If i get free time I just surf the net or watch youtube/TV coz i barely have more than 1.5 hours of free time for a real time gaming. I stay in my home with my family which is 20-30 mins from my college by car. In weekends I tend to play football with my friends than to play video games.

The only games that I can play is quick games like PES and FIFA, Tekken, street fighter. I have only finished 2 games Gears of war 2 and Portal 2 and reached 65% in GTA IV in the last 3 months summer vacation and that is when I had real a free time. I have bought gears of war 3, crysis 2, dark souls, MGS HD collection (played them on my PS2) , halo 3 and red dead redemption but I haven’t touched them lol.

I really have no time, I feel so pressurized with my studies. I wish I had an investment which could get me 2000$ a month, so I could stay alone in a one room apartment to play all the games I’ve wanted.

I really miss the old times when I used to watch my bigger brothers play and finish all the great games of Sega, PS1, Dream Cast and PS2. And then when I grew up a little I used to do what they did. Ahhh good memories.

But on the other side, I don’t want to be an extra person in this planet. I feel that I must to do something in Earth before dying. In fact we all must leave a legacy. No one want’s to die a video gamer lol. So in reality it’s not that we don’t have time to play video games, it is the video games that is wasting our time.

With regard to that, maybe you’ve got two types of women:

- My girlfriend – She can occupy herself, with various activities, be it reading, watching some show on TV, internet on the tablet, or other things. I am not required to be around for those activities. When she wants to watch a 3 hour movie that I don’t want to see, then I don’t see it, and she doesn’t hate me for it. It’s the same the other way around. We do stuff together when we want to.

- My sister – She cannot occupy herself even if her life depended on it. She can’t do ANYTHING alone, not even watch a show on TV. Her boyfriend HAS to be there, watching with her. She is one of those girls who needs to be entertained: she can’t keep herself busy. Also she does not have any hobbies. After work and household, there basically is “nothing” to do, and *if* she does anything, her boyfriend *must* do that too, with her.

If my GF was like my sister, that relationship would have been over in week 2.

examples…

——-(Only get married to someone that shares your interests. Otherwise, you have to babysit for an adult that can’t seem to find something else to do, while you allow your stresses to evaporate while playing games. But I digress…) I pretty much leave my wife to watching the nonsense TV she loves to dumb her mind down with (i.e., Ugly Betty, The Good Wife, etc), and I head to a small room with a TV and Xbox 360. It’s not often she takes a particular interest in my gaming, and although I’ve sat with her and watched her shows, it’s typically not reciprocated. So, I tend to find time to play when I want, regardless of how she feels about it. After all, relationships are a two-way street.—–

This person seems to have figured out what a meaningful relationship is, as opposed to the many others who blatantly throw the phrase around…

FIND SOMEONE WHO SHARES YOUR INTEREST

NOW I do know, trust me I know, because I rarely even think about starting a relationship with a girl who has video game envy, because I know who I am, it’s understand that most girls cannot stand video games.

I think this is your choice to make, I’ll repeat this again, but it all comes down to a simple choice, sex or video games, gosh, did I say that was simple? funny how a hobby could challenge an activity that humans have cherished and made the focal point of existence like insects instinctively do, very funny how thoughts changed, although a very slow process and its yet to reach even the beginning of its climax, the stray away from sheets

I’ll leave that there…

———In my late 20′s, work tech support full time. Just married an awesome girl who not only doesn’t mind me playing video games she actually wants me to play them! The other night I suggested we watch a movie (cause I felt bad for playing Red Dead for 12 hours straight the night before) and my wife says “I would rather watch you play Red Dead Redemption.”
So besides work, I can play video games whenever I please, And it is AWESOME! The other night I was playing Read Dead Redemption while she cut my hair. Lol, just thought i’d throw that in there.
I feel for you guys having to sneak time in around your girls. Ill play some games in your honor while you watch Julie and Julia.—————-

This is what I call a lucky guy, many of my friends or a lot of other gamers I’ve met all yearn to meet that girl who spends her free time playing video games, even games like little big planet(which I’ve often played with the girl of the moment) but yeah IT IS RARE and when you usually meet that girl, she’s either dating a fuck!ng idiot(this is for many reasons, a few common, she wants to fit in and date a hot guy who could care less about games, OR this guy only wants sex from whats usually an innocent(heh) girl who rarely dabbles in the social world)

…so what then, if its rare? what do i do? you mean to tell me i have to make the choice of sex! or as the normal would put it “a video game”? wow intense hormones, and peer pressure would kick right about here… ”

——-It’s all about compromise, fellas. If your girl loves you and understands you, she’s going to want you to be happy, and that means letting you play video games from time to time. I sit through American Idol for her, so there’s definitely some give and take.
I have to say it’s very, very good to know that I’m not alone in this whole trying to find time to play video games.
As far as her watching me play – that’s very rare, and she usually has a magazine handy. And she likes the RPGs for some reason; has no tolerance for the action games.———-

NOW I KNOW, the many non out of the box thinkers will jump to conclusions…

…with that being said, this guy has somewhat of a point, no matter how hard you try, you will really have to be lucky after high school and college to find a girl that you have so much in common with, and even then its a pain, this can be combated by doing activities that allow you to meet the same girls(boy would we have a lot more nerd events if this was something people actually took advantage of, but its not that way so the choices are slim… at least where I live…)

in my experience, going to the movies(which I enjoy) going to concerts(which I enjoy) I actually like watching shows that most girls enjoy, “i’m pretty open minded”(this is a key point) and a few other activities that aren’t that much of problem are part of the compromising, but as he said “If your girl loves you and understands you, she’s going to want you to be happy” this works both ways

*These bits stood out…*

———–Try having her try some easier games. I know that a lot of gamer’s girlfriends like to play Mario, Supersmash or MarioKart etc. oh and let HER play what she wants when she wants to if you can. There’s some give and take here, obviously you want to play as much or more, but don’t just kick her off the tv as soon as the urge to play calls you (A good solution to this problem: my bf and I simply set up a smaller tv on the floor so I get to play Super Mario 3 on that tv and listen to my ipod or whatever so he can have the HD big tv for his gaming endeavors and we can both play at the same time:).————

As I mention above, this is only a dream for many guys out there… its so easy for a girl to say these things, but in actuality you have a greater chance of being hit by a car than to find a girl who wants to play a game while you game… RARE go try for yourself do a tally… if your shocked, then maybe gaming is just something you should throw out all together

———I have the same situation. I’d say the biggest cut into my video game time is my girlfriend. When I get back from work at around 5:30, I could easily play until around 11 or midnight every day if I lived alone. But I get home, help cook dinner, do dishes, help with laundry, hang out / talk / watch a movie / mow the lawn / walk the dog / etc, etc, etc, etc. By the time I can actually settle down, it’s like 8 or 9. I can maybe play for an hour until gf ‘goes to bed’ at around 10. Like I’m going to miss that So, yeah, I can play maybe an hour or two a night. It’s not like I’m complaining. I love my life, it’s just a huge change post college.
I really think the issue is having a meaningful relationship, though, not necessarily the work / post college life. Video games used to be the most important thing. They were the most fun you could have on a consistent basis… then you meet someone you truly enjoy spending time with and, while still fun, video games get pushed to the backburner because you truly would rather spend quality time with your significant other.————

wtf is “talk”? what is this everybody loves Raymond? or you in a relationship with a girl who grew watching Debra? what? you mean to tell me you stop, do nothing and just talk… that’s not much of a relationship to begin with in the first place, if you have to stop, sit down and talk, all the shit you mentioned is just that bullsh1t… cooking and doing dishes shouldn’t take that much time out of your day, I could see if you had a big family, which would totally be your choice, which means you don’t care about gaming and shouldn’t even be thinking about it, let alone making a post about why you cant play them… help with the laundry…you mean you can’t start a load by yourself, game, change to the dryer, and if your a neat freak, when you fold or hang up, knock it out real quick in a time managing manner and go back enjoying life….last time I checked it doesn’t take two people to do laundry, unless your like apart of one of those shows for people who have 12 kids… and then again, gaming shouldn’t be a priority…

you hang out huh, (lets look into this)not sure what you do, but(and this opens another door) but at a certain age, limiting the amount of friends you “hangout” with is an ideal life changing choice

for one, if your guy going into a relationship, would you rather hang out with a bunch of guys are your girlfriend?

I KNOW this is a lifestyle for many men, but there’s a reason for it, MOST MEN ARE UN-EVOLVED(later) AND DATE GIRLS BECAUSE THEY THINK SHES HOT… so you have nothing in common with her and would rather hangout with guys to have fun… or you become like Bruce Jenner…I’ll just use him as a reference, but irl I’ve met many men who are slaves to the p.u.s.s.y and basically have no control over their life, and have to build stupid shit like man caves or whatever, wtf is a man cave, my house is my cave

secondly, do your friends not share the same interest? wtf hangout, LAWL and hell, if you meant hangout as in you and your girlfriend and a group of others, that’s acceptable, but as mentioned its a choice you make

and hell, many games today are online so physically leaving your girlfriend usually isn’t necessary anymore, even games like street fighter make it easier for you to spend time at home

what else did you mention… oh, you bought a house with a lawn, and you bought a dog… but now you complain on how they interfere with your life… next

———I find myself on the flip side of this. I cannot wait to graduate so I have time for games. I’m so sick of staying up until 4AM working on a project a few times a week in college. I’m a Computer Engineering student rocking 18 credit hours and a senior project, so that certainly plays a role.
Last year my semester’s scheduling was swapped around thanks to planned study abroad. Which basically translated into 3-4 months of working full time with a defense contractor.
It was fantastic. I worked 40 hours a week developing software, but the rest of the time I was free. I didn’t have homework to follow me home daily piling on the stress. I could even throw in a late night gaming session on some weekends, which is almost never possible during school.————

this is how i feel, im still in school and school is important as in if you don’t have gil, you can’t buy games or have a safe place to play them or have a place to have sex LAWLAWLAWL

and your career choice is your just that, your choice, if you become a lawyer…. i mean your a lawyer…what do you expect? its like buying the house with the lawn, and the dog, then saying i hate the fact that i have these things…

if you become a paralegal, what do you expect?

I could go on about career choices and how everyone can’t sit at home make money and play games, but im sure its a def. topic

NOW THIS SH1T PISSES ME OFF…

———But also because that’s the way it should be.
I mean, come on, we can sit around for hours and days helping a paladin defeat the devil himself, we can help a protagonist save the princess and defeat a whole world of assholes like in Final Fantasy. But when it comes to the bottom line – what’s in it? I’ve read your other articles about games like WoW and Everquest. There you mention people actually dying from playing them for so long.
My question is – what good are those people to the society? Being between 20 and 40, living with their parents and blowing all financial resources on hardware and gametime. Woo-freaking-hoo!————-

I’m gonna say your not a gamer, because gamers wouldn’t say sh1t like this… those people who died playing lolwow and everquest… made that choice for themselves, sh1t likes this creates a world where gamers have to defend their hobby…and your saying its a reason to stop gaming period…

lets say im a golfer who blows financial resources on thousand dollar clubs?(i like golf btw) lets say lol im bruce jenner and spend thousands of dollars on mini helicopters, lets say anyone is any of the people enjoying their hard earned money on what they enjoy doing… then shit if were not bettering our fucked up government, economy, or what ever it is you think is contributing to the world then were all idiots, people that do things that matter such as scientist either put their life into their work and could care less about video games or hell id like to think they could understand time management and finding a relationship that doesn’t control their free time…. you sir are a fuck1ng idiot, i will continue to slay assholes, defeat devils until my nervous system cannot no longer function well enough to help me slay noobs like you, then and only then will i stop gaming…

—–You bring up a good point, which is that we shouldn’t be playing games for hours on end. Not at our age at least. I remember when I switched jobs back in 2006 (went from doing commercial litigation to medical malpractice) and I had a couple weeks off in between. I figured I would love it – do nothing but play video games, get drunk and stoned, and go to the gym during the day. After about two days I felt like the biggest waste of life on Earth. Not everyone feels like this; many are completely content to ooze their way through life without any contribution whatsoever. Not me.—-

your a lawyer, heh, you contribute, at least that’s what most of society thinks of lawyers, but what else do you take part in that’s so damned helpful, are you telling people not to litter or filthy streets in some anti littering campaign? or you trying to stop our girls from dating idiots, getting pregnant, and further ruining society? what do you do?

contributing? hell, its best if many people don’t help otherwise they’ll fvck sh1t up, its best many people follow the laws, and enjoy life…

as other things have evolved over time, why hasn’t humankind realized, noticed, or believed that we can to… some guys have evolved and don’t think that plowing a girl is the answer to a good life, sex is good, but it shouldn’t dictate your life, a meaningful relationship is great, but shouldn’t make you sacrifice things that make you happy in your only life(heh), and if your saying that i choose a relationship over games, then what are you doing complaining about not having time to do something you clearly could care less about… over course females don’t want a world were their biggest asset is no longer a desire, so the thought of a majority guys opting out of sex is a realization far off…

as i mentioned above, these are all choices you make, there aren’t any rules to say you can’t game… you make these choices that your environment(as your environment affects the choices you make(another discussion)), elders, people around you influence… you don’t wanna seem like a loser gamer outcast do ya though…

im 26, hardcore gamer, ive been with the reg. girl and been close to very few gamer girls, two to be exact, i’m currently a freelance writer, finishing school, in a fwb relationship and lovin every minute of it

prob. didn’t complete a few ideas(to my satisfaction), but look at how long this post is already…

I really think the issue is having a meaningful relationship, though, not necessarily the work / post college life. Video games used to be the most important thing. They were the most fun you could have on a consistent basis… then you meet someone you truly enjoy spending time with and, while still fun, video games get pushed to the backburner because you truly would rather spend quality time with your significant other.

I didn’t realize this immediately after I got married but I have now. It’s the only way.

Last year my semester’s scheduling was swapped around thanks to planned study abroad. Which basically translated into 3-4 months of working full time with a defense contractor.

It was fantastic. I worked 40 hours a week developing software, but the rest of the time I was free. I didn’t have homework to follow me home daily piling on the stress. I could even throw in a late night gaming session on some weekends, which is almost never possible during school.

I mean, come on, we can sit around for hours and days helping a paladin defeat the devil himself, we can help a protagonist save the princess and defeat a whole world of assholes like in Final Fantasy. But when it comes to the bottom line – what’s in it? I’ve read your other articles about games like WoW and Everquest. There you mention people actually dying from playing them for so long.
My question is – what good are those people to the society? Being between 20 and 40, living with their parents and blowing all financial resources on hardware and gametime. Woo-freaking-hoo!

Personally I aim for the following: by the time I die I should have left a mark upon this world. Done something. Something that matters. Being a vegetable in front of the screen is not an accomplishment of any caliber.

Got a bit off topic though. You’re going in the right direction. I have the same situation. My cure is – PSP. It’s got a few advantages:
1. Portable – I can play an hour before I go to sleep or while I’m on my way to uni. I can even play while I take a dump.

2. Lots of games available but it doesn’t suck you in the same way a proper console does since the gameplay is mostly arcade.

3. All the PSX games are playable. Hence you’ve got some serious nostalgic points. I’m currently playing Alundra and Gran Turismo 2. Screw the fact that the graphics suck lots of ass, those games are legendary.