Shocker: my buddy just dropped gaming, altogether

[Steven]

Found out tonight a buddy of mine just decided to quit the gaming scene. He doesn't blame games for anything, as it made him a lot of friends that otherwise he might end his life he said. Hell, just last month I remember him talking about Saturn Bomberman get togethers.

Anyway, he said he made the sad realization that it's time to do other things with his life. He hasn't had a girlfriend in forever, blah blah.

Got me thinking... how long will YOU be involved with games? Life can change in a split second. I mean, all these games we own and games on our want list... one day they can all go from "sweet" to "bleh".

5 years from now I'll be 27... I honestly know there will come a point in my life where I too will make that "change" in my life. Family... girlfriend/wife... things will soon take over... and I'm not sure I'll feel the same way about gaming at 28 as I do at 22.

Anyway, didn't mean to get anyone down... but it just came to me as a shocker that my bud quit gaming tonight.

[RegSNES]

Wow. Just up and quit, eh? That's gotta come as a shock. Well I'll be 25 in July but I honestly don't think I'll ever give up gaming. It's my favorite hobby. Sure, I don't play as much as I did when I was a kid, but it is something I make time for, as I make time for other things as well. But if your buddy is happy with his decision, then that's good for him. And you should see if you can get him to sell you some of his games for cheap. :P

[Cryomancer]

The only things I can remember from my childhood are game-related. So I'll guess I will likely never drop the hobby. 20~ years running and I see no sign of stopping. I'll be bitching that the old folks home doesn't have enough outlets or input plugs on the TV.

[hydr0x]

i'll never stop, why should i? i already have found the girl i'm going to marry some day and already live together with her and i still find the time. Yeah, a full-time job and children will demand time, but i'm pretty sure i'll be able to arrange things so i can game enough :)

[smokehouse]

Pacing.

Yep, that’s what keeps me in gaming. I’m married, have a full time job and have a large social life (no, I’m not kidding). I game from time to time. The rest of the time I keep my stuff on display so I can visually enjoy it every day. It brings back memories. When I feel like playing a classic I pull it out. After that it goes back in the case for another 4-6 months.

Thruth be told I don’t play many current games. The last marathon gaming session was when Paper Mario 2 came out. I no longer have the time to devote the better part of a week or 2 to playing a game. Simply put, I rarely play any of the current consoles. I find myself playing Columns on the Game Gear more than anything (go figure).

At this pace I will never quit retro gaming, there’s no need to. It doesn’t interfere with my social life nor does it consume massive amounts of my time.

[theMot]

Up untill the age of about 17 i was a hardcore gamer then one day i just suddenlly stopped. Did the whole social scene getting blind drunk every weekend thing for a few years before i met my gf which settled me down somewhat. Then sometime through the middle of last year (i was 23 at the time) I had this sudden urge to brake out my SNES and start doing hot laps in Mario Kart LOL .

Ive been back into it full on ever since, ive started collected SNES games, mind you just the ones i really want as well as old retro magazines from back in the day - thank god i didn't throw any of them out!

At christmas i was given a DS and now im heavily into that too! I also plan on purchasing a Wii when it's released later this year. I dont see myself ever going col turkey on gaming again. Now that im back into it i remember how much i missed it.

Like it says on the home page... Let us ALL game on!!!

[MachineGex]

My father told me when I became a teen that, "Moderation is a key to happiness". I never really knew what what that meant until years later. The older I get, the more true that advice becomes. I never have gotten out of gaming since we got our first "Pong" for Christmas, but I have taken extended breaks(6-12 months) several times. If gaming consumes your time, a break is needed. I strongly believe playing games shouldn't monopolize your time. If it does, another part of your life will likely suffer(work, relationships, your children, wife, chores, yard work, etc.).
Just my 2 cents, I'll bill you-

[Felixthegamer]

I may have my moments where I don't play games for a while or buy new games, but I think that is just a down time. I don't think there will be a time where I stop. Slow down? Sure, but probably not stopping

[heybtbm]

Found out tonight a buddy of mine just decided to quit the gaming scene.

What the hell is, "the gaming scene"?

Anyway...

Playing games is just another thing to do to have fun. As you get older, you realize that there is no "right" or "wrong" way to spend your free time. No one is keeping score...so to speak.

I may be reading too much into your post, but your friend sounds he's going through a rough time. To immediately stop doing something that is a big part of his life seems like a symptom of a larger issue. I'd keep an eye on him.

[crazyjackcsa]

I'm out after this generation. It's something I've been thinking about for a long long time. I may stay one generation behind, IE Pick up the next generation console when it becomes a last generation console, but I've found I don't have the time anymore. So I have to move on.

[Snapple]

I don't think it's a big deal if he doesn't want to play games anymore. If he has better things to do, good for him.

Shocking as it may seem, some people who don't play video games have in the past become productive members of society anyway.

I mean, it's not like you guys won't hang out anymore. You'll find other stuff to do. Maybe even get out of the house. Don't worry about it.

[anagrama]

Quick! Buy up all his cool shit before he changes his mind! ;)

[jajaja]

Its fully possible to have a career and a family and still have gaming as a hobby. Its not like your "hey, now im going out to find me a job where im going to work until i retire and after that im going to find me a girl thats going to be my wife". All this happends naturaly and automaticly over time. It might require you to cut down alot on the gaming for a while tho.

People also get tired of stuff. Before i used to like football (soccer), but i just got tired of it during the years. The interesset might come back or its being replaced by something else. As long as your happy with what you do thats what matters :)

[Happy_Dude]

I'v contemplated selling some of my less used collections and focusing on
1 system but really I don't think I'll ever quit.
And if I did for some reason I'd just put time into my other collections
like Maps, Banknotes, coins.... I have a few rare Notes and early
1900's coins (still looking for roman coins if anyone has some ;) )

Basically gaming is a byproduct of the hunt. I love finding games in the wild.
Nothing beats that rush of knowing what somthing is worth ...... and getting it dirt cheap :D

[Blitzwing256]

when something becomes a little too large in your life, it never hurts to set it aside for awile and do other things, and if down the road you want to come back to it, wonderfull, if not well then you can fill that space with something else.

I quit modern gaming for awile (maybe forever) but instead of selling all my pee-s-too xbawks and lamecube stuff, I shoved them all in a box till a later date where I might want to play them again (or at all).

but yeah, you might want to keep an eye on your friend, large changes like that sometimes are a sign of depression.

[dcescott]

The guy seems to live in absolutes. Either play video games or not, no middle ground. Very black and white. I know folks like that. Some people don't know how to balance their lives or prioritize so they start tossing out the electives. I remember someone at college go through a break up and he shaved his head and distanced himself from a number of people. Weird way of dealing with it, but different strokes different folks.
I got rid of some of my collection last year, mainly because I needed a serious upgrade on my computer at home. I needed to raise up some dough, big deal. Do I miss my Vectrex?, sure do, but it's not a heroin addiction. I can do without. I kept my nes, snes, and xbox. But I also added two arcade cabs. That's another thread...

[Jumpman Jr.]

Found out tonight a buddy of mine just decided to quit the gaming scene.

What the hell is, "the gaming scene"?

I think it would be stuff like going out and buying games, talking about games on the internet, playing games, going to gaming meets and stuff like that. There is a gaming scene, the way I see it.
As for quiting the hobby, I don't know. I can't see myself ever leaving the hobby. There's just too much out there to get.

[FullCircle]

I go through periods where I don't want anything to do with videogames, but i never get rid of my collection. I actually keep buying games and systems throughout that period, but I just don't play them. I've been playing video games for most of my life and collecting them for about 10 years, but I've always collected different things. All of my collections so far have stuck with me since they started, so I doubt the games would be sold off at any point.

[ShinobiMan]

Yeah, there was a thread I made many years ago that was similar to this.

If you want to read what people had to say on that one: http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=373

What I can say is that we all have different priorities at different times in our lives. I myself go in and out of the gaming scene many times a year. I'm certain your friend is feeling the same way I felt for a while, but he'll be back, craving that Saturn Bomberman love.

Keep the faith!

[Nebagram]

I dunno where I'm gonna be in five years' time but I picked up my first joystick in 1986 and have been doing so every year since so I think it's safe to assume I'll be doing so every year hence. Well, slightly more frequently, obviously. :)

[ClassicGameTrader]

Anyway, he said he made the sad realization that it's time to do other things with his life. He hasn't had a girlfriend in forever, blah blah.

Your buddy is missing the boat, chicks love to play video games. You just need to lure them into the house, fire up some super puzzle fighter II and whip out the schwanson.

Its that easy

[ClassicGameTrader]

Anyway, he said he made the sad realization that it's time to do other things with his life. He hasn't had a girlfriend in forever, blah blah.

Your buddy is missing the boat, chicks love to play video games. You just need to lure them into the house, fire up some super puzzle fighter II and whip out the schwanson.

Its that easy

[jboypacman]

you know there were times i thought about giving up gaming but i just gave up collecting comics and toys instead.now more recently in the last year or so i thought about giving up gaming again not because i felt i out grew it or anything it was just the fact i had got tried of todays games but i rediscovered the atari 2600 and the colecovision from my younger years.now am really excited about gaming again thanks to homebrew games and old games i have never played.it drives my wife crazy who doesnt understand my love of games but she supports me in my bad habits.your friend may just need some time away from gaming he will come back to it again.

[alec]

A few month's back I was thinking about what makes me grind my teeth. I guess I might be subconciously doing it in my sleep, but the only time I do it conciously is when I'm playing video games. I tried to stop playing video games and my teeth felt good for that time being. I don't think I even lasted a week though. One day I just looked at my Neo Geo cabinet flipped the switch and said, "You know what Alec, fuck your teeth."

Video Games > My Teeth

[MagicMajenta]

"Moderation is a key to happiness".

I find that to be SOOO true. Now that I'm older I try to CONSCIOUSLY practice moderation in all aspects of my life and not be caught up in one thing and be obssessed by it. I have a huge VideoGame collection but hardly play anYmore except on occassion. I want to be able to control my gaming not the other way around. I also eat regularly, work out regularly, read and as much as possible and if something is close by the house I just walk for good old excercise and to save on gas. If you practice moderation in your life, it will work wonders for you in the long run when it comes to discipline and self control. Trust me. 8-)

[dcescott]

self control? pppffftt!!
LOL just kiddin man!
Buying my two cabs is not self control, however, I am not like some yodels here who have two dozen or more cabs, most of which are taking space in the garage as projects. Moderation is in the eye of the beholder. I don't drink too often, but one beer is moderation for me, someone else it's a 6 pack. Mind you I weigh a buck 35... :D
My friends come over and we have a great time in my gameroom. Good times. If there is time to play a game, great, if there is something else pending, that's life. I'm not crying over lost time. Mario can save the princess another day. Or I can blow up my friends next week. blah blah blah.

[MagicMajenta]

self control? pppffftt!!
LOL just kiddin man!
Buying my two cabs is not self control, however, I am not like some yodels here who have two dozen or more cabs, most of which are taking space in the garage as projects. Moderation is in the eye of the beholder. I don't drink too often, but one beer is moderation for me, someone else it's a 6 pack. Mind you I weigh a buck 35... :D
My friends come over and we have a great time in my gameroom. Good times. If there is time to play a game, great, if there is something else pending, that's life. I'm not crying over lost time. Mario can save the princess another day. Or I can blow up my friends next week. blah blah blah.

I have 2 cabs too. But I'm certainly not playing them 24/7. All I'm saying is not to let something control the person if so then there's a problem. One should always be dynamic and adapt to different situations. If there is something that someone can't live without and is constantly looking for it in their lives then it's time to step back and gain perspective.

[Wrestlemaniac]

You know, this topic is spot on on what's been going around in my head the last couple of weeks too!

I quit gaming multiple times before, but always came back at some point , at this very moment i only have a gamecube and now that the next gen is coming, i started thinking again, drop gaming,or keep going....

The fact is i am also one of them black / white peepz, there just aint a grey road to take.

Although i did scale down to just nintendo though ( when i was younger i had everything but nintendo has always been me nr 1 )

Some days, i think about selling the cube and just leave gaming for what it is, besides, i kida spend enough money on my other collection (wrestling) and 2 collections would be a financial disaster LOL

Then, there's the fact that i litteraly grew up playing games, had the nes when i was 2 and spend the last 20 years playing games ( besides the off-time i had when i guit gaming for some time), so i kinda feel like i wouldn't only sell the cube, i would sell part of my life with it if i decide to quit.

Or i could just keep going and start collecting nintendo again. the interest is still there...and not a day goes by that i don't think about the good times i had with my snes etc...

But do i really want to start all over again....it's been on-off for 20 years and now i'm at a crossroads in my head, i'm gonna make a definite choice one of these days.

And NO, just selling the cube and buy the WII and enjoy the occasional game just isn't an option, like i said, i'm very,very black/white minded when it comes to such things.

Either i'm really into something or i don't start it, right now, my wrestling collection basically controls my life, but it aint a problem really, gotta have a hobby right ?.....

Ah well, my point is i totally understand your friends reaction, i've been there myself and i'm here ( almost) again if i decide to not start over again.

[wrldstrman]

Found out tonight a buddy of mine just decided to quit the gaming scene. He doesn't blame games for anything, as it made him a lot of friends that otherwise he might end his life he said. Hell, just last month I remember him talking about Saturn Bomberman get togethers.

Anyway, he said he made the sad realization that it's time to do other things with his life. He hasn't had a girlfriend in forever, blah blah.

Got me thinking... how long will YOU be involved with games? Life can change in a split second. I mean, all these games we own and games on our want list... one day they can all go from "sweet" to "bleh".

5 years from now I'll be 27... I honestly know there will come a point in my life where I too will make that "change" in my life. Family... girlfriend/wife... things will soon take over... and I'm not sure I'll feel the same way about gaming at 28 as I do at 22.

Anyway, didn't mean to get anyone down... but it just came to me as a shocker that my bud quit gaming tonight.

This part would have me worried if I was his friend
he might end his life

usally when people start getting rid of there stuff it is a big warning sign..sounds like he needs to get some help

[Truffle]

Hmmm....ouch.
Giving up games for some girl you might someday meet, huh.

One of my biggest turn ons is men who collect video games.
If only there were more of you out there!
I would love to find someone to connect with me over NES, Neo-Geo, or XBox...

Ive met one person EVER who likes to collect. :(

[calthaer]

My gaming has dropped off a bit in the last two years, but I doubt I'll ever truly give it up. My tastes have just started to swing back, and I now find that the kinds of games I have liked in the past (Deus Ex, Ultima, System Shock 2, etc.) are not being produced or are rarely being produced (Freedom Force was a gem, and Space Rangers 2 was a godsend).

I'll probably be holding my money until games I really love come down the pike. Not sure if I want one of those dim-wittedly-named "wii" consoles, yet - depends.

[Steven]

Hmmm....ouch.
Giving up games for some girl you might someday meet, huh.

One of my biggest turn ons is men who collect video games.
If only there were more of you out there!
I would love to find someone to connect with me over NES, Neo-Geo, or XBox...

Ive met one person EVER who likes to collect. :(

saaay, where in northern cali are you? LOL just kidding.

But yeah, I'll keep an eye on him... thanks for the replies everyone

[ManciGames]

You just need to go where life takes you. There are "gaming free" gaps in my life. I've had one that lasted over two full years... But then one day, you're cleaning the house, and you move that old copy of Strider you never got to play. So you hook it up, and bam, you're back into it.

Don't sweat it, just go with the flow. Do what makes you happy. If games become work (as they sometimes do), just forget about them for awhile and pick them back up when it's fun again.

I'm married and have a three year old. Sure, I don't get to play like I did when I was 13, but I usually get in a solid 5 to 10 hours a week, all without sacrificing family time.

[ManciGames]

Up untill the age of about 17 i was a hardcore gamer then one day i just suddenlly stopped. Did the whole social scene getting blind drunk every weekend thing for a few years before i met my gf which settled me down somewhat. Then sometime through the middle of last year (i was 23 at the time) I had this sudden urge to brake out my SNES and start doing hot laps in Mario Kart LOL .

Ive been back into it full on ever since, ive started collected SNES games, mind you just the ones i really want as well as old retro magazines from back in the day - thank god i didn't throw any of them out!

At christmas i was given a DS and now im heavily into that too! I also plan on purchasing a Wii when it's released later this year. I dont see myself ever going col turkey on gaming again. Now that im back into it i remember how much i missed it.

Like it says on the home page... Let us ALL game on!!!

This is a perfect example of what I'm talking about...

I remember during that two year stretch, I thought I was completely done with games. I even made fun of the arcades when me and my girl would walk past them. ;)

But, deep down I was saddened that such a large part of me had gone away. But, it ended up just "going dormant", rather than disappearing. Now, when those game free stretches come (and they still do), I just enjoy whatever it is I'm tinkering with, with the knowledge that my gaming passion will return when it needs to. And usually, it's stronger than it was before.

[ManciGames]

One day I just looked at my Neo Geo cabinet flipped the switch and said, "You know what Alec, fuck your teeth."

I'll tell you what. That right there is sig worthy!

[ManciGames]

"Moderation is a key to happiness".

I find that to be SOOO true. Now that I'm older I try to CONSCIOUSLY practice moderation in all aspects of my life and not be caught up in one thing and be obssessed by it. I have a huge VideoGame collection but hardly play anYmore except on occassion. I want to be able to control my gaming not the other way around. I also eat regularly, work out regularly, read and as much as possible and if something is close by the house I just walk for good old excercise and to save on gas. If you practice moderation in your life, it will work wonders for you in the long run when it comes to discipline and self control. Trust me. 8-)

There's a lot of damn good advice in this thread...

(Sorry about all the posts in a row. Just catchin up!)

[biscuitdough]

if i survived a childhood with a 32x, neogeo pocket and shitty games bought by my parents, i think i can survive the rest of my life with tons of great games and a steady paycheck.
but i had 2 friends who just went through the same thing. after going through an mmo craze with a second rate game like guild wars and selling his xbox for a paintball gun lot one friend gave it up for good. the other had the unfortunate experience of getting marryed and had to get rid of half his lot when they moved in together. he jokes to me that i get games, but he gets sex daily.if i had to make the same choice i dunno what i'd do.
my only hope is to bring them back in with the wii. :D

[Nukie]

Like what has been said all before, I go through moods where I won't game for a while (usually a few months), but then, BAM new zelda, or new mario, or new anything in the amazing sagas that shaped my childhood. I can't give up gaming in my life (I have two tattoos from games, with a third in the works) so even if I stopped playing, I think I'm stuck. LOL

[Niku-Sama]

i dont know any thing other than games so i am guessing for a long time.

and the girls i have met have been into games even the latest one how ever...it didnt go well....

it never goes well when the girl your seeing who you really really like and she really really likes you shows up one day and says shes gay.

it just doesent make sence.

[retroman]

i have a friend who has done that....He thinks he is to old and mature, and has better things to do with his time...and he is only 27.

[Dr. Morbis]

it never goes well when the girl your seeing who you really really like and she really really likes you shows up one day and says shes gay.

it just doesent make sence.

LOL LOL LOL ... speaking of sig-worthy!

Anyway, I was out of gaming and didn't touch a game for about 5 years... one day this guy at university was bragging about how awesome he was at Ice Hockey for NES, and yada yada yada, next thing you know I'm an oldschool gamer.

[ClubNinja]

I am not like some yodels here who have two dozen or more cabs,..

Should the yodels be offended by this comment?