Question ( especially for working adults/family man ) :

I have tons of game in my wishlist (kept a wishlist of "Games to Play" on my notepad), which then i will buy when i have the time to play but the list keep getting bigger and bigger. Had to delete some from time to time to "thin out the number".

With tons of games published monthly/weekly, how did you guys manage your gaming time?

Did you rush playing all the games? or strictly chooses only a handful without blowing up your backlog?

Do you enjoy playing a rushed game just for the sake of finishing it?

*sigh* damn you torment.

I just play what I'm in the mood for and I don't rush it. I play games to enjoy them, not so I can tick them off the list. As far as the wishlist goes, I've come to the point that my backlog is so huge that I only buy if a game is really steeply discounted (with the rare exception that I want right away). It used to be a bit of a stress point looking at all those games, but now I just accept that I collect them and will (perhaps) find the time to play them eventually.

I have loads of games on my to-do list. In spite of that, I mostly just keep playing a handfull over and over and rarely finishing anything new. Doesn't really bother me, I guess that's how my brain manages it, like an actual library that also has old, dusty and unread books. And I think that's just how I.... wait... You monster.

So, what game are you needing ;-)

What is life?

Need? Why, none, you sly dog! :P

In sweet and innocent with no ulterior motives ;-)

Exactly this.

Wish i had your brain. It does bother me. I'm tempted to delete the notepad and start a fresh list...

but....i ..... just......cant..

(still have Dragon age Origin, Mass effect 3, KoTOR 2, Crysis...)

As long as you don't play games when you're not supposed to, then there should be no issue :) Just play what you feel like playing and make peace with the fact that you'll wind up skipping a couple of games you wanted to play. Which is totally okay. I don't think it's a good idea to view a backlog as a list of games you still have to play. Rather it should be a list you consult when you can't decide what to play.

The thing is, you first have to be honest with yourself and ask how much time you really have for gaming, and, how much time you want to spend on gaming in between any other interests you might have. I say that because I've frequently been dishonest with myself when it comes to that, and no good ever comes of it. After all, games are at their most fun when you know you're not supposed to be doing anything else :)

Lucky, I worked as a freelancer so I've got a flexible time to work, personal stuff and playing my (backlog)games. for gaming usually I played 1 to 3 hours per-day, that the time to me for working on my backlog or just play casual games but it's also depend how much work I should do and sometime I don't play any games at all.

First of all, I have a (actually more than) fulltime job, wife, two kids (kindergarten and school) with different afternoon activities. No I know where you're coming from...

And I have a backlog of games that would last me the rest of my life easily - and I still keep buying.

When it comes to game time, that differs. When my wife has a friend calling or really wants to watch a movie or show that I don't want to see (rare) I have 2-3 hours in the evening. Happens about once in two weeks. Sometimes I manage to have 2-4 hours on Sunday afternoons. Sometimes there's zero time for gaming for several weeks. I tend to play a lot when I'm sick, but that's also not too often.

I usually have one "big" main game, that I really want to enjoy. Currently that would be The Witcher 3 (since June of last year, *lol*), but I haven't played it for more than a month now since I simply didn't have my head free enough to really enjoy it. Usually I don't like to take breaks that long, esp with story heavy games, but I kind of feel at home in the Witcher universe (read the books several times) and the story and characters of the game are still very much present - which says a lot about the quality.
I would try not to rush my "main game" for the sake of completing it.

And then there are quite a few "minor games" for the times when I'm too short on time or too tired or whatever. Games that require less attention - more like diversions. Currently those are Saint's Row The Third, Alien Shooter, Race the Sun and The Moment of Silence. So those are games that either can be played for a quick round (like some activity in SRTT) or are rather linear like adventure games so it's easy to remember where you left off.

I had to drop a few genres that were some of my favourites in the past. Like games that require a lot of learning (ie. flight simulators) or 4X games - with them it's really hard to continue a game that you maybe stopped weeks ago, especially in the mid- or endgame, because they have hundreds of little things you need to remember to manage ("Where did I want to send that tank unit too? Why did I build a space station here? Why am I researching that spell and not the other one?").
Also problematic are games that require long undisrupted sessions, like some racing games or JRPGs with save points. Or all the classic action games that you have to play though in one sitting.

I'm not ashamed to have a look into a walkthrough when I'm stuck for too long. My game time is too valuable to try 35 combinations of items or go pixel hunting in 20 screens in case I missed something.

I sometimes abandon games when I lose interest in them, but that's rather the exception. I kind of died off during FEAR Extraction Point - it just didn't grab me like the main game.

When it comes to decide what to play next I often do something like an install orgy: Install maybe 10-12 candidates that fit my current mood and then try them one by one until there's one that really speaks to me. Delete the rest. Sometimes a game that I thought could be a "diversion game" gets moved to the "main game waiting room" - happened to me with Consortium, which looks really like a game that deserves a deeper look.

Well, that's how I handle it. Hth ;-)

I started to cut down the list on my favorite genre (rpg). Strictly no JPRGs or 4X. Skipped most of games that requires crafting and hard puzzles (which i end up googling for solution anyway).

Guess the older you get, the narrower your genre selection will be.
Lucky you, i have like 2-3 hours only on weekend.

Well, it's not like someone (imagine GabeN look-a-like) is pointing a gun to your head and forcing you to play / buy games :P

Rather than rushing stuff, just play at your own leisure and don't let anything pressure you to "finish" games as fast as possible and to a 100%. It will just burn you out and possibly ruin the whole hobby for you overtime.

There is nothing wrong in playing, by other people's definition, sub-optimal or taking your time... Games are supposed to be fun and enjoyable, not like some kind of chore or duty.

Just play whatever you want at the time, and don't bother if you're even gonna finish it. Just enjoy the moment.



Also, don't buy games with DRM, or else GOGBears will appear from under you bed and do horrible things to you... :P


Edit: Words and GOGBears

I really feel sorry for men with families, they have effectively given up the majority of their lives.