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Do you spend more time reading about games than actually playing them?

subediisubedii Registered User regular
edited August 2007 in Games and Technology
I'm finding this a lot lately. I tend to spend a lot more time on things like forums and game websites than I actually do playing the games themselves. I often get interested in a few upcoming titles, follow them and whatever information is released, and then come release day either do or don't buy them depending on how things panned out.

But these days I tend to spend more time just discussing games (past, present and future) on forums, reading game websites, and sometimes just cruising gametrailers to see what's new. But I don't actually PLAY as much as I used to.

I think a large might partly be down to the lack of effort needed to do something like surf the net compared to actually making the effort to make progress in-game. And the nature of the games I play is that I often prefer harder games since easier games are just dull. But often I'll get stuck on a level / segment for a while and then just abandon it for a while because I can't be bothered at that point to finish it. Other times I just don't have the time to dedicate to a game at that point, and it's easier to spend a short amount of time surfing the net instead.

Really I'm not too sure why I tend to game less while still being interested in the gaming scene as a whole. Maybe I'm more interested in the idea of gaming than actually gaming?

Is anyone else finding themselves in a similar situation?

subedii on
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Posts

  • Death of RatsDeath of Rats Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Yes. But I think I might be going through it because when I'm playing a game I feel like I should be looking for a job.

    Death of Rats on
    No I don't.
  • KamiKami Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    We have this topic every few months, but it's still very legit.

    I'm a very bad offender of procrastination, or not completing games once I start them. Hell, check out this corner of my desktop, all of these are games I have installed, ready to play, and I've only played LotRO, and about an hour of Baldur's Gate I, while the others haven't even been booted up yet.

    desktopohgodthegamesgg5.jpg

    I find that I'm much more interested in the background scene of gaming: the buisness itself. I can discuss futures of companies, franchise resurrections, acquisitions, breaking news, and company transactions until the cows come home, and I like to think that I'm decent at it. I'm into gaming the same way many people are into sports: They don't necessarily watch the game for the game's sake, they're constantly eyeing changes, and potential hits and misses. "Ooh, that fumble's going to cost him a shot at making All Pro this year, making his fantasy league rank go down". They really don't care that so-and-so won the game, they're focused on a different layer of the game.

    Kami on
  • Mr_GrinchMr_Grinch Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    In a word, "Yes"

    I find I don't have much time for gaming, I don't have time to sit down and sit there for an hour, whereas I can come on here and catch up with gaming news in brief stints.

    It's probably why the games I play are more like Guitar Hero and less like Oblivion

    Mr_Grinch on
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  • Death of RatsDeath of Rats Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I find it kinda funny that the gaming journalism industry is almost as big as the gaming industry itself.

    Death of Rats on
    No I don't.
  • gunwarriorgunwarrior Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    yea, but its more of an intrest, funds (about 25/75% respectevely :P) Im pretty sure about 7/10s of the games I have are unfinished, if just because i move on to other games, or back to half life mods so quickly.

    gunwarrior on
  • NorfairNorfair Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    For me it depends. I tend to go in cycles. I can barely touch games for weeks or even months, and spend most of my "gaming time" reading about the industry. Then I'll get a game that I really end up loving, and play it constantly, and then start gaming for an hour or two a day for weeks on end. Right now I'm mostly reading about the industry, because I'm saving my pennies for this fall's massive blowout. I'll probably spend most of winter and spring playing through all of that.

    Norfair on
  • Jam WarriorJam Warrior Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    A big yes but that's really mainly because it's a lot easier to get away with posting on the forums without being noticed than it is to whip out the DS when I'm at my desk at work :P

    Jam Warrior on
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  • subediisubedii Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Kami wrote: »
    We have this topic every few months, but it's still very legit.

    I'm a very bad offender of procrastination, or not completing games once I start them. Hell, check out this corner of my desktop, all of these are games I have installed, ready to play, and I've only played LotRO, and about an hour of Baldur's Gate I, while the others haven't even been booted up yet.

    desktopohgodthegamesgg5.jpg

    Judging by your background, it looks likely that Mass Effect will be suffering the same fate. ;-)

    I think I'll have to agree with the people who say they're interested in what's happening in the industry. It's not like I own a console, but I'm constantly interested in things like the Wii and and the directions it's taking the industry, and how Sony's going to overcome its substantial hurdles for this generation.

    subedii on
  • JavenJaven Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I never really read about games in terms of developer shit and E3 type stuff.

    Though if I'm playing a game competitively I will often spend hours upon hours theorycrafting and strategizing.

    Javen on
  • ACSISACSIS Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    subedii wrote: »
    I'm finding this a lot lately. I tend to spend a lot more time on things like forums and game websites than I actually do playing the games themselves. I often get interested in a few upcoming titles, follow them and whatever information is released, and then come release day either do or don't buy them depending on how things panned out.

    But these days I tend to spend more time just discussing games (past, present and future) on forums, reading game websites, and sometimes just cruising gametrailers to see what's new. But I don't actually PLAY as much as I used to.

    (...)

    Really I'm not too sure why I tend to game less while still being interested in the gaming scene as a whole. Maybe I'm more interested in the idea of gaming than actually gaming?

    Is anyone else finding themselves in a similar situation?

    Yes. This is perfectly normal and a sign of maturity, you getting kinda a gourmet over time, sharing experiences and actually listen to peoples opinions or giving advice here and there.

    This road leads sometimes to more esoteric stuff, in my case the love for old games and getting those to run under modern OS, as well as taking pleasure in game music actually, as well as showing increasing interest in remixed soundtracks, or the demo scene (where the new grapic wizardz are being recruted from) kinda expanding knowledge not only forward but also... history ^^

    Lately also makeing strange videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtP6oQ6gf4s

    And ranting about corporate politics of course...

    But its a good thing. A sure sign you are ready for a job in the industry, writing reviews (yes, i did that too)
    or working for a game company. The "scene". Not everybody has to be a programmer. There are forum admins, GMs and customer service personell to name a few.

    You have to be ready to move to a foreign country, but its usually a great adventure and a lot of fun. Btw... they are looking for GMs for Warhammer online currently i belive.

    ACSIS on
  • ArcSynArcSyn Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Yup, I don't have the money to constantly buy games, and usually I spend more time here and on other gaming news sites in small bunches of time because I don't have a long length of time to sit down and properly enjoy some of my games.

    ArcSyn on
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  • LewiePLewieP Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    You can play these things?

    shit, I've just been buying them and then organising them alphabetically...

    LewieP on
  • Alfred J. KwakAlfred J. Kwak is it because you were insulted when I insulted your hair?Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    It's not like I can afford a new game every week ...

    Alfred J. Kwak on
  • StacyPinkStacyPink Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I'm actually playing webgames (php, flash, etc.) instead of MMOs (normally my favourite games).

    I think they're atm the most innovative games.. and the cheapest ones :P

    StacyPink on
  • SNESSNES Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    StacyPink wrote: »
    I'm actually playing webgames (php, flash, etc.) instead of MMOs (normally my favourite games).

    I think they're atm the most innovative games.. and the cheapest ones :P

    What the hell are you doing cut this out.

    Also I spend more time reading about games than playing them because the games themselves get old eventually and I am a minor with extremely limited funds.

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  • HtownHtown Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I used to spend way more time reading about them, but I've been getting back into playing them lately.

    Htown on
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  • cemetery mancemetery man Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Htown wrote: »
    I used to spend way more time reading about them, but I've been getting back into playing them lately.

    me too, been setting goals to finish a game before moving on etc.

    cemetery man on
  • DarkCrawlerDarkCrawler Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    As it stands for the moment, yes. But just because the games I am waiting for aren't out.

    DarkCrawler on
  • LethardicusLethardicus Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I just dont have any time. we work 8hrs a week, i have a computer at my desk, so, why not. thinking about it makes me depressed considering how much i love games. iit makes me depressed because it sort of makes me feel like a poser, to know so much about games but not have really played as much as i know. hence, the conundrum.

    Lethardicus on
  • redfield85redfield85 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I have barely touched my PS2 or 360 this whole summer. You can catch me either reading up on the internet about games or played my DS from time to time.

    redfield85 on
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  • WitchsightWitchsight Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I think ive been playing at least an hour a night on various systems for the past... many years. Unfortunatly i work a boring job in front of a computer, so the ratio gets mangled

    Witchsight on
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  • CoJoeTheLawyerCoJoeTheLawyer Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Being I can surf the internet with impunity at work, but not play games, the answer is yes.

    If I had to break it down, I would say I play games for about 10 hours a week, but I read about games (including forums) about 12 hours a week, counting every time I visit websites, read forum posts, etc.

    CoJoeTheLawyer on

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  • SudsSuds Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Yeah but not really by choice.

    I get up around 6:30 and head for work at 7:30. I get home around 5, take the dogs for a walk, eat dinner, spend a little time watching the news and talking with my wife. Then I take the dogs for a walk again at 7:30. Do some more chores around the house until 8:30 or 9. Then I spend more time with my wife and she goes to bed around 10pm.

    At that point I can either start up a game or just chill or go to bed myself. Depending on how tired I am it's a toss up.

    I read the forums while at work. So yeah, more time spent reading about games than actually playing them.

    Suds on
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  • darksteeldarksteel Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I kinda divide my day into the news and forum stuff in the morning, and then gaming late at night. So I go home at 11:30am or 2:30pm (depending on the day) after class and read up on the industry and what's new and stuff like that. But at around 10:00pm, I go and have fun until my eyes bleed. And I've sort of been doing that for 3-4 years now. It does work out that I read more than I game, but this dichotomy that I've devised allows me to delude myself that I still play games for long stretches of hours (which I still do, but not to the degree that I had years ago).

    darksteel on
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  • GoldAgainstTheSoulGoldAgainstTheSoul Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I "play" games for a living.........and i pretty much stopped playing them in my free time.

    Which is nice, i spend that time going out and being social.

    But i read about games a good bit, or the industry as a whole.

    GoldAgainstTheSoul on
  • BigSpaceMonkeyBigSpaceMonkey Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    My gaming time has been reduced to 15-30 min. episodes due to way the crap too much responsibility. So basically I need games that let me save anywhere anytime or quick games like Bomberman.

    I can't even remember the last time I was so immersed in a game that I kept on "one more level/quest/whatevering" until I realized that it was 3-4 AM, and that I only had a couple of hours to sleep before I needed to get to work. I think it may have been KOTOR.

    And yeah, I read about games much much more than I actually play them since I can digest it in smaller chunks.

    BigSpaceMonkey on
  • brandotheninjamasterbrandotheninjamaster Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I can easily say that I spend more time reading about games. Since I got married if my wife is not yelling at me about playing games my step son is usually breaking them. So far he has destroyed a DS (I didn't think that was possible), 2 DS Games, 3 Game Cube games, and like 5 PS2 Games. And before anyone asks "Why do you let him have that stuff?" My wife lets him play with that stuff while I'm at work...

    brandotheninjamaster on
  • FoddehFoddeh Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Yes. But I think I might be going through it because when I'm playing a game I feel like I should be looking for a job.
    This is exactly what I do, I feel guilty starting any up because I feel like I should be doing something more productive. But then I will waste two hours browsing forums/sites and still get nothing done.

    I have a pile of games I need to finish (in some cases start) including ICO, Beyond Good & Evil and Resident Evil 4, yet I just spent an hour reading the Pokemon thread and I don't even own a copy.

    Foddeh on
  • mausmalonemausmalone Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    subedii wrote: »
    (snip)

    Really I'm not too sure why I tend to game less while still being interested in the gaming scene as a whole. Maybe I'm more interested in the idea of gaming than actually gaming?

    Is anyone else finding themselves in a similar situation?

    I know exactly why I have a hard time gaming. Most big games these days, you can't get through any significant progress in anything less than an hour ... and I usually don't have an hour of spare time. Meanwhile, I can check in on the forums for 5 minutes at work and post a few messages and get back to what I was doing.

    When I get home though, I'm mostly waiting for my girlfriend to come on AIM because that's pretty much the only way we get to talk during the work week. (And the TV is too far from the computer and too small to do both at once.) That's probably why I've been so good at keeping up with Animal Crossing Wild World, ... because I can play it while watching TV or while sitting in front of the computer.

    EDIT: Also, I cannot tell you how absolutely awesome I think it is that the VC games (except for N64) have save states when you exit them for a quick resume. I can spend 5 minutes playing through a level of Castlevania and then quit and get back to what I'm doing without losing my place.

    mausmalone on
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  • ratchetcatratchetcat Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I do spend more time reading about games than actually playing them.

    I am certain I did not have this problem -- at least to such a degree -- until I began lurking here regularly. The diverse interests of the participants of this forum are terribly alluring to a curious and idle mind. The balance of things is such that I must now devote at least one day of the weekend exclusively to gaming or I would never actually play a game at all.

    ratchetcat on
  • durandal4532durandal4532 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    When I was younger, even though I had a Mac, I would read PC Gamer. Something about the thinking that goes into games is almost more interesting to me than the end result.

    durandal4532 on
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  • noobertnoobert Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I once was a pretty hard core computer gamer, Played hour upon hour of CS 1.6, WoW, Diablo 2, DotA etc, but that was when i was in highschool/collage. These days, now that i have 4 free hours a day MAX i find that i spend all day screwing around on the internet at work, reading about awesome games i want to play. The problem comes when i've gotten the game and sit down to play it i last about 20 - 30 mins then get bored/tired and wither watch TV or a DVD etc

    What makes this even worse is recently dropping a good $1800 into a system for gaming. I'm starting to think i may need to find a new hobby. I think i'm done with computer gaming :(

    noobert on
  • SaniusSanius Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I used too, but now it's more equal. After school or work or whatever, I usually do something besides videogames, but at the end of the day I spend maybe 2-3 hours playing, and if not, i'm reading about videogames or talking about them.

    Sanius on
  • LittleBootsLittleBoots Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I can easily say that I spend more time reading about games. Since I got married if my wife is not yelling at me about playing games my step son is usually breaking them. So far he has destroyed a DS (I didn't think that was possible), 2 DS Games, 3 Game Cube games, and like 5 PS2 Games. And before anyone asks "Why do you let him have that stuff?" My wife lets him play with that stuff while I'm at work...

    Hit him. Hit him hard and hit him often.

    LittleBoots on

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  • cemetery mancemetery man Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I can easily say that I spend more time reading about games. Since I got married if my wife is not yelling at me about playing games my step son is usually breaking them. So far he has destroyed a DS (I didn't think that was possible), 2 DS Games, 3 Game Cube games, and like 5 PS2 Games. And before anyone asks "Why do you let him have that stuff?" My wife lets him play with that stuff while I'm at work...

    get out now.. doesn't sound so great.

    cemetery man on
  • KhavallKhavall British ColumbiaRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I tend to spend a lot of time reading about games, but that's time that's normally less when I'm having free time. Like, when I'm at work I'll try to keep current, and sometimes I'll check things out, but I don't go home, crack open a cold one, and read about how Sony shot itself in the foot. If I have like, actual free time, I do tend to spend it gaming.

    Khavall on
  • mugginnsmugginns Jawsome Fresh CoastRegistered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I don't read a whole lot of gaming news. I have (Free) sub to games for windows and the gamestop mags, but I usually just pick it up if I hear there is some awesome exclusive new stuff in it (like when they 'broke' the APF2k8 stuff).

    I like to download game trailers on Live, cos they are teh hueg and pretty. Mostly I don't really give a shit about gaming industry news, could only name a few names in the industry, and don't follow sales figures. Doesn't really interest me.

    When it gets to be about June, though, I go crazy for football game news.

    mugginns on
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  • jothkijothki Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    ratchetcat wrote: »
    I do spend more time reading about games than actually playing them.

    I am certain I did not have this problem -- at least to such a degree -- until I began lurking here regularly. The diverse interests of the participants of this forum are terribly alluring to a curious and idle mind. The balance of things is such that I must now devote at least one day of the weekend exclusively to gaming or I would never actually play a game at all.

    I'm getting the same thing as well. Even if I have a couple of hours free, I have to pry myself off of forums to actually play.

    A fairly big advantage of all the Game On threads that we have is that they more fully integrate playing games into the community. You can get off the forums and go actually play a game, while still having it be a forum-based activity.

    jothki on
  • bruinbruin Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I spend at least a couple hours per day (often more) on the net reading forums, gaming news sites, blogs, etc. It's become part of my daily life and I really enjoy it. I also enjoy actually playing games more because of it.

    Do I spend more time doing that than actually playing games? Sometimes. We've been in the Summer drought recently and I haven't bought a new game in weeks, so lately, yeah. But when there's a decent amount of new released, I definitely spend more time playing games. Starting in late August I definitely will be.

    bruin on
  • AkatsukiAkatsuki Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Lately, yes. It's not that I stopped liking games, but I can't play for a very long time. Not only do I get a little dizzy and nauseous, I just feel like quitting. That's why I love quick pick up and play games.

    Akatsuki on
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