Normally it’s between 10-20 hours a week. If the kids are playing and my wife is busy I’ll just remote play since there’s not much else I can do. Often times everyone wants to do something, kids are sleeping or my wife is busy. I get most of my game time when they’re sleeping. My kids love to play/game too, but I have to make sure the place doesn’t look like a trash can too. I think it’s easier if you have a device you can remote play with or if you just plan things ahead of time.
It’s real life, so gaming is like doing something you want to do. Beating a mission or a boss and saving is still gaming. Even if that’s like 20-30 minutes. I see people get down about not having time, but there’s autosave features, remote play, and most games are a good value for the money. You spend money to watch a film, read a book, etc. Games give you hours and hours of entertainment that you just have to space out.
I do see the trend of finishing a hot AAA game within the first two weeks of its release has been going on for ages now. That probably makes people feel like they have to beat a game within a certain period of time and if they don’t do that then they’re left out. The hype somehow vanished into thin air.
I’ve seen and felt so much hype about Elden Ring. Lots and lots of places have videos, articles, and etc. They’ve published their boss kill skills and etc already. What does that say about this medium and it’s type of content? Get in, make something out of the popularity, and then wait for something else. I’ve been gaming since I was in kindergarten. I’ve lived through numerous console generations and AAA games. I am starting to notice it more and more. I put 70+ hours into Elden Ring already. I loved it. I also wonder if the dust has settled in a way? When I browse a digital game store online I come across games I preordered years and years ago. I’ll find games I passed up on and my only thought is, is that someone must have played this at launch and now it just feels old/dated. It’s not like being a kid and having a big box of games you pick and choose from each week. Typically you uninstall the game you beat and move right along. Sorry for the rant, but it’s things like that that come to me when I think about my game time. Now a days I am more concentrated on the specific type of game, the feelings I have about the game’s objective, and if it makes me feel good playing it. Sometimes an older retro style game feels more genuine than a New Release does.
I get excited for new releases and video games in general. I’ve also played a lot in my life, so I know how things can easily come and go.