Have your gaming habits changed?

[Combination]

Yes, both genres and time spent have changed drastically over the years. From large scale RPGs in the mid and later 90's to quick sessions of arcade style games such as Gradius etc. In contrast to AdamJW, my patience and tolerance levels have severely decreased and I usually find myself switching off any new game within minutes if it doesn't rub me the right way (for want of a better word!)

[Champloo]

These day's i tend to read more about games than play them.

I do exactly the same, it's a shame that I don't have the time to play many of the games I read about though.

I also feel that i'm harder to please. After playing so many games, a new game really does have to be excellent or feel fresh to keep me interested. And I actually get stressed when I have too many games I want to play, i've always got a huge backlog that i'll never be able to get through and choosing the best of the crop to play is too stressful that I end up playing nothing - it's a fault I need to overcome.

[nips]

I'm now living with some other boys in Uni so I seem to be playing ridiculous amounts of Pro Evo 5, and no doubt soon Pro Evo 6. I've always prefered to play multi-player, a strong advocate of co-op and multi-player, but now with such free opportunity to play with people, I'm starting to appreciate level design more. I'm enjoying the need to learn levels and play them over and over, esp. on the 360.

I seem to savour sitting down on my own and investing in a game more, taking them at face value rather than questioning them and criticising them without giving them due time and attention.

And I'm buying fewer games and peripherals, but I think that's the lack of a disposable income :\

[themanwithapc]

Like a lot of people, I've got less time than in my younger days, yet I've got more money/income to spend on gaming

I also no longer seem to be able to stand long gaming sessions, and hence play a bit at a time.

[Kotatsu Neko]

I probably read more about games now than I used to (simply because there's so much more material out there now, thanks to the net), but I can still play them a lot should the right title come along. I was totally absorbed in Half Life 2, Halo 2, and Resident Evil 4 for example. Played them all evening for weeks and loved every minute of it.

I play a lot of DS now too, and it's the first handheld to really grab me in a big way. I can't wait for the DS fall releases to start hitting the shelves.

The only thing that dampens my game playing is when we're in crunch at work and can't stop until we go gold.

[MiaBocca]

As I've got older, I've found less time for lengthy games.

Something like Zelda Wind Waker or Oblivion can still grab me and keep me entertained for a long time, but more and more these days I'm only really interested in something I can handle in small bursts..... I played through Wind Waker once, and once only... Something like Zelda on the SNES as a kid, I knew it inside out because I completed it several times.

Things like New Super Mario Bros. can still get me playing till the end because of familiarity, but it's not often I'll see a game through till the very end. I think that's why the DS has been such a hit with me, games like Ouendan are something I can pick up for 10 or 15 minutes and have a blast with, and still get that old school gamer feel I got in my youth in the 80s and early 90s, without taking over my entire evening.

[nonny]

I've matured into a far more sociable gamer, more specifically online.

Previously I would invest heavily into lengthy singleplayer titles such as RPGs and the like but since the advent of Xbox LIVE my entire perception of gaming as a pastime has changed dynamically.

As most have mentioned real-life pressures such as time, family, money and work have influenced how I play my games and what I choose to play. I've become very picky in my game selection now as well and would much rather play one title I enjoy repeatedly than spend $$$ on the newest titles. I'm in my 30's now and my general games playing takes the form of meeting up with similar mates online for a weekly session... usually something like COD2 or Chromehounds etc...

Outside of that I still have time for the occasional Oblivion "relationship-tester" type game and for real family participation stuff like DDR Ultramix still gets dragged out from time to time for those times when there is an audience to satisfy.

Horses for courses basically but that said I think the biggest change overall is because I now have access to decent broadband (ADSL2+) it is really the shift to online gaming which has had the greatest influence. Xbox LIVE has alot to answer for, I love it.

[Wools]

Almost the same as you, Jeebus.

I played games as a kid quite often and multi-player with mates was where I played! When I got into my teens a PSone was brought and that's where my love affair with Multi-Player started with Quake 2, GoldenEye, Street Fighter 2, Tekken, Gran Turismo and countless others. From the age of 10 - 14 second hand software was avaliable at my local indie along with the important Platinmum lable for the PSone so I was able to play more. As a kid my habbits where not games related but Sonic was my childhood hero!



When I was 15 it took off with a a part time job and the Dreamcast. I played that thing any chance I got inbetween school and friends. My "lowest" eb was from 18 - 20 as I got into the games industry and got full-time employment. I was into importing for the sake of it and collecting. Although I had some a fun time with games I was spending far to much money on it and not really playing anything. I was 20 when I realised I had too much and spent last year and this downsizing and now feel like a reformed addict! I have a Dreamcast & Gamecube in the loft and a PS2 under my telly and I've never felt happier about gaming! I play my PS2 for a few hours every weekend and during the week me and my brother will play either Pro Evo or Halo on his Xbox.

Probally the times in my life where I played the most was GoldenEye with friends, my Dreamccast years or Halo. I certaintly play a lot less now but I've found my niche. I love adventure games mixed with a good racer and tend to prefer Co-Op multiplayer over other deathmatch varients. I certaintly play less games than when I was a teenager but surely we all do?

[briareos_kerensky]

Yes, they did...when I was going to school I hadn't much time to play either (long trips from home to school and a lot of hours...luckily almost no homeworks), but I still managed to do some afternoon or evening long sessions, mostly on the PC. Mobile gaming was unheard of, had friends and/or books for bus trips.
When I started to work home gaming progressively became a smaller part of my daily routine, with only one or two hours of few evenings a week dedicated to console gaming...oh yes, I bought a GameCube with my first pay and PC games lost most of their appeal...still had books to read . After a while I bought a Gameboy Advance SP and so mobile gaming my first form of entertainment. Personal matters forced me to leave work for a year and working part-time near home, so I had more time on my hands and bought a PS2 with Disgaea...day long sessions.
Then I started freelancing; there are days that I barely have the force to turn on my GBA/DS (after 14-16 hours staring at a monitor do take their toll) and other days that I can dedicate onyl to games, though I usually play in the evening with consoles, though there are a lot of PC games coming out right now.

[capcom_suicide]

I've matured into a far more sociable gamer, more specifically online.

Previously I would invest heavily into lengthy singleplayer titles such as RPGs and the like but since the advent of Xbox LIVE my entire perception of gaming as a pastime has changed dynamically.

As most have mentioned real-life pressures such as time, family, money and work have influenced how I play my games and what I choose to play. I've become very picky in my game selection now as well and would much rather play one title I enjoy repeatedly than spend $$$ on the newest titles. I'm in my 30's now and my general games playing takes the form of meeting up with similar mates online for a weekly session... usually something like COD2 or Chromehounds etc...

Outside of that I still have time for the occasional Oblivion "relationship-tester" type game and for real family participation stuff like DDR Ultramix still gets dragged out from time to time for those times when there is an audience to satisfy.

Horses for courses basically but that said I think the biggest change overall is because I now have access to decent broadband (ADSL2+) it is really the shift to online gaming which has had the greatest influence. Xbox LIVE has alot to answer for, I love it.

This is very similar to my own situation.

But back in the day, when playing my Import Megadrive, it was still a "Social" thing for me. I preferred to play a game either 2 player or take turns. Its just how it was.

The PS2 era was a sad time for me, finished with uni, and working in a town miles from mates. None of them had PC's so our social gaming was doomed.

Then along came the 360, and Live. Everyone got DSL, and the very same people that I played import SNES/MD games with, are now playing with me online on GRAW, RR6 etc etc.

It's wicked.

So mostly speaking I tend to use my time to play online with some choice games done single player.

I just enjoy using the time to catch up with mates have a beer and a natter and play some great games. I've also got to know a few regular "Live players" on here, and that is really great too. Both socially (Always good to meet people) but also for future games like Gears of War and R6 Vegas etc. I have a friends list of like minded people to enjoy the games.

It really is like having the "Arcade" environment back.

So, yes I have less time, but I feel I use my time more effectivly, playing games that appeal and skipping those that don't.

[VR46]

My gaming habits have changed yes, but it's just a sign of the times in my case, am sure if it wasn't for family commitments time and money wise I would be playing games almost as much as when I was a teenager.

[kernow]

I just can't be bothered any more recently, I must be getting old.

DS is the only thing I can lie down on the sofa with and just tap buttons

my cab although nearly finished from restoration gets little play sigh

[gunrock]

As David Hollis says, work and family take up most of my time.

Although my habits have recently changed, as I now actively look for games that will only be 6-10 hours long.

To complete it once on Normal, I spent 21hrs on Resi 4, which I really enjoyed, but in real time it took me three days short of six months!

In fact, I had a an epiphany the other day. I have been playing Red Dead Revolver on the Xbox and finding it really, well, "meh" (not worth 7/10 by a long shot), stuck on the level where you play a Mexican General, soldiering on because it should be about 6-8 hrs long, then I realised: "Why the **** am I playing this pile of ****e, when I have Ico, God Of War, Guitar Hero, SOTC, Rogue Trooper, Stranger's Wrath, Beyond Good & Evil, Killer 7 and much more besides, all sitting on a shelf waiting for me to play?"

I played for a hour and a half of Guitar Hero on Saturday night, and then played two hours of Ico and had a great time.

After thinking about thinning down my games collection, I'm filling in a spreadsheet of all my games and devising an algorithm to boil all my games down to a number. I will then sort the list by that number and anything that falls into the bottom 50/40/30 percent (I haven't decided yet), is getting the chop!

[Bleeders]

Live for me, is the singular most innovative aspect I've encountered so far since I've been playing games.

As for the reasons already touched on by a few already, I love the socialising aspect of gaming. There's nothing like swapping game hints or asking about a particular title whilst your playing along or chatting to a like-minded gamer helping you through a tough area or even abandoning your SP game for a slice of multi-player action. It's ****ing brilliant.

As for my gaming habits, well back in my yoof, as many of us did, we had time to kill nowadays though, there simply isn't enough of it so most of my gaming is done for an hour or so a night when I'm home or predominantly on a weekend.

[eastyy]

I really want broadband access so i can use LIVE

As most people i know rarely play games (let alone are any good at them)