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Post by AlexH on Jun 23, 2023 20:19:52 GMT
A while ago I realised I was spending far more time reading about games (especially retro) than actually playing them. I thought it was strange - is anyone else the same?
I listen to video game tracks and soundtracks regularly and love finding a good remix or cover of a favourite track.
I enjoy the occasional gaming-related video.
I write about games occasionally too.
And of course - I almost forgot - spend time on gaming forums!
What's your gaming vs other gaming activities ratio like?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2023 7:54:27 GMT
I don't so much read about gaming and computing as watch videos on YouTube. I particularly enjoy videos about coding and fixing, so 8-bit Show and Tell, Noel's Retro Lab and The Byte Attic are three that I watch whenever they put out a video. I wish I could follow all of the detail, as there is so much to learn. Maybe I'm absorbing something as I go along, but mostly I just enjoy seeing these old machines being opened up, fixed and restored.
On the coding side, I have probably picked up a bit more from that, as it's helpful to see programming in action rather than seeing it explained in a book. I watched a short video by Shallan this morning about the raster rewrite buffer on the Mega65 - seeing it explained one step at a time was a much easier way to take the information on board than if I had tried reading about it from written documentation.
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Post by Markopoloman on Jun 25, 2023 0:36:54 GMT
I read more about retro gaming - I seem to have lost the drive to play any games at the mo!!! I know I want to play games, I just can't be arsed. Very odd.
I'm sure I'll snap out of it one day.
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Post by rossi46 on Jun 25, 2023 8:36:00 GMT
It comes and goes in similar cycles for me too, MPM.
Right now I'm happy to read RG and watch the occasional YT video, but work, moutain biking and family is cominh before any kind of actual gaming.
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Post by megamixer on Jun 25, 2023 10:10:58 GMT
Similar here. Spend more time watching Youtube videos about games (such as "Did You Knows" and trivia) than actually playing them.
That said, this can sometimes lead back into actual gaming. I had, for example, being watching a few GTAIV vids recently and that lead me to have a few hours on it last night.
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Post by AlexH on Jun 25, 2023 11:58:20 GMT
Interesting how everyone who's replied so far is similar. I thought I might be alone.
I wonder why?
There's definitely the nostalgia effect in reading or consuming other content about retro games.
A lot of modern games feel like they need commitment - if I start a game them don't play it for a couple of weeks, it's almost like I have to relearn from scratch. Despite many games being more complex, maybe that's part of aging too - we picked things up easier as children.
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Post by rossi46 on Jun 25, 2023 12:29:20 GMT
I simply don't have the time or much opportunity to take over the TV for gaming. I'm much happier booting up any of my handheld emulation machines at lunch or even in bed (lol for about a minute) for a quick go on MAME or some such. **edit - having said that, I've spent 3 hours this morning listing a ton of Saturn, PS2 and Switch games on eBay. I guess that counts as a gaming activity
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Post by Markopoloman on Jun 25, 2023 23:11:35 GMT
The only game I play is Pocket Tanks on mobile! Being cross format means between IOS and Android is perfect.
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Post by megamixer on Jun 26, 2023 17:29:08 GMT
A lot of modern games feel like they need commitment - if I start a game them don't play it for a couple of weeks, it's almost like I have to relearn from scratch. I've said it before but this is exactly what happened to me with Breath of the Wild. I LOVED the game, but due to various reasons, I just didn't get on it for weeks. The weeks turned into months and then I couldn't be arsed trying to work out what I was doing, how the mechanics/controls worked (as daft as that sounds!), and I binned the game off and ultimately sold it a few years later when I realised that it was on the shelf and never going to get played.
That was the Wii-U version. Ironically I keep flirting with the idea of buying it again for the Switch and playing it properly before, maybe one day(!), playing TOTK. But I have a sneaking suspicion that I will just buy a used Switch copy and throw it on the shelf or in a drawer with the best of intentions, but I won't actually commit to it.
Luckily, the high prices of used Switch games has prevented me from making the impulse buy whenever I see the game around.
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Post by AlexH on Jun 26, 2023 19:40:33 GMT
A lot of modern games feel like they need commitment - if I start a game them don't play it for a couple of weeks, it's almost like I have to relearn from scratch. I've said it before but this is exactly what happened to me with Breath of the Wild. I LOVED the game, but due to various reasons, I just didn't get on it for weeks. The weeks turned into months and then I couldn't be arsed trying to work out what I was doing, how the mechanics/controls worked (as daft as that sounds!), and I binned the game off and ultimately sold it a few years later when I realised that it was on the shelf and never going to get played.
That was the Wii-U version. Ironically I keep flirting with the idea of buying it again for the Switch and playing it properly before, maybe one day(!), playing TOTK. But I have a sneaking suspicion that I will just buy a used Switch copy and throw it on the shelf or in a drawer with the best of intentions, but I won't actually commit to it.
Luckily, the high prices of used Switch games has prevented me from making the impulse buy whenever I see the game around.
BotW was the one exception for me and even after weeks, I picked it up again without much trouble. I was always wandering off from what I was supposed to be doing, so forgetting where I was heading when I last played didn't bother me either. Eventually (when I got stuck in the house after lockdowns), BotW turned out to be a great game for my mental health.
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Post by shadowman on Jul 2, 2023 5:27:18 GMT
Im "lucky" that I work shifts - 4on4off 12 hour shifts, so while my gametime on my work days is somewhat limited to a couple of hours, it means I have 4 days to waste how I please. I think its the only way I manage to get through as many games as I do these days! I do find myself playing shorter games more though - retro stuff, indie stuff etc. as I like the more immediate/rewarding gameplay compared to a game that's gonna hold my hand for the first couple of hours. I still play Yakuza games though, those are a good 100+ hours each, which basically means I lose a month (at least) whenever a new one releases, as Im basically glued to them for the duration. And seeing as another is getting released in November...
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Post by pratty on Jul 2, 2023 21:48:11 GMT
My game time dwarfs the time I spend reading and posting about games.
However while I'm gaming I usually have YouTube on in the background. I listen to videos, streams and podcasts on a variety of subjects but of course gaming is a prominent one, that's usually when I check out video reviews and retrospectives, and so I can potentially listen to games related content for hours while I'm gaming.
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Post by oldtimer on Jul 19, 2023 13:48:14 GMT
I just seem too tired to do much gaming nowadays, although i do try and do some game time at least once a week , but i do watch a lot of gaming videos on youtube like others here .
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Post by AlexH on Jul 19, 2023 20:57:13 GMT
Im "lucky" that I work shifts - 4on4off 12 hour shifts, so while my gametime on my work days is somewhat limited to a couple of hours, it means I have 4 days to waste how I please. I think its the only way I manage to get through as many games as I do these days! I do find myself playing shorter games more though - retro stuff, indie stuff etc. as I like the more immediate/rewarding gameplay compared to a game that's gonna hold my hand for the first couple of hours. I still play Yakuza games though, those are a good 100+ hours each, which basically means I lose a month (at least) whenever a new one releases, as Im basically glued to them for the duration. And seeing as another is getting released in November... I don't like using terms like "waste" or "lose a month." I like to think whatever I do is for a reason, so gaming is for relaxation or enjoyment. The irony is that I do waste a lot of time, and I could make much more time for gaming if I didn't. These days if I have the choice to game, I tend to watch a film instead (which happened tonight). I could watch at least ten different films for 20 hours of playing the same game.
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Post by megamixer on Aug 3, 2023 20:07:59 GMT
These days if I have the choice to game, I tend to watch a film instead (which happened tonight). I could watch at least ten different films for 20 hours of playing the same game. A good movie requires far less time investment than a good game, unfortunately, which is why it's so much easier to enjoy a nice variety of movies across a week rather than investing 50hrs or more into the same massive open-world game.
I guess this is why arcade and retro gaming can come back to the fore as we get older: because it doesn't always demand as much energy, and certainly nowhere near the monstrous time investment (unless we talk about retro RPGs).
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