Lately since I’ve been so busy gaming has kind of taken a bit of a back seat. I’ve reduced my games to about 1 or 2, and let the rest sit on the wayside. I am following gaming news but not participating as much, either.
Not that I wanted this to happen – of course games have been a part of my life for forever, and to see them drop off due to more important things is a bit sad. But I do think that taking a break from something does serve to whet your appetite for it later, leading to a more enjoyable gaming experience. MMOs are the biggest beneficiaries of a technique where you decide to not play a game for a while. The things that pissed you off about the game fade in time, and curiosity and good marketing sometimes suck someone back in who’s taken a hiatus.
There are some people out there who can totally play games for hours at a time each day and never blink. I’m not onw of those people. If I spent all of my time playing games, I’d probably never get anything done and my productivity would be in the toilet. Nothing like a little injection of IRL to motivate you to do what needs to be done, right? I have to applaud the people who can actually play 30 hours a week – it takes a bit of fortitude I don’t have and a focus that is unwavering and unbending.
For the rest of us average folks, a break is nice because of the fact that games will always be around for you whenever you find the time for them, even if they do turn out to be just Gamestop store credit. Rare is the person who totally drops off the face of the earth from a gaming perspective – even the busiest gamers find time to sneak in a game of Modern Warfare 2 between stressful work or family related business. So for those of you concerned that your gaming habits are dropping off and you don’t find time for games anymore, trust me – the break will do you good and keep you fresh for many, many Super Smash Bros’ tournament losses to an Ike player to come.
Phhf, I could take Ike as Snake any day. Then again, I also happen to be one of those 30+ hour youngin's you are speaking of. ;D
I'm in the same boat as you. This past year I have spent much more time renovating and maintaining our house than playing games. I've been lucky to squeeze in 5-10 hours per week and that's only because I'm slacking on other responsibilities.
Gaming has definitely taken a backseat in my life as well and I doubt I'll ever have the time to play MMOs again. They suck up way too much time and playing them casually puts me in a miserable mood. I want to do really cool and epic things but don't have the dedication to grind my way to those moments.