The Video Game Critic

Well, I've hit a point where gaming is barely clocking in on my hobby list.  I don't mean like I don't play much anymore, but I don't even read about modern gaming at all anymore (even the critic's new game reviews), and only visit this forum about once a day (on Atariage I don't even visit any forums except the 7800 one).  Heck, I missed 2 weeks of Penny-arcade without even realizing it.  I play for maybe 15 minutes a day.  This doesn't feel like a slump; this feels like I'm done.  I haven't turned on the DS, GBA, Gamecube, or even Genesis in a couple weeks (I've only played 7800 and 2600 games), and moved out of town and left the other 20 systems in storage, because I really didn't want them. 

I just got my first non student job a month ago, and it's funny how I haven't felt much like gaming since getting it.  I was already working 30 hours a week in my student jobs, and was working on a thesis and attending classes at the same time, so it's not like this new job takes more of my time and leaves me not wanting to game.  In fact, it takes less of my time overall, and gives me more money to game with.  I can't explain it, but I'm pretty certain the part of my life where I think it's worthwhile to buy a new console is over, as is the part where I feel it important to argue over consoles or games.  I've had slumps before, but I'm pretty sure this isn't one of them.  Meanwhile, I've read 4 novels in the last 2 weeks, something I haven't done since high school. 

I considered myself "done" for a couple years generally around the time the last generation was coming out.  I remember seeing a Gamecube for the first time in Kmart running a Star Wars game of some sort and having basically no interest.  And for all I new at the time, the Gamecube was taking the market by storm.

Alot of this had to do with the fact that I had just returned from a 2 year mission for my church in New Zealand, where I for the most part played no games and harldy watched a television.  It just kindof left my mind and never found its way back in.  I think what got me back was when I started to really miss my classic stuff, and I got it all out of storage.  It just ignited something in me to see all that stuff from my childhood.  And so far, I havn't looked back.  I doubt I will. 

Same thing happened to me... from the time I got out of college (June 1998) to when I discovered DDR (August 2002), I barely touched my video games, except for an occassional SNES game or something. I certainly didn't read about or buy any new (or used) games, or go to arcades.   It'll pass.

Sometimes you just need a break from gaming.  That's normal.  I bet if you didn't play for a few weeks maybe you'd discover some renewed enthusiasm. 

I would definitely resist the urge to sell your stuff however.  A lot of us have done that, and then end up paying twice as much when we buy it all back!

The part about reading the novels does concern me however.  You may want to seek professional counciling about that.

[QUOTE=The Video Game Critic]
I would definitely resist the urge to sell your stuff however.  A lot of us have done that, and then end up paying twice as much when we buy it all back!

[/QUOTE]

I have probably wasted about $500 (over the course of my life) selling games and then buying them back later. If you like a game at all it is a bad idea to sell it.

Yes, do not sell your games.  You WILL regret it.

 

I've decided never to sell a game again, unless I never liked it.  Even if I'm stone-cold bored out of my mind even thinking about it, in 3 or 5 or 20 years, I'm going to be dying to play it.

[QUOTE=The Video Game Critic]Sometimes you just need a break from gaming.  That's normal.  I bet if you didn't play for a few weeks maybe you'd discover some renewed enthusiasm. 

I would definitely resist the urge to sell your stuff however.  A lot of us have done that, and then end up paying twice as much when we buy it all back!

The part about reading the novels does concern me however.  You may want to seek professional counciling about that.

[/QUOTE]
What is so disconcerting about reading novels?

Except for an occasional trip down Atari 8-bit memory lane, I didn't play many games from about 1990 through 1998.   Then my wife got me a Playstation for my birthday (she probably regrets that decision) and I got a taste of Resident Evil 2 and Gran Turismo and haven't looked back.  The whole NES/Genesis/SNES era has been something I've had to go back and rediscover, which has been cool (Ebay and thrift stores have helped).

 

Like others have said, don't sell your stuff!  You'll want it someday, and it doesn't take-up much space.  Who knows, some day you just might look back on the current era and think "Wow, there was come cool stuff back then." 

 

Interest in any hobby rises and falls: baseball cards, albums, books, whatever.  But it does come back...at least it did for me.  Something will spark it, and then you'll remember why you liked games in the first place.

 

- Mark

 

It is more than a little surprising that in your new found literacy, you haven't gained the ability to detect a joke .

 

I'm certain Dave was kidding about the novel reading thing.

 

I went through the same thing at the beginning of college. I went for music, and got pretty wrapped up in it (a good thing, of course). It wasn't until I started to get pretty darn bogged down in the degree program that I started to play again to blow off steam.

 

I tend to have several areas of interest, each one tends to go in remission, allowing the others to surface. When gaming bores me, I might right, or write some tunes.

 

-Rob

www.rumblepak.net

[QUOTE=Dennis]

Yes, do not sell your games.  You WILL regret it.[/QUOTE]

 

But if you do decide to sell your gaming stuff please sell it to me (preferably at obscenely low prices).  I may even let you come over to my apartment and pet your old games/systems when you miss them for a few minutes before I kick you the hell out of my house so I can squeeze more gaming fun out of your stuff.