Gaming: Time vs. Money

um7y1h83ge06nx

Thought this might make an interesting thread.

I find in my life at the moment that I have plenty of money to spend on games and consoles but not enough time to play them, having finished college almost a year and a half ago. I have a 360, PS2, HDTV for playing them on, a PSP, and a PC with some games, MAME, and an arcade controller.

Before, I had far more time to play games but not enough of money to buy all the ones I wanted (especially in the SNES era, being about 9 or 10, and every game purchase being a big deal).

Anyone find a trend like this?

JCDenton

Strangely enough; I've found the very same thing myself recently.

Although in my case I'd call it "more money than sense"

tman

JCDenton wrote:

Although in my case I'd call it "more money than sense"

well put:p
I'm thinking of building a new gaming pc from scratch in the new year, and a 360 to compliment my Wii before crimbo... yet I can barely find enough time to play the systems i currently own

Darnell13

Yeah, dude, this situation is currently the biggest crisis in my life. I've got work 9 to 5 ish, and college mon-wed 6-10 not to mention study and f*ckin assignments. Then I've got to fit in my other half, and football. I got Pro evo 6 the day it came out and I've played it twice. I got mgs3 subsistance a few weeks ago and haven't even looked at the extra disks, never mind finish the actual game (and it's quality). Black and Hitman Blood Money and God of War are gathering dust unfinished (unstarted in the case of Black). And I've got a Wii preordered. I've come close to getting a 360 a few times, but I haven't cos I don't want to splash €500 and then not be able to enjoy it properly.

Anyone got any advice on this?

No messin, it's wrecking my head!

By the way, have you tried explaining this to a non gamer?

um7y1h83ge06nx

True, true!

Just as well I was skint when younger or I would be completely addicted! I remember playing Killer Instinct on the SNES until I got a blister on my thumb, or playing FFVII on the PS1 until I could hardly see straight!

um7y1h83ge06nx

Darnell13 wrote:

Anyone got any advice on this?

Go on the dole!

It's all part of growing up. Back in my SNES days, there was no women, alcohol, or jobs in my life. Now there is much more happening.

My parents, brother, and girlfriend all think I a big child for stilll playing games!

Vegeta

I am in the exact same situation as Super_Sonic

just don't have the time.

I know tis harsh but i find its mainly the girlfriend who is stopping me.

One of my friends is on the dole and he is playing so many games it makes me want to quit my job and join him

Froot

Ryker Ancient Violinist wrote:

I a big child for stilll playing games!

...yeah...I wonder why they think that

I have a pc, 360, and a ds as well as the redundant ps2 and xbox.

I only just got to play the 360 last night for the first time in over two months and the pc is limited to EvE and Dawn Of War lately.

I bought rise of legends, dark messiah, dawn of war dark crusade as well as other games lately and i just dont play them :P

Stupid money > sense

um7y1h83ge06nx

Froot wrote:

...yeah...I wonder why they think that

.........:D Good one!

MikeHoncho

Im in the exact same situation. I have a 360 which I get to play maybe 2 or 3 hours a week maximum. i put it down to a number of factors:

1: I work 9.30 - 6 Monday to Friday
2: The HDTV is in the living room which I share with a female flatmate who doesnt like games so I cant really force her to watch me run around an alien spaceship or try and beat up some snot nosed americans at fight night over xbox live.
3: Im trying to get in shape so go to the gym 3 or 4 nights a week
4: I have recently moved out a family home and am feeling a good bit of pressure to spend at least one of the weekend days at home with parents and younger brother.
5: I have a pretty active social life and when I do have spare time I likely spend it with friends. There always seems to be something to do and I hate missing out.

I think the only things I can do are either get myself a HDTV for the bedroom (madness) or try and cut back on the socialising / start ignoring my family.

I still buy every frickin game and hope that I will some how find time. I bought Tiger Woods the other week and havent been able to get through 18 holes yet.

Ri_Nollaig

i have the same problem, have both a PC and a 360. still havnt finished company of heros, have just received the email saying my copy of medieval2 has been posted and gears of war is out in a few weeks.

K.O.Kiki

The solution is simple -- simplicity!!
Buy a DS Lite, some mini-game rife things & remember it's all just about having fun

[/cliche]

Seriously though, why isn't anyone (except Froot) owning a DSL? Its games are designed for 5-10min breaks.

Budd

Great thread.

I'm in the exact same boat as some of you here. Have a big HD plasma and an xbox that I can never play. I really want to get an xbox 360 but I just know I wont get a chance to play it. Maybe if I bought a house with just me and my girlfriend I could make a games room. The gym 4 nights a week and film watching is eating into my gameplaying as well. This is the best solution I could come up with.

One month ago I got a PSP. Now I play it for a little bit before bed and any time I travel. The portable thing makes it more appealing to just boot up a game casually and there are some decent titles coming out now.

Thats my 2 cents.

BadCharlie

I used to be a mad mad gamer since i was about 5 or 6. When i was about 10 to 12 i used to play about 16hours of games a day. Even up to this summer i used to play 2 hours a day most days. But now that im married i dont get to play games from one week to the next. Some weekends i do go to my friends house and we play something over lan. I miss playing games and would love to have the time to play more. Gaming has always been part of my life. But not any more

johnny_ultimate

Opposite problem to all here.
New into a 13 hour a week college course, I have plenty of time for gaming. Alas, as I am in the process of looking for a part time job the money supply is rather minimal.
Im upgrading to an X360 at Christmas, but I also want to play GH2, Ouendan!, Phoenix Wright 2, Zelda TP (GC version, no chance of a wii ) etc... No chance of playing them all with current finances low.

K.O.Kiki

LOL -- us poor penniless jobless students!

johnny_ultimate

K.O.Kiki wrote:

LOL -- us poor penniless jobless students!

Yes, and proud of it

User45701

JCDenton wrote:

Strangely enough; I've found the very same thing myself recently.

Although in my case I'd call it "more money than sense"

Here. Here.

honru

Games have just become longer and much cheaper, especially now with online retailers. I noticed the effects of this a year or three after I bought my Xbox... I was ending up purchasing titles that I wasn't even touching. I soon stopped buying games almost completely, it was weird.

Thank the heavens for the DS though. An eclectic library which you can play on the quick. Same reason I loved the Dreamcast tbh, and I'm hoping the Wii can continue the tradition.

Though 70 hour Zelda... I can dig that.

Froot

K.O.Kiki wrote:

The solution is simple -- simplicity!!
Buy a DS Lite, some mini-game rife things & remember it's all just about having fun

[/cliche]

Seriously though, why isn't anyone (except Froot) owning a DSL? Its games are designed for 5-10min breaks.

I'm the exception to the rule...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

DS Lite are really great multiplayer. in my case two other friends also bought one within a week of me getting one but I have to say they are just a gimmicky thing.

BFassassin

im exactly the same.
i got myself a lovely new hi def tv a couple of weeks ago and although im using it quite a bit i m not using it enough.
i have a 360 and i will be getting gow and cod3 and i dont know when i will have the time to play them as well as pro evo 6.
i want to get FM2007 but i just know i will never do anything else if i did get it :eek:


please invent a time machine so i can play longer :rolleyes:

Froot

I think that part of the problem is that the games are marketted so well.

Not as well as some other products but a lot of buying games for me, besides wanting to play them, is the idea of owning that game and playing it. I mean I got the new splinter cell which looks fantastic and I loved the other 3 but I have to admit that for €60 I find myself just playing online and not even bothering wiht the single player.

Xbox live is marketted so well and it's so easy to use that you find yourself getting sucked in. The same goes for Steam...How many of you actually want your games list to be fuller because it looks good? i know I have at some point.

People like the idea of having all these entertainment items and very often dont have the time or the will to play them. We all know that if all you want to do is play games then sooner or later you will end up just playing games all the time but at the moment I see pc's and xbox's and whatever else as looking nice in the living room or the bedroom and very often are not used.

skywalker

K.O.Kiki wrote:

The solution is simple -- simplicity!!
Buy a DS Lite, some mini-game rife things & remember it's all just about having fun

[/cliche]

Seriously though, why isn't anyone (except Froot) owning a DSL? Its games are designed for 5-10min breaks.

I just got a lend of a DS lite from a friend to give it a try, and one of the most annoying things about the new super mario bros is that you can only save after a bowser level. Otherwise Id definitely agree with ya.

tman

skywalker wrote:

I just got a lend of a DS lite from a friend to give it a try, and one of the most annoying things about the new super mario bros is that you can only save after a bowser level. Otherwise Id definitely agree with ya.

or after one of the bonus stages (requires 5 coins though...)
the game is over so quickly that it doesn't really make much difference tbh

Darnell13

K.O.Kiki wrote:

The solution is simple -- simplicity!!
Buy a DS Lite, some mini-game rife things & remember it's all just about having fun

[/cliche]

Seriously though, why isn't anyone (except Froot) owning a DSL? Its games are designed for 5-10min breaks.

I have one of these bad boys alright. It's sweet, yes, but I want to play MGS etc. I want to sit for hours staring at a tv screen. Hours, damn it!

I've already cut family/friends time down to a couple of hours a week, even though I quite like most of them (proirities, i guess).

I suggest an 8 day week, including a 3 day weekend.

Actually, scrap that, i need to lose the need to sleep. Then I'd be sorted.

jaggeh

fools. like any true gamer i used lateral thinking and a few handy household objects to bend space time whenever i play games. while i only spend 3-4 hours a day playing games in reality im playing about 36 hours a day.

HA! (ive finally cracked)