Being an adult gamer

"Sometimes it feels like games are just too long. Gone are the days where most of us can spend the entire summer exploring fantasy world's, interacting with every NPC and completing every side quest.
The reality is that gaming is hard to fit into a normal working person's schedule. How are you supposed to play dozens of hours of The Witcher 3 when there are people to see, things to do, music to hear, films to watch and books to read."

[Cy]

This is why I hate the current trend of everything being open world. I used to hate it because it's so hard to have a nice, structured narrative with an interesting plot and deep characters in open world games, but now I hate it because of all that and how much time I have to put into gaming. It's not as easy as it used to be to take 5 days and just play through the newest game. Which sucks, but honestly I'm not even sure I have it in me to invest so much of myself in a game right now. That's why I really like walking simulators. I get my narrative and they're usually pretty short.

[Fez]

It took me about 4 months to complete MGSV... which added to the poor story experience by spreading it out over such a long time. Open world has to be spot on in how it makes you spend your time otherwise it's not a genre for me.

I much prefer a linear 5-15 hour experience nowadays.

[Cy]

I took a week and played through MGSV, which made the awful story even more infuriating because I pushed my responsibilities to the side for it. I totally agree about linear experiences. Give me a beginning, a middle, and an ending. Let me feel like I accomplished something.

[ifistbrowni]

I know its a "niche" hobby within the gaming community, but I'm what you would call a trophy hunter/achievement "whore."

I almost always platinum the games I play.

Last year, with all the open worlds and very few linear games, I was only able to play about 60% of the games that I purchased.

Ever Since December, I've been cleaning my backlog and I still have MGS:V within that backlog. I always weigh it against, "well if I play this game its 100+ hours, if I play this game, it's 20-35 hours."

I miss platinums from last generation. I have the Uncharted Collection for PS4, and they were probably the most enjoyable platinums of last year.

I like getting platinums, dont get me wrong. But when you play games like Batman, Witcher 3, Fallout 4 and Dying Light, it's understandable how a trophy hunter could develop an overwhelming back log.

Division, Uncharted 4 and Dark Souls 3 are all going to the top of the list when they release, so If I don't get around to MGS V sometime this month/next month, it'll be all but forgotten.

I'm currently working on those 20-35 hour games to then be like, "okay, now I only have 2 games in my back log." I've done a good job clearing the log in the past month to be honest with myself but it's tough managing a full time job, social life and my gaming hobby. Most of the time, 8 hours of sleep has to be the sacrifice

[optimus]

I wouldn't blame the game as much since it's more your lifestyle that has changed. You probably have more responsibilities now that you're older. In my early years all i had to worry about was doing my homework. Now i have my own bills, car, house, work to maintain...
i'm more of a single player type since i don't have the time or patience to invest in games to really perfect them...

today's games although most are bigger than they used to be they don't offer that sense of urgency that games from the 8 and 16-bit era had. Although that has more to do with advancements in consoles where today you have unlimited continues and can pretty much start wherever you left off as opposed to getting 3-4 lives and continues...today, you just don't get that feeling of wanting to finish a game as badly. At least i don't anyway.

[sa73917]

Clearly playing games isn't the only thing he doesn't have much time for.. A vague spell / grammar check over the article wouldn't have gone astray before publishing it!

[WildArmed]

I think part of being an adult is enjoying the experience. When I started Witcher 3 last May, my goal wasn't to finish the game by June.

I'm still playing it, and I'm enjoying it very much. I have 40 hours in the game since launch and I continue to play a lil' on a weekly basis.

Being an adult doesn't mean binge on 8 hour games that are quick to finish. It's pacing yourself and setting your own goals. You know your schedule better than anyone, why are you trying to compete with a high schooler in terms of how quickly you can beat the game since launch date.

It shouldn't and it doesn't matter. Play the game how you want, and when you want. Being a 10 hour game vs a 100 hour game doesn't matter when you don't enjoy the game. Be an adult, pick a game you like, not a game that is liked by everyone else. Play at your pace, and don't worry about checking off boxes. I think I beat 5 games last year, and I'm OK with that.

[jb227]

I think the issue is that fewer & fewer games can fit into that category of "games you like" when most everything these days are open world rog's or online fps titles. If you dig a quality self contained finite narrative, the pickings are increasingly slim. It's not as much about managing your expectations & picking a game from a smorgasbord of titles as it is wading through hundreds of games that cater to every other need but your own. Sure when you dig into a 400+ hour open world you aren't expecting to do every single thing! but if there's no clear way into a solid & consistent experience then you are still left wandering a literal wasteland.

This year does seem to be turning things around though & we've already seen at least a couple acclaimed and pointed experiences already, but in every single gen of years past, this entire idea of digging for the experience that suits you didn't exist. I don't think the writer is trying to binge on games as much as just having solid & worthwhile experiences every time he picks up the controller. An 8 hour game will last me over a week most times because I can only really play in bite sized 2 hour chunks on certain nights, and I don't think it's too much to ask of devs to ensure than every bit of time spent in their games are worthwhile. I know tastes differ but I honestly don't think that even the most hardcore of open world rpg fans dig all of those monotonous side quests, but they do it in order to level up. It's that completionist behavior that is being preyed upon by devs in order to throw some insane stats up about being able to play their games for the next 5 years w/ no accounting for the actual quality of your experience. I'm all for diversity in game types & people that enjoy that endless grind should be catered to as much as anyone, but those that just want to sit down & have a quality adult narrative experience for a few hours every few nights have gone largely ignored this gen for my tastes. I've spent most of this gen just waiting for Uncharted to release & the rest of my time just replaying the few games that hit the criteria that has been in place since the beginning of gaming.

[rainslacker]

Absolutely. I played MGS for almost 2 months straight, because I was enjoying it enough to try and go for the platinum. I eventually grew tired of it though, and wanted to move on, so I did.

At most, I may be reluctant to start a longer game if I know I have a lot on my plate currently or coming up, because more often than not, I don't want to spend 2 months playing the same game. Really want to start FF7 PC port on the PS4 and get the plat, but I am going with some shorter games first to get them out of the way, and the next two weeks are going to be rather busy as I move into the next stage of a remodel project on the home.

When I'm actually playing a game though, I don't consider the amount of days it will take to complete, nor do I sit there and feel compelled to complete it for a trophy if I want to move onto other things.

My life outside of work ebbs and flows in the amount of time I have available, and I just play games as time allows. Some days I can binge for 8-12 hours, other times I can go several days, or more, not even touching a controller or system. I don't obsess over my playing habits, nor do I feel I have to cut back, or try to find more time. Works out well for me.

I am lucky enough that my fiancee isn't clingy enough to need me to be around all the time, and that she will play games with me...although she tends to occupy my Vita more often than not and just ignore me....which is why I brought her her own for Valentines day.:)

[UltraNova]

Hehe

My daily schedule allows 30mins to 1hr during week days and 4-6 hrs in weekends. As you can see gaming is sparse these days..to the point taking close to 3 months to complete a game like DS2... Thing is these days my attention span differs from game to game, I logged in 400 hrs in DS2 and I couldn't get enough, I had to force my self to move on to other games that pilled up on my desk. Then I picked up Batman AK and I barely finished the main story. Now I playing both Bloodborne, Lords of the Fallen and BLOPs 3 at the same time and GOD knows when I'll finish all 3 of them...

That said you are lucky your fiancee doesn't grind her teeth at you every time you grab the controller, trust me you don't want to be in that situation!

[ifistbrowni]

this is a really good thread to read opinions on. I just about agree with everyones post

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

The average gamer is over 30 years old. You can find plenty of time to play depending on your life style.

[ShadowKnight]

Just curious how do you know the average gamer is over 30 years old? Is there a link that says that

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

http://www.bigfishgames.com...

[jb227]

There have been studies that actually say the average gamer is closer to 35 years old...a recent doc (maybe Video Game the Movie? Can't remember but it was on Netflix & narrated by Sean Astin) mentioned that statistic & Ive seen it in multiple other places...the people that grew up on console gaming essentially never left & a lot of the younger gen is playing mobile or currently taking the college gaming hiatus that most of us took.

As far as being able to find plenty to play considering your gaming style, that only rings true if you are willing to go back to previous gens. There is far from "plenty" to play for my tastes on the current gen. I dig story driven linear TPS narratives, platformers that aren't rogue like or procedurally generated & couch co op games that fit those criteria. Anybody willing to give me recommendations on games that fit those criteria this gen? Or even just a quality narrative experience would suffice for me regardless of its style...So far I've come up w/ next to none & I stay on top of the gaming landscape. Not like that's asking for much because those games were literally what most of us were raised on from gaming's inception but they've largely disappeared in favor of open world rpg's & online only mp fps games. I'm just looking for a clean '& simple game that doesn't require me to spend time upgrading weapons & wading through so many damn similar choices in weapons & upgrades, etc.

It just seems like games these days have no focus, most of them are just scattershot ideas that throw everything plus the kitchen sink at you while perfecting none of it. The HuDs & pause menus are proof of this, there are dozens of stats & numbers & figures & sub menus & words & numbers, all the while I just want a simple, streamlined, compelling gameplay experience that doesn't require me to play for dozens of hours, spending half of my time in pause menus upgrading weapons, or competing w/ strangers that apparently school people like me for a living, or playing games from devs that are too lazy to even settle on a design so they just get the computer to procedurally generate it for them. There are increasingly fewer traditional gameplay experiences on the market & that much seems to be a simple fact.

[Pongwater]

@jb227 - "There are increasingly fewer traditional gameplay experiences on the market & that much seems to be a simple fact."

You seem to define "traditional" as "games jb227 likes". As an old school gamer (the Atari 2600 was my second console) what I see is more variety than ever existed before for a home console gamer. Old school games, or at least games that are reminiscent of those old titles, new games that build on what came previously, and games I would describe as experimental.

Your description of what you're looking for sounds quite narrow, but I doubt very much that you can't find those things on PC if not consoles.

[ifistbrowni]

@jb227, the last "good" linear game I played was Wolfenstein. Cod I about the only other game I can think of that isn't open world.

I choose my games wisely now that I'm older. I have the expendable income to play just about any game I want, but I still just focus my gaming on games I want to play.

I don't have the desire to play every popular modern game. I pick a game I want to play and "just do it."

Other than indie games, most of the games I played last year were open world or online only. I ache for Uncharted 4. Not only because Uncharted 4 will be amazing, but because I know it will be that "beginning, middle, end" game that I enjoy playing.

After last year, I'm tired of the "open world, sandbox" game. It seemed like every AAA game I played had one. As previously mentioned, the only games that I played last year that werent completely open world/open world elements, were Indie games, Life is Strange and Telltale games.

[Metallox]

I strongly doubt the average player is 30 years old.

[Pongwater]

In the US, which is the biggest market, he's right.

http://www.theesa.com/wp-co...

[rainslacker]

Yep, afraid so,

For US it's 34

http://www.esrb.org/about/v...

For UK 35

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/...

Australia is 33

http://www.news.com.au/tech...

The idea that gaming is primarily a kids endevour has long since been refuted, and it's been that way since the the SNES when adults were found to be the primary players of games, and the average age has crept upwards ever since.

Kind of why we don't always have to think of the children when it comes to mature rated games, and why Jack Thompson and every media outlet and politician attacking games has been full of sh*t on the subject.

[SlyGuy]

Link to average age of gamer: http://www.theesa.com/wp-co...

[T1ttyMunch3r]

31 is bs

[C_Menz]

Part of becoming an adult is learning how to manage and prioritize your time. Even with a full time job and family you can find time for games. It just falls down to how much time you can devote to it at a time without taking away from more important things.

Letting go of the "I must finish this game in 2 days" mentality resolves a lot things. Play a game at your own pace and enjoy it when you have some time on your hands.

[ifistbrowni]

"play the game at your own pace."

This is exactly right. I buy every single game I play as an adult. As a young adult/teen I would rent just about every game unless it was a game like Halo 3, Gears of War, Cod MW, COD WAW and COD MW2 because of their online components (which I probably threw 500+ total hours at the titles listed).

Renting a game would be a total waste of money for me today. I'd barely even scratch the surface of any single game last year with a 5 day rental. A younger me would have most games beat within a 5 day rental.

I enjoy buying my games and sometimes taking months 2-3 months to complete them. I couldn't even imagine how much of a chore it would be to complete a game like Witcher 3 over one or two weekends.

[Ozmoses]

I'll be 32 in July but I happen to be in a position where I can play video games whenever I want.

If I want to pull an all nighter I can and will but I usually limit myself to sessions of only a few hours.

I don't have the responsibilites most adults have.. no wife, no children... single from day one.. no job.. I get disability compensation from injuries while in the military.

Video games help me handle PTSD and other things.

[jb227]

That's an interesting perspective...how does this gen stack up for you? For my tastes I like games that have streamlined solid narratives & gameplay that packs a weighty punch (like TLOU, Dead Space, etc.) & I've never gotten into the endless grind of RPGs, open world & mp games because they feel like a waste of my time because no single hour of those games really pack the effect that a single 15 minutes of those other titles do for me. Because you have more time on your hands do you prefer a more slow burning larger sprawling game in order to be able to get maximum play time? What kinds of games do you typically enjoy?

I'm 30 and started gaming during the NES era but I took a sabbatical during the ps2/xbox era & half of last gen. Came back to it because I was coming out of a drug addiction & gaming helped to occupy me during the times I would've spent getting loaded. It along w/ music literally saved my life so I respect the medium very much & I can at least understand the idea behind your personal connection w/ gaming if not the circumstances. Uncharted 2 & God of War 3 are the games that brought me back into gaming and I think ever since then I've mainly craved those kinds of finite & pointed action heavy escapism type of experiences & they've largely fallen by the wayside this gen. If it wasn't for all of the great looking story driven games coming this year I'd probably drop it completely to be honest & that just kinda bums me out. I feel like gaming has taken a turn that doesn't cater the old school console gamer much.

[Ozmoses]

hahah yeah my first experience with gaming was pretty much when my family rented an NES from a local video movie rental place that also had games.

I actually wrote a post a few days ago talking about this very thing. You can probably find it pretty easily in my past comments.

For the most part I'll play anything I think I'll find interesting. I feel like I go through cycles. I just finished Firewatch the other day. I guess you could say I'm on break currently from playing The Witcher 3. I've played and completed pretty much all the games you've mentioned.

I battled drugs also.. The hardcore one I kicked by moving away to another state with some friends. I just got away from the people that I was always doing the drugs with.

I mean I smoke weed all the time but that's it's nothing else anymore. But weed's not like a drug to me . It's something more and it's hard to explain and people will probably just call me a pothead. But after a certain moment it's like your mind opens and the possibilities of imagination and creativity are endless. But that's a whole other story lol.

Back on track. I mean I do all types.. Rpgs, FPS, single player, multi player. I'm kind of a trophy whore even though I don't like to claim I am. haha

http://psnprofiles.com/JayB...

Overall gaming is just my outlet away from the reality I've lived.

My all time favorite game is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

and for some reason I am super super good at Geometry Wars.. I just smoke some weed and put on some music and lose myself in the chaos.

[jb227]

@oz

Yup right there with you in gaming on the reef...it just makes the worlds more interesting. It's harder to find for me these days though where KY used to be one of the leading grow states now all of those cats have switched to doc shopping pills & cooking meth haha

I think I'd get more into RPGs if I had more free time. Music is my main passion so I tend to spend most of my free time writing songs & gigging w/ my band while we are working on setting up this new studio, finally got all of the drywall up, got er painted & started hanging bass traps so that's eaten up a lot of my time these days. I've never really been good enough at MP games to do much & I always end up being that horrible player on any team I'm on that everyone wishes would just leave haha

Now I'm gonna have to try out some Geometry Wars...I love me some pretty colors.

[rainslacker]

I find as an adult(now 40), I do have to moderate myself more, as I could easily still allow myself to go on binges. Sometimes it's OK for me to do so, but I have to consider that sometimes I have to be up in the morning, or take care of other commitments, so I set reasonable goals which involve not trying too hard to force myself to complete a game, and not getting overly into competing a game at the exclusion of everything else.

I don't have kids, or a clingy significant other who forces me to turn off the system, so that helps a lot. And I've come to accept that I don't have to pay a game at every possible free moment.

There are times when I'd rather be playing a game than working or handling commitments, but I'm the kind of person who often feels I'd rather be doing something else, even if I'm doing something I enjoy...because I have too many interests which are time consuming.

[Pongwater]

"How are you supposed to play dozens of hours of The Witcher 3 when there are people to see, things to do, music to hear, films to watch and books to read."

Just like everything else in life, you have to prioritize.

[rainslacker]

In his scenario

People to see...go see them or don't...who needs people?

Things to do...do them. Doing what you have to do now, means you'll have time to do the things you want to do later.

Music to hear...listen to it in the car while going to see the people you have to see, and going to do the things you have to do.

Films to watch...spending hours on a film is in the same category as spending hours on a game...one has to decide which they prefer to do.

Books to read...what's a book? Seriously though...same with movies and games above...or do what I do, and read in bed until you fall asleep...which I sometimes also apply to music.

One can always find a reason not to do something. It's usually an indication that they are becoming disinterested in doing such things. If one finds ways and excuses to do things, then it's quite likely that you are interested in doing them. Life can pull you in different directions depending on your situation, but outside extreme circumstances, most people have plenty of free time, and if they don't, they need to seriously look at their life and consider making some adjustments before they go crazy and have a mental break down.

[ifistbrowni]

I watch about 4 hours of TV during a week now-a-days. I enjoy my time more with games than watching TV shows or movies. The 4 hours I do watch, I can name. 1 Hour for Bill Maher on Friday, 30 minutes for Vice, 30 minutes for John Oliver and 2 hours for a documentary that interests me.

Other than that, I rarely turn the cable box on.

I did go on a book kick 2 years ago before PS4 launched. THere just wasn't much to play and I was just waiting for PS4 to launch. I read about 30 books in a few months. Even books I find more entertaining than television. TV just sucks in America. Everything is so bloated, filled with advertisements and our news outlets are absolutely terrible.

I was interested in Game of Thrones after the first Season, so I read the books. Now I haven't watched the last two seasons. I was interested in the Walking Dead after the 2nd Season, so I read the comics, I haven't been back to the show since mid-season 3. Its probably a weird way to do thing.

[rainslacker]

Game of thrones I'll watch regularly, but other than that I barely watch TV. I do record stuff I like, and often have it on while doing stuff on the computer when no one else is also around to occupy the TV. Don't mind watching movies though. I tend to go through book phases too. Usually when I find a new series of books I like, I'll just get all of them, and read through them....but still really only did that when ready to go to sleep...although I may head to bed earlier for it.

[BillytheBarbarian]

I'm 38. I just save my game where I leave off. If you want a faster experience try sports. I play franchise modes and maybe play 2 or 3 games before bed after kids are in bed. But you just save progress.

[higgins78]

I do/try this. My problem being that when I do find the time and/or remember to go back to said game I've lost the thread - if it is a particularly big game. This is why I find Nintendo best suits my lifestyle. Pick up and play games which are polished, fun and have a great learning curve.

[brando008]

Prioritizing is essential, though it's hard for us trophy hunters. I need to change....

[SouljAx360]

You don't have to finish the game right away. You don't have to buy and play every single game they release. I like long games because I enjoy them and I save money on my hobby. By the time I finish FO4 for example all those shorter games I want to play will be cheap.

[Junebug]

I am 29. ;)

[Fist4achin]

It is difficult gaming as you get older with more and more responsibilities piling up. Family, additions to the family, work, projects, house, working out, pets, new movies/shows,... all take time. I do miss being able to binge on a game and I have a large backlog to show for all of the above, but I don't have anything to worry about as far as looking for something to play.

I just need to probably be a little more picky about which games I buy. It's so hard when I appreciate most types of games and love a good variety.

[Dark_Crow]

Years ago the number of games in the market was a lot lower then it is right now.

Just because the most popular games happen to be long doesnt mean there aren't hundreds of awesome shorter ones that are also popular.

[no_more_heroes]

This is why I'm not too concerned about list wars. I don't absolutely need so many games releasing. It's too much to keep up with.

I have more than enough games in my backlog to keep me occupied for a while. Games I've not finished or even touched from last gen, too.