I wish we had more time for this...

[Herschie]

Yesterday I decided to pop in "Madden NFL '97" on my PS1 (Actually PS2, backwards compatibility). I was having a solid time with it, and it was cool to see all the stars I grew up watching like Dan Marino, Bruce Smith, Michael Irvin, and Steve Young (Of course being a Bears fan I always end up playing against the stars due to Coach Wannstedt's poor personnel decisions). I thought to myself, gee, I could really see myself getting into this, playing a season, seeing if I couldn't make the playoffs (Wannstedt's Bears failed to at 7-9 in 1996), see how far I could get. Indeed that would be fun.

But with a full-time job, a wife, other games and commitments, I simply don't have the time. And that's really a shame because there are so many other games I'd like to take a deeper dive into. The other day I was playing "Triple Play '99" and thought the same thing. How cool would it be to relive the Sosa/McGwire home run race? But again usually I only have time for a few innings and that's it.

Unfortunately it's always been this way. I bet if I check my Dreamcast VMUs I'll see a couple half-finished seasons of NFL 2K and NBA 2K from 22 years ago. And I'd love to really get back into "Medal of Honor" and remember the fond times I had playing that until 8 in the morning, stopping only to stuff my face with Papa John's (I feel that I should elaborate and mention cheese pizza, otherwise...Yeah, pizza). All the numerous Zelda files that always seem to have left off at whichever Water Temple was in that particular game.

Fortunately I still have time to play a full 162 game season of MLB The Show, especially with the quick counts and quick manage feature. Back in 2012 maybe I had more time because I did the same thing and those features didn't exist. Another PS5 game I sort of enjoyed was "Demon's Souls" but I seem to have abandoned it due to the insane difficulty and lack of time. Same thing with NBA 2K21, it is such a great game, but as basketball isn't my favorite sport it again falls victim to the limited amount of time I have each night.

And then new games keep on coming out, so which ones am I going to devote my time to? This is why I only really find myself scratching the surface of these games.

Maybe I need to see what I can do to get on the fast track to retirement. Maybe get back into shape as I'm only 39, but without work and such I'll definitely have more time for these games. But something tells me even then it won't be enough.

[Voor]

Have a couple of kids, and multiple those feelings times 100. Lol.

Yeah, honestly, limited time often prevents me from even trying a lot of games at all. I tend to play 20-30 minutes at a time, and at that rate, completing something like Breath of the Wild takes months. Plus, half of my gaming is with the kids, and on top of other life responsibilities, I have other hobbies I enjoy. I got Skyrim last year and thought it was a lot of fun, but at the rate I was progressing, it would have been the only thing I would play all year. Ugh.

That’s why I appreciate games like Rocket League, where you can play for 30 minutes and “get it out of your system”.

*in terms of getting in shape, I turned 40 this year and was frustrated with how I was out of shape, and couldn’t really click with any physical activity (despite trying multiple things). I ended up going to a yoga class and was instantly hooked. I feel 10 years younger and classes are the highlights of my week. I recommend you give it a shot!

[ActRaiser]

Yep, I'm in agreement. We only have the one kid but between work, yard work, and taking care of her there's not a lot of time for gaming anymore. We bought an arcade system which has been a boon. I can play a "complete" game in 30 minutes all the way through. Anything longer than that just doesn't happen. Mostly, though I can play a 30 second game of Robotron or 5 minutes if I'm rocking it. The same goes for Centipede. That frankly is how I spend my time gaming these days. It's not every day but I can get in a quick game here and there.

Games like Skyrim are no longer a possibility.

I used to think that when I retire I'd have a ton of time to play all the games I've collected over the years but am beginning to think that's probably not going to happen. Like Voor I have other hobbies/chores to do. I can imagine doing more of those in retirement, such as, wood working.

[bluenote]

This is so true. I would love to start Breath of the Wild, but the average playthrough is at least 50 hours! I would probably play for 6-8 hours a week, so it would at least take 2 months to beat. That would be the best case scenario, it would probably be closer to 3 months realistically.

I've been playing Fallen Order and it's been a month or so and I'm still not done!

[Paul Campbell]

I have five kids under 14 years old, so there are a lot of games that I simply can't play when they might walk in, so I have been playing through Last of Us 2, in tiny chunks, starting at about 1 in the morning, in the dark, on my bed, next to my sleeping wife, with headphones on, and it's actually become one of the highlights of my life. Ass a little beer to the mix and it becomes a surreal experience. It also helps that I'm self employed and can make my own schedule the next day. I thought I was getting close to the end of the game (turns out I wasn't), so I went and bought the new Resident Evil game after I heard good things about it, just so I could immediately have something to play at night, in the dark, with headphones on, after I'm done with Last of Us.

[ActRaiser]

This is so true. I would love to start Breath of the Wild, but the average playthrough is at least 50 hours! I would probably play for 6-8 hours a week, so it would at least take 2 months to beat. That would be the best case scenario, it would probably be closer to 3 months realistically.

ha! I played through Breath of the Wild on the Wii U mainly on the tablet when it first launched. My daughter would either be sleeping or eating or doing something that allowed me to get in 20-30 minute chunks a day. The best part of that game was that each "shrine" you cleared kept you getting closer and closer to the end game. Each shrine could also be found and completed in under 30 minutes. It felt awesome to chip away at things. As a result, each session made me feel like I was making progress. It was bloody brilliant. Although, it took far longer than 3 months for me to complete it. But it felt good to finally beat the game. I often played while my wife watched something else on the tv. There weren't many games that drew me in like that.

You can do it!

[DocHix]

Life is a short and a lot of us who (a) collect games and (b) have busy lives have to face up to the fact that we are probably not going to play/finish everything that we'd like to given limited free time (or read all the books, see all the films, etc.) I'm early 50's now with a family and what has helped me is to make a list of the three games I would want to play if I was told I would never be able to play any more following their completion. Once I've finished those, I move on to three more. Sounds silly, but three keeps the "task" doable and helps me prioritize. Remember, too, that there is a lot of emerging research indicating that playing games as you age keeps your attention and working memory on track and may contribute to protecting you long term from developing serious degenerative neurocognitive disorders (like Alzheimer's!)

https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/video-game ... der-adults

[Matchstick]

I feel ya, Hersh. I'm pushing 40, myself, and am married, as well. Thankfully we don't have any kids, but we do live in a very, very old house that is in constant need of repairs. Most of my "free" time is spent on household projects and yard work, and when I do have time at the end of the day, gaming is rarely on my mind. I keep telling myself that I'll settle down for some extended gaming once our home repairs are done, but as we're finding out, you're never done.

I will say this - I more or less gave up on current gaming long ago, and I couldn't be happier about that! We do have two current systems (Switch and Xbox One) which are mostly used by my wife for Animal Crossing and Apex Legends, respectively. I haven't bought an Xbox game in years, and while I have bought a few Switch titles recently, I have yet to play them. In this way, "all the new games that keep coming out" just don't matter. I'll get to them eventually. Or I won't.

I played about 20 minutes of Soul Calibur II and a few games of NBA Hangtime in the last week. That's it. Like you, I have a soft spot for old sports games with classic rosters full of Hall of Famers. Who was on that Madden '97 Bears squad, Eric "Cosmo" Kramer and Rashaan Salaam? Eeek, good luck with that! My best tip for Madden: play with 3 minute quarters. You can usually get a whole game done in just under 20 minutes, especially if you like to run and stay inbounds. It's about the only way I can bring myself to play a full game of Madden, anymore.

It's funny, but as the years have gone by, I've found more enjoyment in reminiscing about old games and reliving old memories - like we're doing now - than I enjoy actually playing video games. Sure, sure, it's always fun to do a little multiplayer when the friends come by, but as far as being a grown man sitting in front of a picture tube for hours on end... eh.

For me, I think those days are officially gone. But I'll always be glad to chat you guys up a bit and share stories about how it used to be

[Robotrek]

I ended up feeling the opposite. I have a son, but I only got to see him once in a blue moon since my ex wife moved to Michigan in 1996. During this time I seriously got into collecting video games. In the early 2000s I moved in with 3 other guys I'd live with until 2013 or so. 2 of them were really into games just like me, and for years I'd do the very bare minimum just to get by, as would they. I'd play games for 6 to 8 hours a day nearly every day. After 10 years of doing this I got mentally sick. I had a bachelors in biology and I was still doing jack diddly. I eventually got so overwhelmed by the feeling of lazying around I got out of there. Now I hardly play games. Maybe an hour a day if I play at all. I have the feeling that I'd like to play more but almost never actually start playing. So it's like the opposite of what you describe.

[VideoGameCritic]

I think this is why I gravitate towards classic games. I can play for an hour and have a good time. I don't need to dedicate a month to the latest online shooter and make it a lifestyle.

Sometimes I think having less time to play makes me enjoy gaming more. I mean, what makes you want to game more than working? Then when you finally get a little time a lot you can truly enjoy it.