gaming not being the most important thing in your life ISNT a bad thing tbh.
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Maybe that means that you don't like games like you used to? If you have some free time and you spend it on other things, that means that games aren't something you crave for. Don't force them as your priority, instead of it just ask yourself - do you really want to play some games, or is it only nostalgia for older times? You know, something like having nice memories of playing with toy cars but that doesn't mean you wan't to play with them again - in most cases it actually means that you miss times when you were younger and everything was easier.
If you really want to play games, just buy Vita, 3DS or some laptop and play on your way to work, or during breaks in work.
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I do have a laptop, a tablet, and even a soft modded PSP with a boatload of ROMs. The problem is that while I'm fortunate to be able to game a little bit at work I can't really get into gaming there and I find myself really tired a lot when I'm off work so rather than game I veg out. I've always been into RPGs and other very time consuming games and definitely do miss them, especially the time spent playing multiplayer stuff with friends. It's just that those are the kinds of games that are the hardest to work into my schedule.
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Honestyl, and I'm speeking from my own experience, that, like I said, maybe you miss having fun but not actually playing games. If you would really like to do something you would find time for that.
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I really do get what you're saying and even allowed for the possibility in my OP that I'm just not making enough time for gaming, but it's not nostalgia that I miss. It really isn't. I do consider myself a gamer, not in the past tense but in the present tense. I do manage some gaming, primarily on the smaller platforms, but for me nothing beats sitting in front of a console or my PC and really digging into a game. Playing on mobile devices is more like enjoyable but not really satisfying filler by comparison.
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Hmmm... Well, is it possible to work less? I was thinking about it and maybe you just have to much work on your hands. Gaming is one thing but if you really don't have time for anything (or have only a little amount of time) maybe you should try to change that. It's not healthy. And please, keep in mind that I don't want to sound like someone who know nothing about you and want be smart, it's just like thinking out loud.
As for gaming itself, it's still substitute but PS4 games can be played remotly on vota or on some smartphones while using DS4. It's not hte same as chilling and playing in front of TV but still gives you opportunity to play, for example, Witcher 3.
I don't know about X1 or PC.
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After reading the feedback of others and even some of my own responses it's made me realize I'm just over working myself. That's really surprising since I'm a slacker to be honest. I just need to find a way to cut back on work. No point in making extra money if I'm not doing anything with my life but working, right? And thanks for the feedback.
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If you're too tired to be functional then that overtime isn't doing you any good and could potentially be a health issue.
Do a few less hours, feel better, game more. Sure you might not be earning quite as much but you'll still be getting your wage, the overtime is just extra.
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Tap into your inner child! You need dem gaems D:
But seriously, sometimes it's about game selection, really. Example: while I do not have time for Civ V anymore,I do have time for a game of FTL.
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Nowadays I play mostly light indie games, that don't consume so much time. But I really miss my 7-8 hour gaming sessions on games like Dragon age.
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I cash in my vacation time every year, and I have moderate insomnia as is so less sleep would pretty much be none. :/
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Best thing about games is that they will always be there waiting for you.
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Start your own business, make your own hours....problem solved.
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That's actually the plan, though my chosen profession is incredibly difficult to get into.
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In business, keeping an open mind is paramount, now more than ever before.
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Starting up your own business is the first thing that came to my mind to recommend, then i've seen Coop beat me to it.
You don't have to start a business related to your profession. There are many types of business that you could set up.
Also now I'm curious what's your profession?
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Did you need some special investigation? (͡ ͡° ͜ つ ͡͡°)
We're supposed to say "professional investigator" now but calling myself a professional dick isn't quite as much fun as calling myself a private dick.
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Oh yeah, you will need a Ferrari first
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Currently I play a fair amount of mobile games because they're designed to be shorter or require less attention, not to mention I'm guaranteed to have my phone or tablet on hand 24/7, but the mobile market is sorely lacking in the kinds of games I'm interested in. Thanks for the link though. I do have a few of those. Dear Esther may be a short game strictly speaking but given the extra meaning behind it all I think it might not work very well.
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Ironically, I don't have a single game installed on my phone and tablet. To me gaming requires larger screens and proper control, but I know I'm in the minority on this. I also prefer games not to be accessible everywhere so they don't consume all of my time.
Dear Esther is short and interesting. I think it's the kind of game that's ideal if you can't commit a large amount of time for gaming. Easy to finish in one sitting.
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Finish, yes. Fully analyze and understand, that would take a good deal longer for me. I've actually watched a playthrough, of which I tried to forget most all of the discussion & managed a fair job of, and it showed me there was a generous amount that needed to be examined and even discussed.
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It's a walking simulator, 0 gameplay, you can't beat a game that doesn't fight back.
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You don't beat it. You finish it, and enjoy the experience. Or you don't, but I did.
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You can hardly call something without gameplay a game. It's kinda mandatory, otherwise you're just watching a show while pushing forward.
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I don't really care what you call it. All I care is whether it was a good experience worth my money, and it was. Apparently you didn't buy it, so I don't know what your opinion is based on. If you think youtube playthroughs are a good way to experience a game, then I suggest you stop buying games. Playthroughs are free.
But nevertheless, if not a "game", how should Steam (which also sells movies and software) should refer to Dear Esther?
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I "played" a DRM-free version, somebody from Gamespot I think said in a stream or something that it was free somewhere and really short so I grabbed it out of curiosity. It's basically a short visual novel, not much else would describe it. A game by definition is something you play, and you don't play it, you just push forward, like having to hold the play button on a broken walkman.
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Overtime does that to you. My previous job had only 8 hour shifts by default and I had some moderate time to play even my consoles. Now I work 12 hours for 5 days in night shift, or 8-10 for 6 days in a dayshift by choice, so it ain't pretty. I almost missed the Mogwai 20th anniversary gig because of this job, that's how bad it is. The freaking 20th anniversary gig, goddammit.
I'd suggest you try and work for only 8 hours and 5 days, and if needed, search for a new job to do so. That's what I'll be doing anyway, when my holidays are spent already,. but that's 2 months from now.
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I'd suggest you try and work for only 8 hours and 5 days, and if needed, search for a new job to do so
Much easier said than done, but this is probably the best solution ultimately.
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I don't. I just buy games to try to fill the emptiness of my soul.
Just kidding! Kind of...
As we get older, it gets harder for us to enjoy our hobbies. That is normal. And when I have some time to spare, I'm too tired or lazy to go and play games, watch something, read or anything else I like. It is a paradox.
But I still hope that one day I'll get up and play all those games on my PC, my Wii U, my PS3, my Xbox 360, my 3DS, my Vita, my DS... =/
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It's not a matter of getting older really. I'm in my 30s and the only thing that's changed is that I started volunteering for overtime.
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I don't know. Getting old means more things to take care of. Now I spend 14 hours of my day only with work. Need to get home, clean stuff, make something to eat, take care of my pets... So there is no time left for anything.
On weekends I usually have free time, but I'm way to tired to do anything. I want to play games and do all that stuff, but my body and mind just want to chill. I don't know about you, but I often need to force myself to play. Sometimes it works and I have lots of fun, but sometimes it is boring. It is like trying to eat, but you're not hungry.
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just play when you can, don't over do it, enjoy those moments and think about people who can't even play a game at all =)
and don't forget to rest too :D
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- Pick games that can be played in short bursts.
- Say no to overtime every once in a while and let some-one else fill the gap. (Too much overtime also results in a burnout often enough, which is something you really want to avoid anyway)
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Short bursts is another good idea. I still play Unreal Tournament 99 (singleplayer) occasionally in very short bursts. Either the last level (Xan boss fight) aiming for a perfect 15:0 kill ratio, or Peak level aiming to finish the level in less than 8 minutes. Sometimes Stalwart, aiming to finish the level in less than 50 seconds. It's funny how 16 years after this game was released I still enjoy playing it, even if using an odd format.
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+1 UT99 GOTY is the best FPS ever made
HEADSHOT
RRRRRRRRRRAMPAGE!!!!
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Are you full time or part-time?
I was able to dedicate (and limit myself to) about an hour after work each day when I was part time... when they moved me to full time though, yeah... gaming sessions in any amount of time were rare.
[edit] Just saw your overtime comment -- afraid gaming is just weekends and holidays for you now! :) :( [/edit]
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Full time. Recently I did as much as 78 hours in one week. That's a rare exception though. More common is between 50 & 60 hours. Due to the nature of my job it's not really feasible to break up the overtime piecemeal. It always requires a continuous shift ranging from 6-14 hours.
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i mostly play turnbased games. so i can just play for an hour or so everytime... it's not the same as playing 4-5hours like i used to but life got in theway. and life is better ;)
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That's a good idea. Stuff like Final Fantasy Tactics would work out nicely.
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so tired (long day, almost done) that i read Fallout tactics
and immediately thought that fallout 2 is better... than i reread :)
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I've got a completely zany schedule - day job, plus theater, plus a busy schedule out in real life as a photographer and culture-type - and I really miss gaming the way I used to do it. Long nights searching or perfecting or battling through to victory. My life just doesn't support it.
Casual games are diverting, but they aren't the same; I've picked up a hidden-object habit because they are short games with (if you choose them right) high production values and fun little adventures. Some roguelikes or scenario games - FTL was a great entertainment for a while, and Defense Grid is a great one. I really miss the great sprawling exciting RPGs, but my life just doesn't support them now. I buy them, and I think about them, I just don't play them.
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I'd just start by giving yourself whatever time you can now and then. I know it can be difficult, as I'm also a workaholic. But if you can manage to do whatever you need to to make time for yourself, turning down overtime, not expecting so much output of yourself, etc. then the worst that happens is you get some time to experiment with what kind of balance you should have.
Work is great and obviously good to have as a priority, but I've also gone down the route where it becomes all you do and that can be very bad for you, mentally. It's important to strike a balance and make sure life doesn't pass you by and you actually have some downtime and enjoyment :) I'd suggest trying to take it easy, tone down the overtime, and take a break. If you find you hate the time away from work, you can always go back :) Just remember - you're not gonna have time for everything, it just isn't possible. So to have a balanced life you gotta work out what to sacrifice and just go from there :)
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36 hours in the past 2 weeks according to your Steam profile. Was that idling? If not you're finding a way to spend an average of 2+ hours a day gaming.
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If dropping your gaming time when you're busy works for you then that's fine for you, but the more I read the responses in this thread the more I realize I've let work really take over my life and that is something I have to address.
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It's definitely taking all of my energy. However if I was unhappy or unsatisfied with the job itself I wouldn't pour so much time into it regardless of the pay. Unless I find something that's much better I don't see quitting as the answer. It is probably more along the lines of finding the right balance between work & play.
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Like Outlasted sais, get up early.
Once I was gaming the whole night and in the morning hours I played with/against a very good player. He was too fit in the game for that early hour. Then he told me he gets up an hour early in order to play games, since his work/family take most of his daytime.
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That's a decent idea but won't really help in my situation. Work takes up so much time and can take up even more time randomly due to overtime that if I get up early I'm just making myself extra tired in the long run.
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Ask yourself if those extra bucks from working overtime are really worth not having enough free time to do your own thing.
If the answer is no: put yourself on a regular 9 hour workday limit like everyone else. Get on a work-diet.
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Well I'd say do whatever makes you happy, don't let your job take over your life, even if you enjoy it (which you might not) there are things that make you who you are and you can't let go of them.
Oh and don't settle for crappy tiny mobile games or whatever, you can't tell a F1 driver to play with bumper cars instead.
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I am kind of in a similar situation myself... I work a fairly hectic schedule as a Systems Admin (IT) for a medical facility which puts me working on call a lot, and I recently married into step children which require a lot of time. I used to be a hardcore gamer, putting in 4-8 hours every day and raiding heavily in MMOs. I have had to force myself to step back and play much lighter games that don't require the time investment like FTL, Terraria, etc. I do still play some DOTA and other larger scale games (RPGs, anything too adult-ish) for an hour or two after the kids go to bed, but any other time I never play anything that I cant step out of immediately if needed.
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After telling myself that my near total lack of gaming is just a phase for two years I've finally stopped believing myself. For the most part the problem is just work. Being employed at a small-ish company and one of the few people who likes overtime means that I'm asked to work extra most weeks. The weeks where I have one or two days off are generally spent catching up on non-gaming things. With a schedule like this is there a super sekeret method to squeeze in more gaming time? Am I perhaps just not prioritizing gaming enough anymore?
Thanks for all of your feedback. It's made me realize I've somehow gone from slacker to workaholic. One way or another I need to find a balance between those two.
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