Have your gaming habits changed?

[Jebus]

Mine certainly have!

Once upon a time I would come home from work, play, play some more, eat then play at least a few times a week allowing the other days to go play football...this was mainly my youth.

Nowdays I still love my games and I have these really odd periods...they range from not playing a game or even turning the console on for a month to being (as I currently am) completely addicted to all that is "gaming" and listening to gaming podcasts etc.

I can't believe how I've changed, I used to have games months early via importing (Resident Evil I fondly remember because I had bragging rights in our town, since I'd completed it and "It's not even out yet" hehe) and nowadays although I really want games, I'm happy to wait.

Saints Row is a prime example, I can't wait to get stuck in but it's in the post somewhere from play-asia. Once upon a time I wouldn't have been able to wait since it was out at the same time, but this time...well, ?22 is a ****ing bargain and I'll happily wait for that saving.

I used to be a collector too, but that has long gone as well!

Ultimately it's time/money for me. I used to be a single teenager, now I'm a father, husband, mate and employee who does 44+ hours a week.

So yeah, I'm just interested to see how people's gaming habits have changed, or not changed in some circumstances. I can't help wondering how people have enough time to play the games they are intending to buy, for example the "September" thread, some people have 8 to 10 games on their list...respect due but I'd never manage it!!

So yeah...how have your habits changed, or not changed?

[Johnny]

The only way my habits have changed from up to I was around, say 16, is that I have less time to play due to work etc but buy a lot more due to having a disposable income and no real responsibilities.

[Champloo]

Well I have less time what with work. I also spend far more of my freetime going out or simply browsing the net than I used to. Nevertheless I still spend most of my cash on games, in fact too much, I need to cut down on my spending.

[Jebus]

At home when I do get a few hours to myself (rarely) I find sometimes I'll just browse the net for an hour then realise : "****, I could have been playin 360!!"

[Concept]

Certainly have. I used to be a Spectrum/C64/Atari ST/Amiga/PC lad, then played Final Fantasy VII on a friends PlayStation, and the rest as they say is history. I did own an N64 with Mario 64 before that but didn't really buy anything for it... however post-97 I more or less coverted to being a console gamer across all formats.

I've fallen out of love with gaming a bit these last few months, but that's more or less because I've refused to play on the next-gen without a display which doesn't experience serious faults, which in using three different screens I've had.

I have recently been more consistent though, playing Stranger's Wrath and reappraising the Halo series (I did used to like it before but it wasn't anything more than a cursory appreciation) by reading the books and playing the games again.

In other words, I go through apathetic and active periods. Usually there's either a big release to slap me around the face every year or so (would have been Oblivion if it hadn't been buggy - may well still be when I properly try again) or an unknown or off-the-radar title hitting me out of the dark. Hopefully that'll happen again this winter or next to remind me why this is the medium I feel most at home in.

[Dwarf Mash9]

I try and grab as much time as I can on my 360 i use it as a release from work. However 'xbox Friday' has changed since the 360 and is not as long. I have found over the last nine months work presures have really got to me and been on live very infrequently and when I do I play against friends as I got very aggrivated after a hard day work coming home, turning on the 360 and getting some real idiots shouting Boom head shot, or moaning because my driving isn't the best! Looking forward to some great games making their way to the 360 in the near future and will try and rekindle my live time if work allows!

[Crisp_Rapper]

At home when I do get a few hours to myself (rarely) I find sometimes I'll just browse the net for an hour then realise : "****, I could have been playin 360!!"

this, but then i realise i wasn't all that bothered about playing any games in the first place. i'm a massive ball of 'meh' at the moment.

[EDDIE M0NS00N]

Hey Jebus!! U & I are very alike mate!!
I've gone thru the exact kind of pattern as u.
Back in my late teens - early 20's I used to have plenty of time for gaming & sports & still have loads of time left over for other stuff. Now I've settled with a partner & got a job its hard to find time & still fit my sports in too.
I've gone w/out playing my games for a month or so & even bought games like a year ago & still not bothered to play them. I also think its because I'm a bit bored of gaming. There's just nothing out there thats different.
I'm also like u in that I can now wait for new releases to have their prices dropped b4 buying. I refuse to pay full price for a game. When I was younger I had to have a game on release day but I've read the signs these days & know they'll be at least 1/2 price pretty soon after.
I too have bought Saints Row from Play-Asia but its on back order so it'll take a bit longer, but I can wait!
I used to collect USA PSone games but I've flogged most of them now. They just dont mean that much to me anymore.

[eastyy]

I dont feel as compelled to play games as much as i used

There would be evenigs where i just do not feel like playing anything

Years ago that was different i could not wait to play something

[EDDIE M0NS00N]

Maybe we've all OD'd on gaming & the buzz aint there no more?

[parkinho]

I'm the same as quite a few here - can easily go a few weeks without touching a console or buying a game, then in a short period can spend hundreds of hours and pounds on stuff. About 18 months ago I went through a stage of buying loads even if I didn't want it, then forcing myself to get my money's worth - playing for the sake of it. I think I have found a nice balance at the mo, playing when I want to not when i think I should be doing.

Not playing a great deal at the moment, and 90% of that had been multiplayer DS games such as Mario Kart and Metroid Prime Hunters. However, I just know that when I get a Wii and the games I want (Metroid, Zelda and a few others) there won't be enough hours in the day to satisfy my needs.

[the_dude]

Yep definitely. Like most people here it's mostly down to time and money. I work 2 jobs at the moment and haven't played any games for a while now, yet when i do (at the weekend sometimes) i feel guilty and feel as if i should be doing something else. Like working on a clients web site, learn to play new songs on the Guitar, etc. These day's i tend to read more about games than play them.

[Spatial]

My habits have changed. Sadly, like everyone else, work and life now gets in the way much more than it should

I used to love RPG's but now I don't have the time to throw into them (stuff like Mana, FF7 etc took a shed load of my youth).

When I was a lad I'd read the manual cover to cover before even thinking about putting the cartridge in, now I skip altogether as it saves time.

I think portable gaming might be the RPG's saviour for me since it allows me to game in between other things while away from my consoles (I'm particularly looking forward to getting stuck into Contact and VP Lennith quite soon).

This site hasn't helped either because while I'm having to read you lot moaning on about frame rates and sales figures, I could have been off playing something!

What hasn't changed though is my excitement and enthusiasm for games. I still get the "must play this game NOW!" buzz I used to when I was younger. It hasn't diluted any either (see me banging on about games like Gears and Dead Rising for ages and being all over any new screens or news).

When I'm really looking forward to a game it's always in the back of my mind somewhere and I can't help but get excited when something long awaited arrives in the post.

I'm still very much gaming's bitch and loving it.

[AdamJW]

Mine certainly have they've just become more genre specific, really, but still alot more open minded in a way. What games I used to buy and play just don't get a look in these days. I've played more than my fair share of variety over the years, but now I just play what I know I will certainly get the most enjoyment out of.

Also my patience and tolerance levels have risen as I've got older. Which has given me more patience for games I probably wouldn't have played 10-15 years ago, and definitely not 20+ years ago during the arcade and home computer years.

[Mr Fujisawa]

mine area totally different. in the old days when u only had a 1 or 2 machines, ud only get a game every so often. so damn did u play it. now im grown up, can afford to buy what i want, ive got all the consoles and can buy as many games (whithin reason) but i dont spend as much time playing. thers TOO much choice. so much that i end up not doing anything!!

being a schoolboy u had tonnes of times for games. but a long commute to work leaves u with **** all and u value that time so much that u dont want to 'risk' losing it to a bad game, so nothing gets played. its a sad story

i have to force myself to play games a lot, and even then it can sometimes be just to get them out the way.

is this a reflection on the current state of the games industry?or i just bitter and jaded nowadays?

the answer is probably both