How Do You Find Time to Play Games?

by Chris Williams , COMMUNITY WRITER

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Tags: Fallout 3, BioShock, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Assassin's Creed 2, Dragon Age: Origins, time management, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Editor's note: Chris seeks advice balancing his marriage and his love of video games, but his time management problem is relevant to pretty much all of us. We're all balancing school, work, family, and a million other things with our beloved -- and time consuming -- hobby. What are your strategies for finding time to game? -Brett

Finally convincing my wife to let me plunk down a few hundred bucks of our monthly income on a PS3 has turned out to be both a blessing and a curse.

At long last, I'm in a position financially to indulge in this expensive hobby -- and the games are better than they've ever been.

But the sad irony is Iâ€™m going to miss out on many of the games that I want to play. There are simply too many old games to catch up on, too many new ones I need to buy, and not enough time in the day for a thirtysomething gamer with a full-time job, a wife, a house, a dog, and all of the other time-sucks that come with domestic bliss. God help me when we decide to have kids.

Don't get me wrong: I'm not complaining. I recognize that my "problem" is hardly a matter of life and death. I'm a lucky man with a great life. I'd just like to balance that life with my favorite hobby. I want to be able to experience a game like Uncharted 2 -- a game that's doing things I only dreamed about as a kid playing Pitfall on the Atari 2600.

Yet when I look at a tantalizingly rich RPG like Dragon Age: Origins, I just get bummed out because I know I won't have time for it. I want to go back and play Fallout 3 and BioShock, but let's be honest: It's never going to happen. Not with must-have titles like Assassin's Creed 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 coming out this fall.

Worse, I find myself rushing through games in order to make room for the Next Big Thing. I flew through Uncharted 2 on easy just to get through it in time for the November releases. It felt like wolfing down a plate of filet mignon while chugging a $100 bottle of fine wine.

I hear game reviewers complain about this problem, too, especially at this time of year. But at least you guys can tell your wives, "Honey, it's my job."

I would love to hear any suggestions from other members of my generation who have this problem. How do you prioritize (without ending up divorced, that is)?

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a kitchen faucet to replace. Seriously.

(21)

Comments (21)

Rachel Jagielski

October 30, 2009

I have no advice to offer seeing as I'm a 21 year-old student, but your article rang true anyway. You see in high school I thought "Once I get to college it will be perfect! I'll have all the time in the world to play games!" Then I entered college and realized I have more time but no money. So now I think "Ok next year I graduate then I'll have a job! So I'll have less time but then be able to afford games!" I know deep down I'll never find the perfect balance, but hey a girl can dream!

Brian Shirk

October 30, 2009

I feel ya man. It's not easy to get to all those games even if you have the money. So as I see it, you basically have two choices: Buy a few great new titles every so often, or buy several cheap old, but excellent titles.

With the first approach, you're more likely to have time for those games, but with the second, you'll have dozens of games to keep you busy -- you just may never get around to playing all of them.

Daniel Feit

October 30, 2009

As a married man with a four month old, I can tell you that I play games when my family is asleep or out of the house. Any other time is just impractical.

For the record, I played BioShock this year despite this handicap and it was brilliant. Massive RPGs might be impossible though, sorry.

Matthew Calamia

October 30, 2009

Although I'm not in my 30s (I'm 21), I have a lot of the same problems you have. I have to juggle a job, an internship at a newspaper I got to twice a week, and college, which I go for five. I also have a girlfriend who isn't a huge gaming fan. It's hard to find time to play games like other people do.

I try and just find an hour-ish a day to get my gaming in. You should try and take one game at a time. It's not bad going back to older classic games that were released years ago, like Fall Out and BioShock, especially at their reduced prices.

Just try and allow yourself an hour a day. By doing so, you can get through many games within 1-2 weeks.

Chris Williams

October 30, 2009

Thanks all for the feedback. Glad to hear I'm not alone on this one. It's a good problem to have. I imagine I'll wait for some drought of new releases to hit up something like Dragon Age. Maybe by the time I finish Assassin's Creed 2? OK, gotta go! Wife's occupied with Facebook for the time being and I'm off to squeeze in a few rounds of Uncharted 2 multiplayer before the trick-or-treaters start showing up! Cheers. 8)

Keith Schloemer

October 31, 2009

Chris I know exactly how you feel. I'm a 30something gamer with a great wife, an active family life, and a 20something year old house in need of regular TLC, not to mention everything else (employment) that is required to maintain all of the above.

Just like others have said, the best time is when everyone is asleep. My wife loves what I call her "crime shows", and most nights she will retire to watch these Tivo'd shows in the bedroom while I do my gaming.

My advice? Don't rush through, unless you find joy in finishing games quickly. If you are like me, then you'd rather savor a fine filet and play through a game with the difficulty cranked up. Leave the incredible time suck that is Fallout for after Christmas. It will still be there, you'll still enjoy it thoroughly, and trust me, there WILL be time to play it after the holiday titles are played through at your leisure. As a lucky strike bonus, you will be able to buy it for a song.

Congrats on your purchase and remember to ENJOY... because you are right -- this generation of gaming is an articulation of our wildest Atari 2600 dreams...!

Toby Davis

October 31, 2009

Good luck on this as I try to time management my game time as well.

johnmarzan

November 01, 2009

i was late in buying a PS2 (last december, yes NOT ps3). so how do i get to play all the previous great games i missed during it's prime?

set it on easy, and play all the hack and slash games first. finish all the games that are short and easy. don't feel guilty about the easy mode setting. it's the only way for a 30 something guy to catch up.

Brett Bates

November 01, 2009

My advice for you, Chris: Pick one game at a time and enjoy the hell out of it. Don't worry about the other games you're "missing." There will always be great games you miss -- even those of us on the press side don't have the time or resources to play them all.

But if you're having a great time with the one game you're playing...that's what matters.

Good luck!

Frank Anderson

November 02, 2009

My trick is having headphones and the system in my bedroom. I play after my wife goes to bed. It gives her me in the bed with her, but still allows me to play the games I want. I do sacrifice some sleep to play, and any game with required Six-axis play or Wii games get the boot, but I get to mainly play a lot of games, and we don't end up fighting about it... much.

Not Here

November 02, 2009

I'm not 30 or married, but I do have to find time around work and college. I'm also a big reader, so that is a definite time-stealer as well. I've found that giving up TV, except for Lost, gives me added time to play games. I also carry my DS and paperbacks with me to school and on the bus. That way I can read or game for small amounts of time on the go.

I'm also a nightowl, which means I can play until 12 or 1 o'clock and get to school on time the next day!
;)

Anders Russell

November 02, 2009

I'm 27, work full time with a thankfully fairly short commute, married and have a 9 month pregnant wife. Gaming is also not my only hobby (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Pen and Paper/Tabletop games are also in there). My gaming time is usually in short bursts whenever I can get it and it's about to get much worse. It's one of the reasons I have zero tolerance for games that don't allow me to save at any time or at least those that don't have a very forgiving checkpoint system. I'm currently playing Torchlight as I appreciate that the dungeons and quests are generally achievable in half an hour which is usually the longest continuous block I can get on a daily basis.

Brett Bates

November 02, 2009

@Frank: I've found myself giving up TV too. Now I pretty much exclusively watch 30 min comedies.

Chris Cosmo Ross

November 02, 2009

I think Brett pretty much nailed it: Just enjoy one game at a time, and don't worry about the new releases. Plus, by the time you are ready for a new game, more than likely it'll be much cheaper.

Nick Nordstrom

November 02, 2009

I've found that not having a lot of time to dedicate to gaming has been advantageous in one respect: a lighter wallet. I'm a college student with a part-time job, so I don't have time to play many new releases. Because I don't have any time, there is a huge backlog of games that I want to play. The good thing about this? The games I want to play are now reduced in price. There are quite a few games that I want, and they are about forty bucks now.

I know that doesn't answer your question, but I'm looking for the positives. Like someone else said, pick your most anticipated game and run it ragged. By the time you're done with it, the other titles you want will probably be selling for a reduced price.

David Humphreys

November 02, 2009

I agree with the 'savor one game a time' idea, and I like the 'wait, and play great games when they're cheaper' strategy so much I started a site around the idea:

http://www.twoguysandarobot.com/

I was wrestling with this same problem for a long time -- I had a Gamefly habit that was silly -- but then I settled down, and started playing one game through to the end (or until I get bored with it). I've been happy with the decision.

Brett Bates

November 02, 2009

@Guest: Nifty little site you got there. I love the tag line.

Can you do us a favor and add your name to your profile here on Bitmob? That way you can get credit where credit's due. Thanks!

David Humphreys

November 02, 2009

@Brett: Thanks!

Ron Dippold

November 02, 2009

Books, games, work, social - something had to give. I ditched TV too, and really don't miss it that much, especially compared to the active fun of games. Occasionally I'll grab a torrent for something multiple sources say I should watch, but usually it's 'You should watch the new Stargate! ... It's not great yet, but give it 12 shows or so and it should be pretty good!' (sadly, that was almost verbatim).

Plus you can tell all those cable/DSL salesholes at AT&T;, Time Warner, etc that you don't want cable TV, and their heads explode. Or their bundling sales scripts break down completely, which comes out to about the same thing.

Joshua Henderson

November 02, 2009

I know you might not like this but it helps to wait on new releases. Being able to tell your wife or sig. other that you've bought the game for 1/3rd it's original price is always plus. It won't give you a chance to partake in new release conversation but it saves you money and you won't have to feel rushed playing them.

johnmarzan

November 03, 2009

concentrate on one game at a time. finish it till the end. i do tht because i don't want to get confused w/ memorizing each games controls.

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