Gaming as an adult is tough

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Thursday, August 25, 2011
EDITOR'S NOTEfrom Eduardo Moutinho

I frequently reminisce about my days as a kid playing through every game I could get my hands on. Back then, my wealth comprised of hours and minutes, not dollars and cents. Nowadays, the passion is still there, but the time just isn't.

I spent more than 100 hours playing Borderlands. That's partly because I am obsessed with it.

I now find myself returning to the title once again. This time I'm doing so with an old friend who just discovered the unique shooter after reading about its highly anticipated sequel.

Diving back into Borderlands seemed like a fun enough idea. I'd already played through it twice, reached the level cap with my siren, and completed all the downloadable content.

I thought this would be a great opportunity to revisit Pandora while showing my buddy the ropes.

Although I'm unemployed and trying to become a professional video game journalist, that doesn't mean my also-unemployed friend is in the same boat. He has three kids which means he's super busy.

Feeding, changing, holding, coddling, playing...it's a hectic job, but it needs to be done.

Adulthood has been the biggest obstacle blocking our gaming paths.

 

And what about those people who do have jobs? Ah yes, the dreaded nine-to-five commitment needed to buy video games, pay rent, and fill the fridge. A job in itself isn't a bad thing, but not everyone works the same hours. Plus, people have other hobbies too.

I'll never find time to manage these little guys like I could in high school.

I prefer playing soccer instead of video games, and I also like to do a plethora of other things that make my free time disappear quickly.

With conflicting hobbies, busy friends, and even busier schedules, turning on a console becomes difficult. And sometimes after a hard day of work, I'm only using my Xbox 360 for Netflix.

When I was younger, I could play outside, do chores, and still pump more than 400 hours into Final Fantasy Tactics. That kind of life is nothing more than a memory now.

How has adult life affected your gaming habits? Let me know in the comments.

 
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Comments (11)
Dscn0568_-_copy
August 24, 2011

I can still find time to game, but I find myself preferring games like Street Fighter where the matches don't take too long.

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August 28, 2011

Exactly...

However, after playing street fighter and getting your ass handed to you a few times, you realize this game requires time too. Street Fighter does provide nice concise blips of gaming, the hard part is putting down the controller (or fightstick) when you lose that close match. Good-bye single match. Hellooooo timesuck.

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August 24, 2011

As an RPG fan, growing up has been rough. I find myself playing games that I can easily turn on and off for a little bit but still get some enjoyment. I haven't even dared to touch some of my handheld RPGs just piling up...

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August 24, 2011

I've lost my patience for longer games. I'm sure there's a direct correlation with getting older, assuming adult responsibilities, etc.

Bmob
August 25, 2011

I'm with you all; I might not even be working right now, but I just don't have the time or the inclination to put what I do have into a 70-hour RPG, even though just a couple of years ago I'd do so with aplomb. JRPGs have gone from my favourite and most played genre to one I don't even look at. I want to fall in love with them again, but I just don't have the time, and if I do, I don't know how long it's going to last. Better to play FIFA so I can just turn it off as and when.

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August 25, 2011

My problem with always going back to Street Fighter that I wrote about ties in directly to this problem: I just don't have the option of sinking six or seven hours in a row into a game now. When I do have those few hours to game, I'd rather play something I can pick up and not think about (like fighting games) than try to figure out if the guy I just chased down in L.A. Noire is lying to me or not.

Sigh. I miss my high school days when I played Final Fantasy 9 11 hours straight and only got up to use the bathroom and eat Captain Crunch from the box. Good times, good times.

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August 25, 2011

I remember playing Final Fantasy VI twice; I must have been in high school or University. As a father of two, it's been years since I've even considered doing that with another game. More recently, I played through Twilight Princess, enjoyed it, and felt not even a hint of temptation to find all the collectibles. I rarely buy DLC (unless it's especially exciting), and equally rarely play the DLC I've gotten for free. Expansions are different, though; I still think I'll play DA:O Awakenings one day.

30028_10150166634715182_701805181_12295430_2588182_n
August 25, 2011

I think to start off games have a bad rep. I see a lot of gamers who play a lot more than what they pretend to. Before it was a matter of pretending you didn't even touch games. Now people are more open about it, they do play, but then it's an immediate "Oh but I don't really have the time". Then I see them pop up on Xbox Live or PSN to play games a lot more than I even do. It's this "gaming shame" that I can't stand. I think people correlate "having time" with "being a loser". My girlfriend is very understanding about how much gaming means to me. So if you have a partner that undermines it (which I see all the time), you lose touch with it because you want to adapt. 

As I read your comments I recognize myself in them. I simply can't put down 70+ hours on an RPG anymore because I know other games will be coming out by the time I even get half way through. It's because I get to play in smaller sessions of about 1 hour or 2. Gone are the days I could just sit all day long and level up Cecil or Sabin into gods. So it's hard to appreciate games like Oblivion which an hour is not enough to accomplish anything. So when I game I want to get the feeling that I've done something. So it's down to shooters, action, platformers. Anything that is a quick pick up and put down. But believe you me, when Skyrim comes out, I'm taking a day off and working things around so that I can play the shit out of it.

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August 25, 2011

Things changed drastically for me when I started working at my full time job and not only did I have less time in the day to play games but could no longer stay up till the wee hours of the morning. The biggest gaming change for me is probably in fighters and RPGs. For fighters, I don't have the time to devote myself into learning the ins and outs of the systems and usually end up lagging far behind the competition out there. With RPG's I find it hard to devote myself to sinking in 40+ hours into a single one, though granted there aren't as many great JRPGs to come out here lately worth sinking that much time into.

As I get older I also find spending time with my friends becomes a greater priority since we all have such different schedules than our college days. So tabletop and multiplayer gaming has become a much bigger focus in my life since it allows all of us to hang out and game at the same time. In the end, getting older just means switching priorities and for me it seems there are so many responsibilities that come ahead of gaming.

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August 25, 2011

I teach full-time, exercise regularly, play Magic: The Gathering, am married, and have a handful of other hobbies, but I still feel like I get a lot of gaming in. I can get through a 30-hour RPG in about a week or so. I don't know that it's adulthood that affects gaming habits so much as having children.

We're expecting one in February, and that's what I'm worried about affecting my gaming habits.

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August 26, 2011

The biggest change to my gaming since being a kid has been finding a girlfriend and moving in with her. She does not mind me playing games on my PS3 or Wii, as long as it is a game that is vaguely interesting to watch, something like Portal 2 is fine, something like Tetris, less so. She is not a fan of me playing on my PC, because I play with headphones so she cannot really interact with me while I play.

Fortunately I sleep less than her and wake up very early, so I still get a few hours every day when I can play whatever I like. That is likely to change in February though as we will be having a baby then and that is sure to put a big strain on my available time.

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