RPG Habits - Paying Bills while Farming Kills

[Viata]

Tell me you fuckers. How do I make it work without constantly day dreaming about games I'll never actually be able to get into as much as I want to.

I can't even remember when was the last time I played something this year. Sometimes I stay away from codex so I can accept the fact I got no fucking time to play games.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Analyze what you do on a typical week, take the least interesting activity and use that time to play games. "Work" and "family" might qualify but you shouldn't pick those.

 

[Mustawd]

Over periods between jobs I've been able to complete and enjoy the likes of Mass Effect and the The Witcher but I never seem to have the energy to get fully immersed and have the extreme levels of fun that I so crave while working full time.

I'm interested in how people fit RPGs into your life.

I’ve stopped playing rpgs and just play shallow stuff where I can get to the fun right away.

Which means console games, ARPGs, roguelikes/lites and tactics games.

The fun/satisfaction you get from good RPGs is much more satisfying, but I simply don’t have the time for that.

 

[Haba]

Go on a business trip/conference abroad

Bring your PC or rent/buy one

Skip all the work related content and hole up in your hotel room

 

[Gangrelrumbler]

I try to get the time you post on normie sites to a minimum. Especially the ones that are designed to waste as much of your time as possible: like facebook and youtube. I swear those things literally suck-up your soul.

 

[overly excitable young man]

Why would you post there and not here?

 

[Gangrelrumbler]

Why would you post there and not here?

I stopped posting there to post more here

 

[AdamReith]

The conclusion I've come to is it's all about quality time. A couple of high energy hours set aside for really getting into a game.

I found if you try to force yourself to play these things in a tired after work state you just fool yourself into thinking you don't like them. Maybe cocaine or some other stimulant would help here but probably not worth it for me to be honest.

Which means only gaming on the weekend for me now but hey, at least I can look forward to it during the week.

 

[Zumbabul]

I have two tricks that helps me.

1) Before my gaming session, I sleep for 20 minutes. I feel refreshed and enjoy the game much more.

2) I have a gaming log. After I finish my gaming session, I make notes on what I did in the game and at what point I finished my session. Just few sentences. This really helps to resume playthrough after long break (for example if you play only during weekends).

You also should not force yourself to play. You should only play when you have some inner desire to play.

 

[AdamReith]

I have two tricks that helps me.

1) Before my gaming session, I sleep for 20 minutes. I feel refreshed and enjoy the game much more.

2) I have a gaming log. After I finish my gaming session, I make notes on what I did in the game and at what point I finished my session. Just few sentences. This really helps to resume playthrough after long break (for example if you play only during weekends).

You also should not force yourself to play. You should only play when you have some inner desire to play.

The high powered gaming nap can work for me too occasionally but it's never a sure thing.

The gaming log is a good idea. I'm playing open XCOM rightnow and I really feel I should be writing down everything because I lose track of things so easily, might give it a go.

 

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

Ignore the hourglass succubi that are Steam sales.

Reading how so many people have these massive backlogs of games that they'll likely never play perplexes me. Buy a game you know you'll play right then and there.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

I'm playing while drinking after my 10-hour shift to be able to concentrate. It kinda starting to bother me.

 

[Zumbabul]

Buy a game you know you'll play right then and there.

Totally agree with this. I only buy a game if I want to play it right away.

You should also accept that you will never play all great games. You should see your "backlog" not as the games you must play, but as a list of games you could play.

 

[AdamReith]

Ignore the hourglass succubi that are Steam sales.

Reading how so many people have these massive backlogs of games that they'll likely never play perplexes me. Buy a game you know you'll play right then and there.

Yes but buying those games feels so good. And I'll get to them when I retire, I'm going to be able to retire right? Right?



But yes, whether I get to or not time is a finite resource either way. I think it's easy to get caught up in "a twenty hour game" mentality that seems to be out there. That's a very reductive and shitty way to approach gaming as a hobby.

The mono lisa isn't a "fifty hour painting" after all. Takes time to appreciate something with depth.

 

[Zumbabul]

Yes but buying those games feels so good. And I'll get to them when I retire, I'm going to be able to retire right? Right?

Once uppon a time, I made an estimate of how much time I spend on games. My gaming time budget is approximately 500 hours per year. Great games could take 50-100 hours. Some could take even more. So it is 5-10 great games per year.

If you have the same time budget as me, it would take you 10-20 years to complete RPGCodex top 101 list. Probably you will not have enough time after retirement.

 

[AdamReith]

Yes but buying those games feels so good. And I'll get to them when I retire, I'm going to be able to retire right? Right?

Once uppon a time, I made an estimate of how much time I spend on games. My gaming time budget is approximately 500 hours per year. Great games could take 50-100 hours. Some could take even more. So it is 5-10 great games per year.

If you have the same time budget as me, it would take you 10-20 years to complete RPGCodex top 101 list. Probably you will not have enough time after retirement.

It's actually really interesting when you tease things out a bit isn't it. All the more reason to avoid popamole like the plague, time is running out people.

^ Not fixing mono lisa typo above as I prefer this spelling now.

 

[thesecret1]

I'd like to advise against completionist mindsets. Stuff like "this game stopped being fun five hours ago, but I'm sure the end is right behind the corner". If the game stops being fun, I drop it, regardless of how close I am to the finish. I play games to enjoy myself, so when a game stops providing enjoyment, it's time to play a different one. That way you can maximize enjoyment yield within limited amount of time.

 

[Darth Canoli]

I'd like to advise against completionist mindsets. Stuff like "this game stopped being fun five hours ago, but I'm sure the end is right behind the corner". If the game stops being fun, I drop it, regardless of how close I am to the finish. I play games to enjoy myself, so when a game stops providing enjoyment, it's time to play a different one. That way you can maximize enjoyment yield within limited amount of time.

Well, that's exactly what i do so i only complete good games, well, sometimes i don't even complete good games because the gameplay gets boring or i lose interest or i can't play it for a while and when i get back to it, i don't feel like playing it anymore.

This is an entertainment, if it's not, i find something else to entertain myself instead.

That's how i don't complete modern games anymore, last ones i completed for the first time being probably Knights of the Chalice, Quest for Infamy and Vigilante.
I'd also have completed ATOM but a couple of updates stopped me halfway, waiting for the final final final version.