Topic: Gaming has changed for me.

[K-man]

Broad statement, I know.

Some of my earliest memories involved an atari joystick in my hand and an 800xl computer displaying on my computer screen.  I've participated in every console generation since, with gaming in general being a significant part of my life.  I, like most other kids in my family's income bracket, didn't get to own every game that came out.  I relied on renting a lot and so I was able to gain broad experiences that way.  It wasn't until I graduated college and had large (for me, anyway) amounts of expendable income to purchase that stuff.  It didn't hurt that there were at the peak upwards of 4 collector-worthy game shops in town where I could accumulate it, mostly on the cheap.

Over the last year I have sold the majority of it.  The demands of my job and my roles of husband and father have pushed gaming out of the "hobby" realm and into some area of distraction/amusement.  I was initially sort of sad about it, but I honestly have not missed gaming being my main hobby-related focus.  I am making definite strides on guitar and I find that I am utilizing my time a little more wisely.  I had thought for years how nice it would be to just be involved in a small handful of games and not much else.  And today I can say that for the most part I am there.  I have some games on backlog that I cannot bear to part with until I at least give them a proper go, but I will not be replacing them with others when I finish.

I always thought I'd be hardcore into the hobby until the day I died.  And maybe one day when things calm down I'll get back into it.  I don't think that will happen, but then I didn't think I'd ever carry this attitude about a hobby that was such a backbone to my childhood.  It's a weird place to be.  But I can't say I dislike it.  In fact I believe it has been very good for me in a lot of ways.

I suspect most all of us either have or will experience this sort of transition as adulthood sinks its claws into our being.  I just hope there's always just enough kid in me to go back from time to time.

[Quemaqua]

I basically did this 4 years ago, just without selling anything. My "interest" in games remained, and I sort of kept trying to cram it in there, sometimes buying stuff that I'd never really play (it remained my go-to "retail therapy" thing), but I just don't feel the need like I once did. I have other things to spend my time on. Which isn't to say I don't like games or don't want to play them, only that I'm way, way more selective about what I pick up and what I play. Given my renewed focus on the language thing, I'll also probably be picking up a lot more imported stuff when I'm buying.

[W7RE]

I had to start stripping down my game choices just because of money and time. It doesn't matter how much time you have, there's too many good games to enjoy them all. I've passed on a lot of single player experiences just because I know I'll play the first hour, then go back to some mindless grind with social hooks, like Diablo 3 endgame, or an MMO. Those are just the games that hook me, and I've learned to not buy games I won't make time for.

Also, I don't think there's anything wrong with not playing anything for months. I notice a lot of people decide there's nothing they're interested in, or they've got too much other stuff to do, and want to "quit gaming". You don't need to. Just don't play anything if you don't feel like it. Maybe you'll play around on some mobile game for a couple minutes in a few months, or maybe you'll pick up an epic RPG and play it when you've got some time on your own. Just break the habit of buying things to have something to play, and instead buy something when you know you have the time and desire to play it. You're still going to identify with the games you've loved, especially the ones you played growing up. That culture is part of your past, and you don't have to play games all the time to maintain that.

[Quemaqua]

I think W7 hit the nail on the head, there.

[gpw11]

I was always probably the opposite of a collector, but I still hear what you're saying. We're getting older and it's hard to put the time in - there's always something I SHOULD be doing and I just don't have the will to deal with any level of displeasure in a game anymore.  I could generally like a game, hit a point I don't like and just stop playing forever, whereas previously I'd feel a drive to see something through.  Nowadays I always seem to say to myself that life's just too damn short for shitty escort missions or whatever and moving on.