Playing games fulltime - how long for?

[HangTime]

Couldn't think of the right title for this thread, but I'm forever thinking "I need to get fired so I can focus on playing some games". There's all these amazing games I've got that I want to try but never get round to and a lot of my game time gets consumed playing a competitive online shooter or FUT, leaving very little for other games. Or I'll waste time on forums, watching TV etc.

So I got to thinking, in the world of numerous subscription game services, game sales and growing backlogs, how long do you reckon you could go for? By which I mean say instead of going to work you just sat and played games all day. Could you do this indefinitely or do you think you'd get bored?
To keep it sensible, let's assume you can't play any games not already released, otherwise you'd just have an endless stream of new content to enjoy.
Maybe remove multiplayer from the equation too, i.e. let's assume you can only play single player games during working hours.

From where I'm sitting, I can't really put a timeframe on it, many years at least.

 

[Megahurtz400]

Probably about 2-3 hours?

Used to be able to sit and play games all day in my late teens/early 20s but the attention span and the need to be an adult has ruined it for me these days

Plus now my age begins with 3 now, and i'm just always so damn tired now? Does this just continue till I die?

 

[JonRGV250]

Yes, and it gets way way waaaay worse.

 

[Tombstone]

Been playing games most days for the last 40 years, dont see that changing any time soon

 

[SPG]

Its tolerance now, some games are just so complicated with horrendous UI I just do not have the patience to learn.

 

[HangTime]

Been playing games most days for the last 40 years, dont see that changing any time soon

How many hours a day do you play? I'm talking about playing for say 7-8hrs a day longer than you normally do (I appreciate not everyone is in fulltime employment, so if they are playing 12hrs a day already it might be hard to fit in an extra 7).

Its tolerance now, some games are just so complicated with horrendous UI I just do not have the patience to learn.

I think it depends what games you play, in some cases it is old games I struggle with the UI on. Like System Shock 2 was a bit fiddly, or old games without objectives to guide you through the level can be confusing, lots of backtracking, trial and error on opaque puzzles etc. I also think I'd have more patience to learn UIs if I had more time for playing games, it's like nowadays if I sit down and try and learn a new strategy game that's basically the day's gaming consumed before I've even got off the tutorial, maybe I pick it up again a few weeks later and have forgotten half of it, etc.

 

[ne0]

Honestly, if I didn't have to work, I could happily spend all day every day playing games and I don't think I'd ever get bored.

 

[Tombstone]

How many hours a day do you play? I'm talking about playing for say 7-8hrs a day longer than you normally do (I appreciate not everyone is in fulltime employment, so if they are playing 12hrs a day already it might be hard to fit in an extra 7).

Currently I probably play 4 or 5 hours every week day and 10+ hours every weekend day

 

[Rifte]

During my Everquest days when I was unemployed, I would rack up 15 to 16 hours a day easily on it.

This was on my old 56k modem with the ISP LineOne (they had a 2 hour cut off, so you effectively had to cut your connection and dial back in).

The phone line in my house was constantly engaged for over a year.

 

[Quartz]

So I got to thinking, in the world of numerous subscription game services, game sales and growing backlogs, how long do you reckon you could go for?

If I had to do it as a 'professional', so putting in an 8 hour day? That includes time for editing videos to put them up on Youtube, accounting, customer engagement, etc, I assume. Yes, I could do that for quite some time. For leisure? I've been retired quite some time now and my computer gaming has dropped off significantly. I return to my old favourites rather than play new games.

 

[goldy6660]

Currently I probably play 4 or 5 hours every week day and 10+ hours every weekend day

No judgement what so ever but is gaming your job?

 

[xaldub]

Following the pandemic I'm now a long-hauler, and had to step down to part-time work. Because of that I now have way more available time than I used to and could game 16 hrs a day, 5 days a week if I really wanted. The reality is I don't. I still enjoy gaming, but it becomes boring for me if I have 12 hr+ gaming sessions several days in a row. Sure, there is the occasional title that is an exception eg. Elden Ring, but they are far and few between. If you'd asked me in my 20's how gaming "full-time" would appeal, I'd have bitten your hand off. But once you actually have all that time on your hands, your priorities change. For me I like to socialise as much as I'm able, do some exercise, read etc. When I game, I do so for maybe an afternoon, or an evening, seldom more.

 

[EdwardTeach]

Probably a couple of weeks max for a very engrossing game.
When I have put a lot of time into completing a game I normally like a bit of a break from gaming.

 

[Tombstone]

No judgement what so ever but is gaming your job?

Nope, I've got a full time job, its just that I am at an age now where kids have all grown up and left home, plus my other half is also a heavy gamer, so in the evenings we've got the entire evening to ourselves, kids long gone, family responsibilities long gone. In many ways its like being young again where you once again have lots of spare time, one of the advantages of approaching old age

 

[goldy6660]

That sounds like bliss, mine are currently at an age where they want to destroy everything and aren't interested in gaming yet...one day tho and I'm sure it'll get expensive fast. (Only 4 and 1 so plenty of time yet)

 

[Tombstone]

That sounds like bliss, mine are currently at an age where they want to destroy everything and aren't interested in gaming yet...one day tho and I'm sure it'll get expensive fast. (Only 4 and 1 so plenty of time yet)

Yeah it is pretty darned blissful. Gaming time versus age is sort of an inverted curve, when young you have dozens and dozens of hours per week to play, then you marry, have kids and the curve drops right down, then later on, the kids grow up, move out and go onto their own lifepath and once again the curve shoots up and you have dozens and dozens of spare hours a week again

 

[Hedge]

Dota 2 I could play for many hours. Anything else maybe 2hrs max.

 

[Participant]

Get a remote home-based job, then you can get paid for gaming.

 

[HangTime]

I have a remote job (roughly 1 day a month in office), but it's not some cushy job where I can get away with a couple of hours work a day.

 

[Kelt]

I'm retired now, and in the winter when I'm less inclined to go out and cycle, I spend most of my time gaming, watching films, gaming, watching tv shows, gaming, a bit more gaming, then I'll take a break to eat, then relax a bit by more gaming.