Rainet

In the mist of the Xbox 360 rush, I am not buying one by the way(at least not yet), I got a sudden twinge of nostalgia to get back into videogaming. As i reached the old tender age of 30 i realized a couple things. At first i thought my interests has dwindled because as i've gotten older i couldnt't justify spending $50-$60 on a new release title especially when i have adult responsibilities now.
But now that i can find plenty of games on the cheap, that line of reasoning just isn't the case anymore. So it came down to two things.

One is that as i gotten older my tastes in gaming just mellowed out a little.

But more importantly, and i think this the major main reason is that when i was younger all my friends were close by in the neighborhood and we would play together and it was a blast!! Same thing when i went to college. But now that im older, and either my friends are not into it, or they are but live too far away. Yes i know theres always ONLINE gaming, but there is nothing that beats the thrill of a group of friends getting together and playing SSX etc. So my enthusuasm has just vanished. Doesn't help that that my fiance doesn't like to play videogames either, so it's just no fun playing alone.

I talked to a good friend about this who lives about an hour from me and is in the same somewhat rut. So we may try ot do a once a month thing and get all our scattered friends together for a night of gaming.

Anyone going or went through similer circumstances?
I tell you though just reading the about the massive lines and excitement for the xbox 360 gives me a smile and longs for the days of the playstation and dreamcast launch.

Trout

I know how you feel. I remember playing Half-Life with 6 others all hooked up to a LAN in the same room, and it was a blast. Other times we would play Madden football until 4 am, Diablo or Starcraft on Battlenet, or play Mario-Karts on the N64. Of course we all grew up, got married, some of us had kids...I guess life happens that way.

lotsofdvds

Stupid lives. Just stay in your parents' basement and game forever!

Y2J850

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm in my third semester of college and 19, and used to do nothing but play games,but between work, school, and going out I really don't get much time to play anymore.I used to play and beat 4-5 games a month. Now im lucky to get 4-5 a year beat.(this year ive finished re4, castlevania aria of sorrow and dawn of sorrow, paper mario tyd, and an awaiting mario and luigi for the ds.)And I think that not having alot of chances to play multiplayer games has made me less enthusiastic. I remember playing goldeneye, perfect dark, super smash bros. tekken 3, and soul caliber, for more hours than I want to try to count. In the last 2 years Halo 2 is the only game that has slightly rejuvenated the multiplayer gaming, me and my friends would have lan parties at friends houses with 4 tv's and 4 systems, and a bunch of my friends and I got xbox live so we could play together while at different colleges. Hopefully halo3 will have the same effect whenever it gets released.

wmunn

It only gets worse the older you get. You might still be a gamer at heart, but there is so many other important facets to life. It's best to appreciate them all, but still game from time to time. Other factors play a role as well, I am beginning to suffer from circulatory problems which cause acute pain and numbness of the hands, this will drastically cut back on your ability to hold a controller for hours on end

jw2299

I still love to play games as much as I used to, but the excitement is not there for me either. I'm 30 now, married, have a 1 year old boy, I'm in grad school 2 nights a week. I just don't have the time, and when I do I'm too tired to spend 2-3 hours on a good gaming session.

Due to this, I've come to really appreciate the good games that can be finished in 5-10 hours. I know that's a drawback to most people, but they're perfect for me.

Josh H

Yep, the older I get the less I game. Both because of having less time, and that with each generation my interest is waning. I played games a ton during the SNES/genesis era when I had a ton of free time, and I loved the 2D games.

Still played a good bit during the N64/PS2 era in college, but less as I didn't dig the 3D games as much.

Now the past few years doing grad school I have less time and the lack of 2D games has really hurt my interest. Not to mention the sequelitis that has so many releases just being the same game with a new coat of paint.

The DS has rekindled my interest some with some 2D games and some innovative games. Hopefully the Revolution will do the same.

Giantrobo

I guess i'm a loser. I've always liked video games and as I've aged I've been enjoying it more and more. The advances in technology have been really exciting.

Groucho

I love video games, but no longer have much time to play. So I think and talk about them instead.

Shilex

I get more exicted at the thought of getting the video game or system, than when I actually sit down and play it now. Once I actually have my hands on it, I'm like "Oh, well", and play it for a few hours and I'm done.

AllHallowsEve

Yes, you just explained me.

Mark Carpenter

Sigh... slowly coming to this conclusion myself.

This thread is depressing.

Moderator, lock please.

Chris_D

Yeah life as a gamer is tough.. the ds (and to a lesser extent the sp) has been a bit of a god send though, I've been able to do some gaming on the train or at the airport, even when overall I've been very busy.

xmiyux

As i've gotten older (30 this year) i haven't had nearly as much time to game but i find myself setting aside friday and saturday evening after my wife and daughter goes to bed as a Halo night. Like the poker nights of the previous generation it lets me take some time and play with friends online. Honestly without Xbox Live and the friends i made through my Halo clan i wouldn't play nearly as much.

Live has been a godsend for me to be able to play with adults who don't live near me.

Apollo

All I can say is AMEN!!!!!

Goldblum

It's all downhill from here.

TheMadMonk

Do you live near Niagara Falls or something?

Outlaw

For gamer's with busy time commitments (i.e. work, family, or whoever), there's a new console that fits exactly what you've been missing. It's the DS, it has tons of great games and a lot are designed to be played in short spurts, but still have lots of depth to them.

Rob V

Same boat here - kids and grad school have a way of making your time completely evaporate.

I love the 10 or less game - as long as it's fun I feel it's worth the $50.