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[Bloobs]

After Dark

 

[simpatico]

Rarely play on weekdays unless I’m off work. Only the very biggest releases get me to play on weekdays. A new From game, CDPR etc. Even then it’s not going to be a long, full effort session. For me it’s Fridays nights (with the aid of my espresso machine) and Saturday and Sunday mornings. For truly great games that will extend into Saturday evening.

Overall it takes me a long time to finish games now. I’m playing TLOU on Steam and it will take 6-8 weekends to finish.

 

[Shadowstar39]

I feel your pain. I am in my 40s and my backlog grows day by day. It was easier when I worked a 4 10 hour shift but since been pushed to 5 8 hour shifts (i used to have days off when my spouse did not).

I play for 30 minutes or an hour if i am lucky during the week. I have other hobbies and a wife. I also play guitar and have a dog that needs walked, and I walk 3 miles a day to counter balance sitting at a computer all day for work.
Thats another thing. I game on and off all day on my switch or pc.

My home office has my work laptop, 3 monitors, and is a big "L shaped" desk. I have my personal/gaming pc on one side of the "L". So when emails start piling up or calls come in , I just swivel my chair. I can monitor my work situation on my laptop screen that sits right next to my gaming monitor. Any alerts are in my peripheral vision. This allows me to play strategy, city builders, etc.. Anything that doesn't require sound and has a pause button I can play.
The switch helps too, as I can pause that in an instant. I play a ton of jrpgs and roguelikes on that.

I own multiple systems and I don't expect to ever finish my backlog of 1000s going back generations. I don't expect to get through it all. In fact I am constantly adding to it. Just bought a stack of old ps2 games I never played years ago as I skipped that console gen( was pc only at the time)

I get up early on my days off and play for a few hours on weekends while my wife sleeps in. I schedule a night or two during the week to play a new release (like silent hill 2 remake, I made sure I have nothing else going on).
There is a balancing act between, work, sleep, eating, spouse time, other hobbies, exercise, etc... when you are young it feels like you have all the time in the world, when you are older it feels like the opposite.

I am hoping that by the time I retire in 20+ years emulation will cover any broken consoles, and I can enjoy my gaming in peace, like I did when I was a kid and didn't work.

 

[Hrk69]

Usually I'm playing 3 or 4 hours per day. In the weekend I easily double those hours.

Thank god for not having kids or a busy social life.

Sometimes I skip sleep because I don't feel like sleeping. This occurs 1 or 2 times a month

 

[ReBurn]

just stop sleeping

This was my strategy for years, but I'm too old for that now.

 

[Shadowstar39]

Why do you buy 500 games when you don't have the time to play them?

No one buys that many games at once. I have 1000s going back multiple systems and generations. When you are in your 40s+ it happens. Steam, psn and eshop sales don't help. Deep discounts on used games or old games on sale that you missed digitally. I buy so much that I don't ever play but may. If it goes under $10 I snag it.

 

[Icymanipulator]

Find a girl who doesn’t want children, that’s what I did. Other then work and exercise, we game together.

 

[Closer]

I work and workout every day. Play some games at night, 1 to 2 hours tops. Play RPGs on weekends, Fighters and Indies on workdays. No AAA for me as I don't really like them. I do just fine.

 

[Filben]

Unless you're working +50 hours a week and have kids to take care of, it's all about pirorities. You can't hit the gym, cook every meal by yourself, have a partner, read a novel, help out in the soup kitchen, play video games, go on a trip on weekends and go fishing with your best buddy and work in your garage on your favourite handcrafted piece of wood.

As with games, you have to let go of those which ain't cut it. No time or energy for mediocrity, so choose wisely. If you like to work out and excercise, try calisthenics so you safe yourself the trip to and from the gym. Look for a job where commuting doesn't take an hour or try to move closer. Just add up all this time over the year... this is priceless life time. I knew people who commute like 45min to 60min or even longer... one way! This is ten extra hours per week, 520 per year you do nothing productive unless you can read, play on your Switch or listen to podcasts while you're at it. If you have to drive by yourself, tough shit. Move or get job closer to your home.

If you have a partner, play video games with her/him. Don't try to be too spontaneous; fix a date with your best buddy in advance and plan your week(s) accordingly.

If playing video games is so important, talk to your partner/family about it. I can't stress this enough: fix a date for yourself. Really. Jot it down in your calender. Thursday night, 7pm-11pm, game session. Why should everyone else's dates and needs be more important than yours?

For six years now one of my best buddies comes over every single Tuesday and we watch trailers, tv shows and ponder about video games. In a year there's maybe five weeks we can't make it due to illness or other things that really ARE more important. My wife knew this from the start and is okay with it; she does something on her own (she does it even more times per week). My other friends also know this. Tuesday is podcast night with my buddy. This is law.

Oh, and stop wasting time on social media. Stop scrolling and stop getting riled up by this brain rot spreaded on social media. Just do things you really enjoy. It's okay to drop things like video games, that don't enrich your life (people count, too).

 

[PanzerCute]

If you dont have Kids it should not be an issue. I work 45/50 hours a week, I have a very "time consuming girlfriend", I go out two nights per week and I can still destroy many RPGs every year.

Last time I had this conversation with a friend, I realized he spends most of his time wasting it on his phone or browsing shit shows on Netflix. (Not saying that its your case, OP, but still do double check on that).

 

[UltimaKilo]

Wait until you get older, especially if you want to be in a competitive field and are ambitious. You'll barely have time to wash clothes, let alone play games.

 

[Last Hearth]

As I grew older I'm having trouble even gaming at all. From university to work, to university again (and the gf, family), I have no time at all to play the game...

I loved taking hours to explore a game, feeling it, being immersed in it, loving it making love to it having memories widit, all that, and now I just cannot do it at all. So little time so many sooo many games.

Before the PS5 launched I was eager to delve into Demons Souls, it's 2024, I still haven't even got past the first two dudes that come thru on the castle's gates.

How do you adult dudes do this? Do you really just play 30 min - 1 hour and do it just fine? How can you feel the game that way? Last game I played was Alien Isolation, long ass game didn't even got 50% thru it, and it's gone from PS Plus extra, but what an amazing one... I'm on 500 games on the PS5, thru backlog, plus games and whatnot, I wanna play them all, is it possible?

I gravitated toward turnbased games because those I can play long or short on my convenience.

 

[Hawk The Slayer]

It's always the right time.

 

[Salty Pickle]

I am 41 years old, have a wife and one kid that is 3,5 years old. Both me and my wife work, have high paying jobs but attached to that come long work hours but I still get about 1-2 h per day gaming time. On weekends I can get about 4-6 hours depending.

I mostly play online with friends in games like space marines and destiny 2, before that we played outriders and MH World.

Last game I got really immersed in was Cyperpunk and before that Hogwarts and Witcher 3. Play mostly on PS5 and some PC (that I desperately need to upgrade but are waiting on 5000-series gpu and Zen 5 x3d).

Have pre-ordered a ps5 pro.

 

[Hrk69]

Wait until you get older, especially if you want to be in a competitive field and are ambitious. You'll barely have time to wash clothes, let alone play games.

Are you washing your dirty clothes by hand?

 

[Shifty1897]

I'm on 500 games on the PS5, thru backlog, plus games and whatnot, I wanna play them all, is it possible?

No, not at all. Find one game that you want to play the most, play that one game every night for an hour before bed until it's done, then start another one. Never jump around to a different game. The good news is with a backlog that big, you won't have to buy another game for a long time, and when you do, they'll all be super cheap on sale.

 

[mayham2199]

When you only have work it's easier. When you have kids it can be harder but eventually you can even play while they play with their toys. The real fight begins when they get old enough to play the PS5 and they try to assert their dominance to get access to the PS5 over you.

 

[Putonahappyface]

just stop sleeping

 

[Hrk69]

The real fight begins when they get old enough to play the PS5 and they try to assert their dominance to get access to the PS5 over you.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

You don’t have time to finish even one game, yet you subscribe to PS+ extra?

 

[deriks]

My weeks are not always the same, but I consider myself as very methodical, so I try to stick to one thinking
- 5h: waking up and getting to the gym
- 7h: shower, breakfast and got to work
- 8h to 17h: work, lunch, work
- 17h30: healthy snack
- 18h: gaming or studying
- 20h: dinner
- 21h: sleep

Saturday if I'm not working
- 8h to 12h: breakfast, watching something, doing some shore
- 12h: lunch, then playing until night
- 20h dinner, then watching something and then sleep or hanging out

Sunday:
- 8h to 11h: breakfast, watching something, doing some shore (yeah. basically the same to conclude if I didn't do everything the day before)
- 11h to 13h: gym
- 13h: visit parents, lunch and stuff
- 17h: back to my place, play something
- 20h: dinner
- 21h: sleep

 

[Deerock71]

I don't mind busting out my Steam Deck OLED during a particularly lengthy eulogy at a funeral. He's dead. We get it. He was awesome, blah blah blah. Look: two more of us just croaked waiting for you to take a breath you inescapable vacuum. CAN YOU SAVE SOME OXYGEN FOR THE REST OF US?!

 

[Kamina]

Saturday Morning Gaming (like Saturday Morning Cartoons) is the best.
Most importantly you have to make time.
If all you do is following duties or living for other people, you are neglecting your own needs.

 

[SHA]

It's like sports, when you feel you could make progress, the most is better, everyone understands sports.

I don't feel bad or push myself when I knew I won't make progress and just wasting my time.

The "Not feeling bad" strategy has made me beat hundreds of games and stay aim full.

 

[SHA]

After Dark

YT is addictive, they must get sued.

 

[Guilty_AI]

This was my strategy for years, but I'm too old for that now.

stop being old then

 

[sharp weiner]

Key to me is cutting down on things like working out and spending time with loved ones.

That opens up a lot of time.
And also when the E.D. kicks in you you can shift all that masturbation time to gaming.

But seriously I just play for an hour after my wife goes to bed. So I can’t get immersed in games anymore like what was described in OP.

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

Key to me is cutting down on things like working out and spending time with loved ones.

That opens up a lot of time.
And also when the E.D. kicks in you you can shift all that masturbation time to gaming.

But seriously I just play for an hour after my wife goes to bed. So I can’t get immersed in games anymore like what was described in OP.

 

[gooner4life_uk]

I'm in my 40's, have 3 kids (well one's an adult now and he has a full time job with me), 1 teenager and 1 in primary school still (2nd grade elementary for my American friends on here) and a wife.

I have my desk for WFH/Paperwork etc in the corner of the living room, so while my wife is watching TV I have my gaming setup here, we can still talk, engage with each other, she just get's to watch whatever nonsense she wants to watch in the evening and i get to sit and play some games as it's my way of downtime, i don't like sitting and watching TV really as i work in that industry and i'm surrounded by it during my workday.

Back in the day when I had my gaming setup in my mancave it was a problem for my wife, i'd disappear upstairs, she'd be sat downstairs, it wasn't good, this is definitely the way to go in my opinion as an older married gamer dad.

My 2nd grader daughter has her gaming setup in the opposite corner of the living room with a monitor, an xbox series x and own desk for homework and gaming, it works well.

 

[ComputerBlue]

When I was going to school and working at the same time I played a few hours on the weekend and on holidays. You just got to deal with it and eventually things will settle down. Until they get busy again, and settle down again, rinse and repeat.

 

[Fbh]

I don't have kids but most of my gaming time is at night, after hitting the gym (every other day), doing chores, having dinner, etc I usually still have a 2-3 hours of free time before I go to bed.
It also helps that I don't watch a lot of TV

 

[Crayon]

I keep a long game, a shorter game and some arcade games in rotation so I've got something I can jump into depending on what kind of time I have.

Idk what to do if you never have time to sit down for that long game, though. With your school and work and a family, I'm definitely not the one to ask.

 

[cartman414]

Seventeen.

 

[metareferential]

just stop sleeping

The reverse of "get a second job": get a second life.

 

[Duchess]

I do 60 to 90 minutes each day. It means some larger games (FF7 Rebirth) take me a while to get through, but I'm cool with that.

An hour a day means that games take me 3 or 4 weeks to complete.

 

[TGO]

making love to it

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

Late 40s gamer, work full time and have a fiance. My kids are all grown up and are on their own so no issues there, but when they were growing up, sometimes finding the time to game was a challenge. It got easier as they got older as 2 of them got into gaming also and we would play together and then eventually it was a thing where they'd play for an hr or so and then i would after.

These days, i game around 1-2 hrs a day in the evening before bed. Some days i don't get to at all because life happens, or something else comes up. Weekends too in the evening i play several hours. My fiance doesn't get on my ass about gaming which is great. She has her own "me time" things that she does so there's never an issue there. I have a PS5 and a Switch and my own Gaming room setup in the loft upstairs next to my office that's my "Gaming Cave" lol

You can be a regular adult gamer and still have a good life. I have 62 Platinum trophies and play and finish just about all of the main big single player titles each year, and i don't rush to do it or spend 10-12 hr marathon sessions to do so. Don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't be an adult gamer!

 

[Edgelord79]

Yup short spurts in between hockey practice, swimming, baseball practice, camp, fishing, outdoors, etc… I have kids, solo it may be easier idk.

Gaming is a great hobby but most likely it won’t your main hobby when you get older just because of the time.

 

[recursive]

As I grew older I'm having trouble even gaming at all. From university to work, to university again (and the gf, family), I have no time at all to play the game...

I loved taking hours to explore a game, feeling it, being immersed in it, loving it making love to it having memories widit, all that, and now I just cannot do it at all.

Bro i stopped there. You made love to your video games? Wtf man?

 

[ReBurn]

stop being old then

Next step is dead

 

[SkyHighTrees]

Bro i stopped there. You made love to your video games? Wtf man?

its retarded shit you feel me, just a nonsense jk

 

[flying_sq]

Winter, or crappy weather days. No other good time to play them

 

[Beechos]

I usually play for a lil when the wife and kids goto sleep.

 

[majorgamer10]

This. Let the wagies pay for you

The circle of life???

 

[Shake Your Rump]

I walk 3 miles a day to counter balance sitting at a computer all day for work.

Do what I do: walk during work hours. Every break I take, I am walking. Morning break, I eat some yogurt and walk 10 minutes. Lunch, I eat then walk 20-30 minutes. Walk walk walk. I get more exercise during days I work my desk job than when I have the day off.

 

[Damageinc103]

Now that my children are grown i seem to have tons of time to game. But even when we were raising our children i would just go with less sleep.

 

[dreamstation]

It's difficult for sure. Working 10 hour days, two kids. I'm lucky if I get 1-2 hours of an afternoon to play something which makes it hard to really feel immersed in a game. In all honesty I could probably play less and spend more time with the kids but it's all a balancing act that I don't always get right.

 

[IAmRei]

Going portable also might help. But if You wont spend more, i think play just one hour before sleep is also fine. Thats what i did before i work in creative industry, where i can choose my working time.

 

[Luc2010]

Friday nights me and the son game together until 4 am. It took me almost 2 months to beat Star Wars Jedi Survivor like this. Lol. The wife is fine with the "do whatever I want to do night" with no complaints.

 

[Alan Wake]

How do you adult dudes do this? Do you really just play 30 min - 1 hour and do it just fine? How can you feel the game that way? Last game I played was Alien Isolation, long ass game didn't even got 50% thru it, and it's gone from PS Plus extra, but what an amazing one... I'm on 500 games on the PS5, thru backlog, plus games and whatnot, I wanna play them all, is it possible?

You can't play them all if you want to keep relations and spend time with kids etc. I play almost every evening when the kids are asleep, but it's for an hour or so. Then I spend time with the wife. When I was younger I had the time but not the money. Now I have the money but not the time to play all the games I want. It is what it is. So keep at the level you can and be happy you can still play some at least.