made on weekends and only a couple of hours a day at most. This makes me a lot more selective on what I play, and well on the good side games last a lot longer. If back in the days I would finish a game like Command & Conquer 3 in a couple of days now if I can keep up playing one act of GDI saturday and one of NOD sunday it will take more than a month...
I did recently find something that makes the grind in Titan Quest a bit less of a chore, simply for the sheer over the top nature of it.
Somebody put together a mod that increases the monsters in every region of the campaign to their max cap. Everywhere from three times the total to ten times the total in each group. Makes leveling easier, and fights basically become these epic rolling brawls from one end of the act to the other -- there is no place to pause and rest. Combine that with another mod that makes it easier to send monsters flying from a hit, and it actually became somewhat fun again.
I've used this mob too and though I'm not using it at the moment with my Warfare/Nature wolf focused character (extra damage from Battle Standard x 3 wolves = ownage), I plan to use it with the next character I build. I've only used it on x2 mode; I can only imagine what x10 mode is like.
It's a blast, actually. If my Defense/Dream character's not zapping 50+ satyrs with a single shot of Distort Reality+Temporal Rift, she's not doing it right. I tend to have to go through areas (like everything from Parnassus to Athens) in a mad scramble to kill everything and drink health potions. The only points where my character's not wildly stabbing things with her spear are protected cities. Some areas are even too small to fit all the monsters in.
IRT Death_Claw - my work day tends to start at 6am and goes until 5pm, Monday through Friday.
Posts
I'm in a BF2/Firearms/DOD :S clan that sports quite the age range though. From 17 to a couple of guys who are late 50's with the mid range trending towards late 20's early 30's. Good group.
Steam - Talon Valdez :Blizz - Talonious#1860 : Xbox Live & LoL - Talonious Monk @TaloniousMonk Hail Satan
Anyways...
I'm 24, single and unemployed. I have lots of time and more than enough money. But even I don't finish very many games any more. I feel like I've become more used to everything. A game has to grab me and grab me hard or I'll lose interest after a few hours.
Because I've "seen it all before", a game had better have a damn interesting setting or interesting characters or I'm out.
So I guess my reasons for playing less are a bit different. But still, it oddly means that I too am kind of looking forward to the Wii (if I can find the bloody thing) and why I rather enjoy my DS. After all, I'm reasonably sure the Wii will be able to give me stuff I haven't seen before (while the DS already has).
I'm with you about MMO's and timers, as far as something like the hearth stone goes I think they should limit it to a certain amount of uses per day to minimize its exploitation potential.
Also, I've noticed alot of people saying the PSP isn't designed for 10-15 minutes but I've been playing through GTA:LCS and I've noticed 2 things. The missions aren't all that long 5 minutes average with a few that run up to 10 minutes, and you can pause the game mid mission, hit the power switch and it will hibernate, allowing you to turn it back on at a later time and start right where you were without ending the mission or anything.
I guess it's just that I've owned both the DS and PSP and for whatever reason I prefer the PSP just due to the fact that I'm 1. A graphics whore and 2. I like longer games.
Steam, PSN, XBL, Xfire and everything else JamesDM
Also, pause anytime. I love you God Hand, but let me pause even if I am in the middle of punching someone!
It was pretty intense last year when I was on the WoW, but I quit that and have never been happier.
I tried playing Final Fantasy 12, but got sick of it after around 10hrs.
It seems I can no longer get into playing alone unless I'm really baked out, and even then I find myself turning to other things that seem more fun now (Guitar, going out w/ friends).
Also, not having a timer on your hearthstone would make PvP pretty friggin lame.
Dear satan I wish for this or maybe some of this....oh and I'm a medium or a large.
A few years ago, I used to play 4/6 hours per week, now I play, maybe 1 week per month. And, 10, almost 20 hours in a row, when I get a chance to play a bit more than usual.
While I'll have to admit that my gaming time has severely decreased since the 'care-free' (pishaw) days of my youth, I don't think the time itself has grown any less valuable to me. If anything, only more so. I really feel bad for people that never got into gaming, and don't know the bliss of sitting down after a stressful day, and blasting the hell out of some aliens, or what have you. I still have interest in playing 'longer' videogames, such as Zeldas, regardless of the fact that I may need to do it in sporadic 2-3 hour spurts. Though I have to admit that my interest in shorter 'pick-up and play' games has increased as well. Thank god for the DS.
I was certainly losing my interest in videogames sometime during the last generation, but with this one it's been sparked again. It's really an exciting time to be a gamer right now (IMO, the most exciting it's been since the SNES/Genesis days) so even though I don't have time to play, I make time. It's something I've done as far back as I can remember, and it's something I don't see stopping any time in the near future.
tl;dr: The addiction for me is about as strong as it ever was, regardless of the fact that I do, in fact, have much less time to play.
I really do think every game, console or handheld, should have some sort of quicksave option. I don't even care if the thing deletes the save after I load it back up. I just want the ability to take 10 minutes and play. If I could do that I'd get far more gaming in than ever. I fear that developers just won't get this and we'll never really have that option be mainstream. If that happened I fear I'll stop playing games altogether, as I'm just not interested in built-for-10 minute session games. I need the epic feel in my games.
Resident Evil 4 is doing the save thing pretty good. I can play the game for only 10 minutes to a half hour and know that I'll hit another save point, which is reassuring. I used to play solely RPGs, and that assurance was almost never there. You could spend a couple hours in the game between save-points, and I always hated that. So, even if I had a good hour-2 hour chunk of time for gaming, I couldn't really pick up my RPG, because I wouldn't know if I'd be at a savepoint at that time. Stuff like this really needs to be fixed.
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I'm in the same boat, my backlog is huge. I think it's why I still manage to find time to play often. I'm currently playing FFXII, Disgaea 2, God of War 2, SSSX Blur, Sonic, Phoenix Wright, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (again), Resident Evil 4 (perpetually), and a quite a few others that I can't recall at the moment, and I think the diversity helps feed the addiction. This is also a result of having more money and less time, but it's not a bad problem to have, if I say so myself. I rather enjoy not knowing what I'll feel like playing when I get the chance, and I find the variety makes it much more rewarding.
Ohhh yes, posting to you right now from the Inland Revenue offices!
I can agree with a load of people in this thread, I'm 25, so not old by any stretch of the imagination but I've been gaming ever since I was old enough to move a joystick (Stick!). I've seen generations come and go and I agree with the comment above that whilst I don't play anywhere NEAR as much as I used to, I spend a hell of a lot more.
I love my Wii though, the games are ideal for playing in short bursts, I love having a quick race on Excite Truck whilst waiting for my flat mate to get her make up on, I love being able to get in a good few minigames on Warioware whilst my girlfriend takes her time deciding what to wear (To be honest I could probably get through Zelda in the time she takes) and as for Zelda itself, I'm finding that a lazy Sunday afternoon kind of game. Although thank God for the save function in that, I'm constantly called away to give someone a lift somewhere, nip to the tip, look after a friend's kids.
What does terrify me is the number of you on here that are my age or younger and are married with kids! Not that it's a bad thing, I'm more terrified because I'm nowhere near doing that!
In summary, I agree with the OP. Much as I love my 360, it doesn't get anywhere near as much love as the Wii.
Heh, that said, I must admit that after recently managing to find time to play through Crackdown coop I'm enjoying multiplayer a lot more. It lets me catch up with a good friend I don't see as often as I'd like. We can chat, catch up and at the same time throw cars at each other. I actually waited for my GF to go to sleep the other night, snuck downstairs and played online for a good hour with my friend
::Edit:: Incidentally, the most fun gaming experience I had on my own recently was buying the new special edition "Another World" with spangly hi-res backgrounds and the extra levels added in that I missed out on on the A500. The game lasted what must have been an hour but I loved every single damn minute of it.
PSN: SirGrinchX
Oculus Rift: Sir_Grinch
No joke. I'll have to admit a twinge of jealousy, but I can't even think of this at the moment. Most likely because history shows that I only seem to be attracted to mentally unstable women.
EDIT: I think soon someone should open up a retirement home for gamers. Think, by then it'll be socially acceptable to sit around in diapers all day, playing games. We've earned it, dammit. This does not, however, supercede my group of friends' plans to kick-start 'Octogenarian Pit Fighting', because if and when I hit 80, I want to hit something with a mace.
The funny thing is I tend to play games I can turn off at a moments notice for hours at a time. The very fact I can stop anytime means I can keep on going right up until the wife decides she wants control of the TV back or the train gets to my station, or whatever. If I’m playing a game with save points and I might stop if think I’m not going to have time to reach the next save. When I look back 50% of the time I would have had time (because the wife decided she would have a bath rather than watch program X, or the train was running late etc etc etc), but I didn’t know that at the time and so played it safe to avoid having to play through the same section again.
He became fucking monster at Tetris. He would regularly get scores in the millions, having never played any other video game in his life. I don't know if his woodworking skills gave him some kind of spatial magical powers but he would sit there gleefully stacking blocks that fall at incredible speeds, far beyond my ability as a pretty hardcore gamer.
I think it's not so much the lack of reflexes in older people (old enough that fine motor skills start to dull a bit) that make them prefer certain games, it's the specific appeal of a certain type of game. Of course, my dad has nerve damage from using jackhammers and such, so he wouldn't be a ridiculous Tetris-er now, most likely, so there is always a physical component.
As an owner of both I perfer the DS. I just think it has better games and more of them. The PSP does have plenty of games that you can pick up and put down (Lumines, Pirates!, GTA on psp seems to be centered around the 5min mission, etc.. heck most of the games on the psp can be picked up and put down without a big time investment) so I'm not sure where some are getting that the psp is just a portable ps2.
Reading this thread helped me come to the realization that, like many of you, I hate the following:
1. Not being able to save whenever I want to
2. Having to repeat the same parts over and over
Before reading through this thread I was starting to think that I didn't like videogames anymore. Also, the idea of limiting the amount of consoles I own is a fantastic idea. The truth is I won't go back and play the old games I own and never finished. There's usually a reason why I never finished that. And I wont ever have time to or want to play through all the games available for the multitude of consoles that I own (360, PS2, Gamecube, PSP, DS, PC, etc
I really think that I should sell off a few of my consoles. It will probably help me appreciate and enjoy the ones I do own. And I'll also feel less overwhelmed by options when I do decide to buy a game or play one.
You make me think of all the (4,5 of them) games I've bought in the past few months and did not even install on my computer...
That's just RPGs, though.
Stategy games are a little different. It's been a while since I've played a TBS or RTS in which I fought an epic war. That's really what I play for -- the "story" that grows from the particular variables in that game session. I just have to go through a hell of a lot of sessions to reach that one game with the epic war. RTS's are smaller in scope, and again have the same repetative nature RPGs have. There's a start up time to it. I've found more often than not, I enjoy watching other peoples' replays than playing an RTS myself.
FPS games -- well -- I beat an FPS once, and it ceases to be enjoyable. I know the levels and where the enemies are: there's no need to play it again for many, many months.
It's that repetative nature -- the padding -- I do the same shit over and over and over again at work, I want to come home and be entertained. For there to be entertainment, there needs to be progress. I buy a short game, though, and I don't think I'm getting my money's worth from it. I beat a game, it usually gets shelved permanently unless it does the random level thing.
The reason I stopped playing PC games. Or at least, gave up on trying to keep a gaming-capable computer around. I hardly have the time to play the console games I want to.
Compared to the amount of time I spend doing other things (comics, films, friends, sailing, girl/menfolk) gaming is becoming a distant sideline. I don't remember the last time I bought a game. Maybe Crackdown? And that was months ago.
Maybe you are growing out of gaming, but I wouldn't worry about it. You're just making time for other things that are more interesting. Lately I have taken up auto crossing (!!), playing piano, reading (books and making time for a newspaper everyday), watching movies, spending time with a great girlfriend and generally making for time for socializing.
Hell, I don't even spend a lot of time surfing TV channels. I turn the TV on when there's a show I want to watch and turn it off afterward, or I just wait for the DVDs on netflix.
Maybe I'm starting to realize that I need to make the most of my time. Plus working 40+ hours a week makes you appreciate your free time.
Yeah, that's my problem too - excessive padding. Now from some games this doesn't bug me. Titan Quest, for example, is mostly just the same thing over and over (see mob, fight mob, collect treasure, equip anything that is better than what you have, repeat), but I enjoy it nevertheless. Arcade style games that are just the same thing over and over with the difficultly level steadily going up also entertain me. However, though JRPGs have long been my favorite genre, I find myself liking them less and less these days since there's so much repetition. For example, I was really excited for Devil Summoner 3, and yet I haven't played more than the first 2-3 chapters despite owning the game for around 4 months now.
Give me more games like Half-life 2: Episode 1 - short, but oh so sweet.
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Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
I also find myself playing less and less games. I spend too much time reading on them. I should probably do something about that.
Somebody put together a mod that increases the monsters in every region of the campaign to their max cap. Everywhere from three times the total to ten times the total in each group. Makes leveling easier, and fights basically become these epic rolling brawls from one end of the act to the other -- there is no place to pause and rest. Combine that with another mod that makes it easier to send monsters flying from a hit, and it actually became somewhat fun again.
EDIT: I did something similar with the original Dungeon Siege. As some of you know, the game can pretty much play itself with all the automation on (autocombat monsters previously hit). A mod had been released that added Yoda as a playable character, gave him some really decent combat animations, and a light saber. Some dungeons, I only had to hit one monster once, and the little dude would go through his attack animation, killing the monster and swinging just in time to hit the next one running up, causing the attack sequence to start again -- making his way from the dungeon entrance to the dungeon exit without me having to do a damn thing but watch. Kind of funny.
My backlog is immense. There are so many games I want to get [C&C3 makes me hot when I think about it] . There are only two games on my plate, that can be on my plate. WoW [say what you will, but with so many of my RL friends around the world, the accessibilty of the expansion, and the Warcraft lore I cannot give up WoW so easily] and Guitar Hero 2 on the 360. I must have the #1 score in the world.
Even as a college bachelor I don't have time....I hope that when I get older I can still find time for hobbies.
Gotta agree with the "save everywhere" and "fuck repitition" sentiments.
Yeah...after my next 3 hour class and a 6 page paper I might squeeze in a couple guitar hero songs before sleep....that sounds nice.......
I've used this mob too and though I'm not using it at the moment with my Warfare/Nature wolf focused character (extra damage from Battle Standard x 3 wolves = ownage), I plan to use it with the next character I build. I've only used it on x2 mode; I can only imagine what x10 mode is like.
Zeboyd Games Development Blog
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
I mean let me like compare say Metal Gear 2 to FFX. I mean if I stop playing the game for 2 weeks or so(which I do a lot of time) I can get right back into the RPG, probably take me a few minutes to remember what my current quest was but it's nothing too complicated. But if I'm playing an action game like DMC or MGS of the sort then I have to get back into the "zone" before I can play it again. Not to mention I still have to remember where I left off.
The same thing with fighting games. I mean a few months ago my brothers and I were Soul Calibur masters, knew the ends and outs and everything. The disc breaks and we don't get a new copy until now and I find that I'm rusty as crap. Same thing with games like Tony Hawk too.
So, I think that while it may be true that RPGs can take a lot longer...I find that it's a bit easier to return to them after not playing them after a while then with other games(except the ones that are pick up and play to begin with).
Getting a DS has managed to make me able to squeeze some gaming in there during the week, but not really that much. Most of my gaming has to be made on weekends and only a couple of hours a day at most. This makes me a lot more selective on what I play, and well on the good side games last a lot longer. If back in the days I would finish a game like Command & Conquer 3 in a couple of days now if I can keep up playing one act of GDI saturday and one of NOD sunday it will take more than a month...
It's a blast, actually. If my Defense/Dream character's not zapping 50+ satyrs with a single shot of Distort Reality+Temporal Rift, she's not doing it right. I tend to have to go through areas (like everything from Parnassus to Athens) in a mad scramble to kill everything and drink health potions. The only points where my character's not wildly stabbing things with her spear are protected cities. Some areas are even too small to fit all the monsters in.
IRT Death_Claw - my work day tends to start at 6am and goes until 5pm, Monday through Friday.