How do you feel when you see your "hours played" figure on a computer game?

LuckyBenski · 27 Sep 2018 at 08:51

The value for money is a big one for me. As I have years of games to catch up on, I tend to look at the price and typical hours played on a title. I usually won't spend more than £5 unless I expect 10+ hours from a game, and over £10 would have to be way longer.

I definitely agree about seeing hours played as hours of enjoyment invested. For me, I know that every hour played is probably an hour off of normal TV - at least it's interactive, stimulating and rewarding.

As Wingman said, we all need downtime around our otherwise productive adult responsibilities. For me, I rarely get to the PC/console due to these - so games don't get in the way of cooking dinner or going to work. Maybe the odd late bedtime

Yaayuh! · 27 Sep 2018 at 08:56

I just continue to feel dead inside.

Malt_Vinegar · 27 Sep 2018 at 08:57

Its more productive that being sat watching TV. At least you are working your brain somewhat

Orionaut · 27 Sep 2018 at 09:05

The problem is the "Hours Played" also counts "pause-time". Something I do rather more of now that many modern games do not allow you to save at will and which makes the figures rather meaningless.

adidan · 27 Sep 2018 at 09:05

Malt_Vinegar said:
Its more productive that being sat watching TV. At least you are working your brain somewhat

This is true.

And those games with good stories, well they're just interactive books and I don't time my reading time

LuckyBenski · 27 Sep 2018 at 09:07

Orionaut said:
The problem is the "Hours Played" also counts "pause-time". Something I do rather more of now that many modern games do not allow you to save at will and which makes the figures rather meaningless.

I do prefer a game with game time on the save file. Slightly more accurate, though it doesn't track time spent dying

skyripper · 27 Sep 2018 at 09:11

/played
Creation Time: Thu Apr 14 11:49:35 2005
Played: 266d 7h 9m

I quit that game 7 years ago.

Bassmansam · 27 Sep 2018 at 09:14

AHarvey said:
I wish I'd never started playing games due to the amount of time I've wasted on them. I enjoy them but when I think about what I could have achieved not wasting time on them.

I still touch on them now and again though to chill out and pass the time.

If you're playing it to get some sort of feeling of achievement then I'd be looking at what I am doing in my life and how to feel achievement outside of a game, it'll be better for you mentally and physically.

So if you make it as a pro gamer thats not a good acheivement?

Haze · 27 Sep 2018 at 09:15

I think it's an achievement and maybe a bit sad too lol, I have clocked up over 300hrs on fallout 4, and over 3 months playing wow from release day for about 4 years

LuckyBenski · 27 Sep 2018 at 09:17

Haze said:
I think it's an achievement and maybe a bit sad too lol, I have clocked up over 300hrs on fallout 4, and over 3 months playing wow from release day for about 4 years

That is one hour in 16 for 4 years on WoW. Which TBF doesn't sound bad, one hour of your waking hours each day.

Edit: No wait, it's 1.5 hours per day.

Admiral Huddy · 27 Sep 2018 at 09:21

I'm unconvinced the "time played" is accurate. I've played various games that show as just an hour or so.. not the real hours I've played.

I'm not overall concerned about the time I spend on something otherwise I'd end up doing nothing.

200sols · 27 Sep 2018 at 09:24

Some people measure their /played wow time in YEARS. That must be depressing.

Kreeeee · 27 Sep 2018 at 09:29

builder22 · 27 Sep 2018 at 10:04

Worst one for me is Adventure Capitalist....mainly because you just sit watching numbers grow really!
Ended up playing that after seeing the Paperclip game someone posted here...such a waste of hours!

Roar87 · 27 Sep 2018 at 10:08

200sols said:
Some people measure their /played wow time in YEARS. That must be depressing.

Some people do a job they dislike for 8 hours a day 5 days a week for years, people who play a lot of WoW do that by choice, why would they be depressed?

[FnG]magnolia · 27 Sep 2018 at 10:19

Are you making a parallel between an activity which often means leaving the house and interacting with other adults and, you know, eating, cleaning, and caring for yourself ... and not being an utter shut in brainwrong?

Because welp.

e: lol, was WOW your weird alpha boast about 30 hours in one weekend (hint: don't be proud).

Ree · 27 Sep 2018 at 10:29

its sad i know.. considering that is only just one game throughout a year.

200sols · 27 Sep 2018 at 10:30

Roar87 said:
Some people do a job they dislike for 8 hours a day 5 days a week for years, people who play a lot of WoW do that by choice, why would they be depressed?

Because their life is literally playing a game?

AHarvey · 27 Sep 2018 at 10:32

Bassmansam said:
So if you make it as a pro gamer thats not a good acheivement?

Is the OP a pro-gamer? Is he trying to be a pro-gamer?

My point is that if he's relying on gaming to feel achievement he may be better looking for achievements in the real world instead of the digital one. Cleaning up parks, helping charities/homeless, volunteering in general, learning a skill and creating something physical will all give a better and longer sense of achievement than completing a computer game in X hours.

You have nothing to show for completing a game other than maybe some badges on a digital board. They mean nothing.

CREATIVE!11 · 27 Sep 2018 at 10:33

I'm not sure what to think tbh....

I think damn I could have used that to learn a skill instead! Then I think.... well I played that to just decompress so probably the state of mind I was in at the time I doubt my brain would have been in a great engaged state....

Then I think..... we're all going to die anyway and everything is meanginless.

Then I think........ I dunno lol.