Ever felt like easing up on gaming?

[sj33]

Whenever I feel like easing up on gaming, a game comes out to remind me why I love games so much, and drags me back kicking and screaming.

[BeyondJumpFish]

I agree with Charlie. I sometimes come over in waves where i think maybe i should give it a rest for a bit. The older i'm getting the more breaks i give myself while gaming. I can't see myself doing another 24 hour gaming stretch like i did while playing FFIX. In a strange way i both love and hate games for this reason. While i love gaming and the joy it brings me, i know that areas of my life have been; maybe not neglected, but definately altered due to gaming.

[joe90]

have a child.. I did.. switched on the 360 like 4 times since xmas..

[nietzschedancing]

Aye, sold everything I had a few years back and miss little of it. The bits I do miss are out of the collectors instinct (SGGG Limited Box - sold for about ?50 feckin' quid) and out of it just being ace (Soldier series). I'm slowly rebuilding a stock (I've vowed never to say collection) of shooters and fighters, 'cos I can't be arsed to play any other genres recently. It's nice now - 20 mins on ESPgaluda, 20 mins on Third Strike, do something else, rinse and repeat.

[daveyw]

I find it tough to even convince myself that gaming is a good thing sometimes.

I have few friends who are into games, and plenty who aren't. So I'm regularly being chided for 'playing games again' (grr it's the way they say 'games' that makes me feel like a 5 yr old) and regularly feel like I'm being naughty when I craftily wait until the missus is asleep before putting the telly and headphones on to get an hour or so on the console. I also feel I have to hide new purchases or use the 'been in the loft for ages love' type excuse whenever I get something new.

I regularly wonder what my life would be like if I hadn't been given that ZX81 all those years ago, and I honestly think it would be better. I often get angry with myself as I had (and still will if I get my arse in gear) a promising career in the music biz, but kept coming back to play with new gadgets and spending money and time on them instead of being dedicated to my cause and working hard at making progress. I have this feeling that I'm going to look back on my life at some point in the future and think 'what a waste', or 'should have tried harder'.

I mean no disrespect to anyone else - it's me and my crap willpower / attention span I'm talking about here. I buy all the latest games, consoles and gadgets, even though I don't necessarily have the funds, and lose interest within a week, a month, rarely longer. The amount of money have have wasted in buying and then trading in stuff has been phenomenal. I've had 7 XBOX 360's, 8 PSP's, 4DS's and just keep goin gthrough the same cycle of buying hardware when a great game comes out, and then selling it when the fascination wears off, only to repeat when the next new game comes out.

At the end of the day though, it's not gaming that's at fault - it's me. I spend time gaming when I should be doing other stuff and then feel guilt, but those who have a decent balance of gaming/life should have nothing to worry about. I'm just a shopaholic!

I can get quite elitist about the stereotypical 'gamer' that you see around regularly, but at the end of the day I'm the same, just without the egg encrusted Star Trek tshirt & terminal freshness problem. I used to think I was a hardcore gamer, and true, I've owned pretty much all the right stuff, but hardly played any of it. I haven't a clue what happens in most games I buy as I rarely get past the first or second level (exceptions being ICO, and erm..Oh yeah, Silent Hill 2, and maybe a few others)

In other words I guess I'm one of those who think's 'Fat it fantastic' whilst secretly desperately looking to lose weight..

Ahhh.. feel better now. Just got back from GS with a raft of new PS3 games..

[DeathAdder]

I was empathising up until this point

I've had 7 XBOX 360's, 8 PSP's, 4DS's

How on earth did that happen?

[jonnyalpha]

Never gone off gaming for long and even when I'm not in a major playing phase I still tend to read about games and buy games. At present I'm watching a lot more telly than usual, Heroes, The Wire, stuff like that and finding my gaming time is going down. I also browse forums too much when I could be doing proper gaming. I wonder about that sometimes, I can waste a night on here and Rllmukforum reading about games when I could have been playing them!

What's that all about?

[daveyw]

How on earth did that happen?

As I said, I'd buy a 360 for Dead Rising, get bored of it and trade it in for summat else, and then when Gears comes out, buy another one. Rinse & repeat, although I doubt I'll ever be without a DS lite.

The lads at my local GS know me and my behaviour extremely well, they're probably taking bets as to how long I'll have the pS3 at this point...

More money than sense? nope, just very poor priorities I think!

[jonnyalpha]

As I said, I'd buy a 360 for Dead Rising, get bored of it and trade it in for summat else, and then when Gears comes out, buy another one. Rinse & repeat, although I doubt I'll ever be without a DS lite.

The lads at my local GS know me and my behaviour extremely well, they're probably taking bets as to how long I'll have the pS3 at this point...

More money than sense? nope, just very poor priorities I think!

I never (rarely) trade in hardware, it's just not worth it as you get very little for it really. I do trade/sell software as if I really miss a game you can normally get it back cheaper further down the line. Of course you do get the odd item that you wish you'd hung onto, Castlevania:SOTN I'm looking at you.

Your habit must have cost you a fortune over the years.

[daveyw]

Your habit must have cost you a fortune over the years.

Yup. Back in 2000/1 I used to buy games etc from MVC when they had membership cards.

Everytime I used to buy something new the staff used to look at me and smile - apparently I had 'VIP customer' flash up on the screen when my card was used, and they could tell me how much I'd spent in the store. In one year alone it was over 3k....

I'm reluctant to use Ebay now having been caught in a scam over Christmas which lost me my xbox 360 and games, so I tend to trade in much more, even though I get less - my games and hardware are usually in absolutely pristine condition, simply because I hardly use them before moving on to the next thing, or having a panic attack and getting the guitar out for a few weeks.

Every so often (like now) I have a clear out and strip myself back to almost nothing. I'm selling all my consoles and leaving myself with just my PS3/DS.


Oh and PC.

Which I've just spent loads on upgrading..

Here we go again! Aaaaggghhh!