[Unusualgroove]

I don't know about you guys, but I spend waaaay too much time playing video games. I'm about to start in on Mass Effect and was wondering what people thought of this idea. I'm going to play an hour of Mass Effect a week. Pretty much like making it "weekly episodes" of the game. I know it will take a REALLY long time to finish the game with this method, but I know if I don't do it I'll find myself playing 5 hours a night and neglecting my family. Anyone else ever tried this method? How has it worked if others have?

[Evili]

I also play games way too much. Just last night I sat down and played MGS2 for 5 hours strait. And I don't think that I could do what you are trying to do. I just couldn't put a controller down after only one hour of a game that is so deep. It might work with other games, but MGS and Mass Effect would just be too hard for me. I played Mass Effect in about 4 hour bursts, beating it on roughly the third sitting. It was really hard for me to put down.

[Josh]

I play too much whenever I get a new game. It's like I play it 24/7 (minus snack, sleep, and school) until I've beaten it. Then I go back to normal (which for me is usually an hour of games per day).

As for playing games "episodically," I've never considered that. I have, however, played games of a particular series in their canonical order (like watching Star Wars Episodes 1-6 in the order of the story).

This post has been edited by Josh: 30 May 2008 - 11:55 AM

[Red-nekgamr]

I am allowed to play video games three hours a week, on weekends only, although I usually get to play longer than that, like when Halo 3 and GOW came out, or if my mom doesn't think I'm getting completley swallowed by the screen I usually can play for an hour and a half to two, but really the less you play, the less you want to play. That's just how it works for most.

[Josh]

I admit that I waste too much time on video games and that playing them "episodically" is an idea I need to consider.

[Spenace]

Unusualgroove, on May 30 2008, 02:32 PM, said:

I don't know about you guys, but I spend waaaay too much time playing video games. I'm about to start in on Mass Effect and was wondering what people thought of this idea. I'm going to play an hour of Mass Effect a week. Pretty much like making it "weekly episodes" of the game. I know it will take a REALLY long time to finish the game with this method, but I know if I don't do it I'll find myself playing 5 hours a night and neglecting my family. Anyone else ever tried this method? How has it worked if others have?

Does your family actually feel that they are being neglected or do you just think this is a good idea?

[boyward]

Unusualgroove, on May 30 2008, 01:32 PM, said:

Anyone else ever tried this method? How has it worked if others have?

I'm a family man and I've found that your idea works great as long as it's a game without "save points." You really have to choose games that let you save your progress at any time. (Fortunately Mass Effect lets you do that.) Of course, if you're playing on PSP or DS and then you can just put the system to sleep, even if you're in the middle of a cutscene.

Unusualgroove, try setting a timer so it can snap you out of your game daze, too, otherwise you might forget to check your watch.

[Forte V4]

I usually play games until I get tired of them, and then do the same the next day/whenever. That's why it took me a month to beat Persona 3.

[TheFollower]

Video games are my source of literature (aside from books)/free time for me. I used to play them all the time 24/7, but lately I've been trying to kick back a bit. Now I usually only play when I don't have a chance to be talking or spending time with my parents and sister. Basically, when there's nothing else to do, I game.

I don't consider playing the games I play a waste of time, however, as they're what gets my brain pumping, and I love the mood they set me in. I'm also somewhat of an introvert, and I need some time alone each day.

An hour of Mass Effect a week though? Not something I could do. For one, the game is downright awesome. For another, if you were to do that, you would be spending an entire year playing one game. But maybe gaming isn't your main hobby, as it is mine. To each his own, I guess.

[PhoeniX]

I do play way to much. I have not considered this idea, but it is a good one if I/you have the self control to actual turn it of and not just do a "5 more minutes" rationalization. Even though I do play video games alot, I 1)work alot and 2)make sure I get school work done before I start. So in other words, I do my homework, and by the time I'm done with work my parents are about asleep anyway, so it is only my free time that it is interfereing with. Now my main issue is when my gaming overtakes my studying of God's Word....

[Unusualgroove]

You are correct on many counts Boyward. My wife hates the saying "Wait til I get to a save point." and though she never plays games her favorites by far are the ones that allow me to save anywhere. My daughter turned 3 months old two days ago and even though I really love to game, I don't want it to take the place of spending time with her. I am enjoying the timer on the 360 by the way. Good stuff.

This post has been edited by Unusualgroove: 07 June 2008 - 05:55 PM

[Red-nekgamr]

TheFollower, on May 30 2008, 08:07 PM, said:

An hour of Mass Effect a week though? Not something I could do. For one, the game is downright awesome. For another, if you were to do that, you would be spending an entire year playing one game. But maybe gaming isn't your main hobby, as it is mine. To each his own, I guess.

Hehe, I have a year on Oblivion, and I still have a lot to do, not because I'm only 'allowed' to play on weekends, it's because I limit myself, I think what Unusualgroove is trying to do is creat a level of self control, which is hard, and I respect him for coming up with a plan (and sticking to it it sounds like).

And no offense, but I don't think that games are much of a source of liturature.

[Phazon]

Red-nekgamr, on Jun 7 2008, 09:36 PM, said:

Hehe, I have a year on Oblivion, and I still have a lot to do, not because I'm only 'allowed' to play on weekends, it's because I limit myself, I think what Unusualgroove is trying to do is creat a level of self control, which is hard, and I respect him for coming up with a plan (and sticking to it it sounds like).

And no offense, but I don't think that games are much of a source of liturature.

Everybody has their own definition of literature. I think that Follower as well as myself view literature as anything that gives insight into the human condition. Games do that, well, some do. Gaming is becoming more and more of an art. Is it still a hobby? Yes. As with all hobbies, one must limit themselves to what's deemed healthy for said hobby. It's the same for all things. Reading all the time is not conducive towards a healthy lifestyle, neither is film, music, etc.

I applaud your efforts in limiting your time to gaming especially as a father it is extremely important. When they're young, you should give them your time. I think that as they grow older, you can turn gaming into a family affair and involve your children in the fun. I grew up playing games alone and I know that I've always wanted my parents to join in. I think that gaming is a great tool to let parents and children connect.

[TheFollower]

Phazon, on Jun 8 2008, 04:58 AM, said:

Everybody has their own definition of literature. I think that Follower as well as myself view literature as anything that gives insight into the human condition. Games do that, well, some do. Gaming is becoming more and more of an art. Is it still a hobby? Yes. As with all hobbies, one must limit themselves to what's deemed healthy for said hobby. It's the same for all things. Reading all the time is not conducive towards a healthy lifestyle, neither is film, music, etc.

Yes, and this is where society steps in and calls games childish. Let's look at society's other main hobby: watching T.V. When a mother tells a kid to stop playing games, and then lets them watch a FOX sitcom for the next couple hours, something is seriously wrong. Games not only encourage players to think, they also work on hand-eye coordination. T.V. does nothing for anyone (unless you're watching the history channel or the news).

The fact of the matter is that games aren't seen as art by most people. They're just seen as something people do to waste time. Sometimes, I've thought that I should quit games and only read, but then, I'd be doing the exact same thing with a different medium of entertainment. Only thing is, society wouldn't see it that way.

Society just needs to be educated.

But I do respect your your efforts to restrict your time on gaming. If you have children that are young, the majority or your time should be spent with them, not alone in front of a T.V., or reading a book, for that matter.

[Red-nekgamr]

TheFollower, on Jun 8 2008, 12:27 AM, said:

Yes, and this is where society steps in and calls games childish. Let's look at society's other main hobby: watching T.V. When a mother tells a kid to stop playing games, and then lets them watch a FOX sitcom for the next couple hours, something is seriously wrong. Games not only encourage players to think, they also work on hand-eye coordination. T.V. does nothing for anyone (unless you're watching the history channel or the news).

My family doesn't have DISH or Direct TV, which I'm glad for, especially being a male, who are very visual, screens just seem to catch my eye and hold it.

Anyway, back to the topic, I think that playing games episodically is a good Idea, but as everyone says, the only ones you could play for an hour a week, or whatever, have to be ones that you can save whenever you want. Or games like Halo 3, you can play from checkpoint to checkpoint, and when your hour is up, then just turn it off, your last checkpoint is never that far back. But trust me, cutting back will be hard, but when you don't play for 3-4 days, and keep yourself busy with other activities, the less you get pulled towards that screen, before you know it, you may be even skipping your hour a week.

[six]

I just replace time I would normally watch TV with video games, well, that and sleep time.

[Evili]

six, on Jun 11 2008, 07:07 PM, said:

I just replace time I would normally watch TV with video games, well, that and sleep time.

Yeah, after getting rid of our TV (the service, not our actual TV) I find myself sitting there and not knowing what to do. At that point, I turn to video games. I used to watch TV a whole lot, but now that it's gone, I do not miss it because it would cut into my video game time