Switch Lights

The lights are on

What's Happening

How Do You Make Time For Gaming?

I don't particularly enjoy going to school. Call me crazy, but there are just so many more fun things to do than sit in a classroom all day and listen to somebody else talk. Fun isn't the right word. School is necessary. I certainly don't want to be that guy who drops out and becomes a traveling salesman trying to peddle used Furbys to gullible old people. Mom and Dad always said that would happen if I didn't keep studying.

So that's why I'm going back to school this week. It's hard to eat without a job, and it's hard to have a good job without a complete education. People like eyros who got a good job without going to college, please sit down. We're all jealous of you.

I'm so jealous, I listened to an album named exactly that.

Right. Back on topic. Going back to school will be a lot of fun in some ways. I'll get to see some friends that have been glaringly absent for the past few months. They're all good people, and I hate living several states away. School should solve that, as I'll have uninterrupted contact with them for a good nine months or so. It looks fun.

The downside of school is that I won't have time for all the little fun things that summer provides. Things like spending a good two hours playing Batman: Arkham City on a whim. In the summer, I can put in some serious game time. June, July, and the first week of August are a magical wonderland of zero commitments and all the time in the world for playing games. This summer, I have beaten The Witcher 2 (again), Braid, Dead Space, and Batman: Arkham City. Plus there's the usual huge amount of time spent playing Minecraft and Team Fortress 2.

However...

All that ends when school starts. Suddenly I have commitments. Homework. Friends. Shopping. Cleaning. Basically, my life starts back up again.

That I'm OK with. I like having a life. It's fun. What's not fun is its effect on my gaming time. Between all the things I listed and countless other concerns, actual time spent in serious console games tends to drop dramatically when I'm at school. That sucks. Don't get me wrong, the other stuff comes first, but it would be great to be able to do all that and have time to play the games I want.

Example.

After thinking about this topic, I can't be alone here. As much as we would like to have unlimited time for games and gaming, we don't. Life doesn't stop forever. We exist in a finite, constantly changing maelstrom of events which pull us in every direction... with most of those being directions that lead away from gaming.

My question is simple (though your answer may be long). What do you do to make time for gaming? Do you have time to play games? Why or why not?

Comments
  • I absolutely do not have time for games anymore. The way I see it, I can either keep my job, and my grade point average; get enough sleep; or play games. I can only do two of the three and I've never been more tired.

  • I'm a full time student, and I get paid for attending school(AND maintaining my GPA) thanks to the Post 9/11 GI Bill.  I usually find time to game during the weekend, or on the days where I have the least amount of studying to do.  

  • Life is all about tough choices.

  • I tend to stack my college schedule so that I'm only taking one stressful oh-I-suck-at-this-subject class a semester, so I tend to find time for games. Taking subjects that I like or am at least briefed in means I can typically slip into a state where I can blow through an assignment in one or two sit-downs. The time saved lets me focus on the difficult subject, and MOST individual college courses won't eat ALL your spare time if the teacher is any good. I also have a habit of using games to reboot myself; after working 4 hours straight on a paper once with legal terms starting to blur together, I set the timer for 1 hour of Mass Effect 3. By the time I cut myself off, my eyes were no longer crossed and I could finish my paper.
  • Same here, Apozem. I'm starting up school next week on Monday. During the next few months, I won't have much time for games either. I have even more classes this year, so I don't know how much time I'll have to spare. I might be able to play on weekends, on rare occasions where I'm ahead in all my homework, and on holidays, but that's it. What's really annoying is that so many great games are coming out this fall and I'll be the busiest I've ever been! However, my studies always come first, and it seems like you'd agree with me too. Hope everything goes well for you at school!

  • Wow, I feel so old. :)

    I work during the day, but we don't do much at night, so that's my gaming time. I usually game for an hour or two a night, with the odd day here and there where I don't turn on anything. Weekends I do get a lot of gaming in.

    But that's called "not having a life," and I don't really recommend it.
  • I make time for gaming on the weekends; during breaks like Christmas, where I get a month's time to play video games without interruption. Some days, its easier said than done trying to find time.  I play on days where I don't have any obligations to class; sometimes, I squeeze in an hour or so before I have to leave for class. Then, when the weekend comes around I load up on a game; play until I get frustrated or bored with a game; the current level I'm on.  

  • After being away from school for a year in actually excited to go back to get my masters. I'll actually have more time my first year; I was working 50 hours a week before.
  • When I was in school, I would work on my homework nonstop for a few hours until I got it done. Then I would game until I got tired.(Which was never) And if I get my job soon, I'll see about working around that schedule. I just game when I don't have anything to do. Which is all the time apparently.

  • I was pretty much a complete failure at school, so I don't feel like I'm in a good position to advise. Now, I'm fortunate to have a job that is extremely flexible, so I can pretty much work whenever I want so long as I get things done. That said, I typically can only squeeze in an hour or so on weeknights if I'm lucky. For the most part, I game on the weekends, though I have a wife who expects me to spend time with her, as well. :)
  • I always have time for games. I never communicate with my friends outside of school, or at the mall every friday. Homework is never a problem. I don't ever get too much of it, and it's never hard. But, me and my friend are trying to start a band, I'm lead guitarist, she's drummer. No rhythm guitarist, bassist, or vocalist yet, but once we get the full band, I'll be heading to band practice, meaning LESS time to game. I'm committed to playing guitar, but I can always put it down and play games whenever I want.

  • I'm like wayoverdue, without the band part.

  • I read call me crazy and immediately thought of that annoying song, which is now stuck in my head. this is crazy, call me maybe ahh, I was at a wedding this weekend and they played that like 5 times.
  • I can find time for gaming and yes I procrastinate but I try to get school and friends things done first. After real life is done I play as much as I want. But I still have one other thing GIO, yes I admit I have lost many hours of gaming to GIO but GIO has made me friends and made me a better person. I love gaming and I love GIO even more. They will always be in my heart and I won't forget about either or them.

  • Funny, I was contemplating the same thing today. Do I have an answer? No, but I will say this; if you just focus on one game at a time instead of 4 or 5 like during the summer, you won't feel as rushed. It's what I do, and subconciously removes tons of stress from my back, even if I just got a game. Focus on one, do the next, do the next, and so on. Believe me, if you only have an hour or two to play like I do, it's amazing to see what you can get done. :3
  • Mod
    For me, it is me one and really only hobby, I mean I enjoy other stuff, but gaming is my current passion and I spend my free time doing something that involves gaming. I don't drink or anything, so while many of the people I know are partying, I am playing games.
  • When I went to college in Florida a couple years ago, I left my video games back home in Michigan. For 10 months, I went cold turkey on games. The only time I did play them again was when I went home for ten days during Christmas break. Honestly, I'm glad I left them home, cause my school schedule was intense. Now that I've finished school for now, I'm back into gaming again.
  • dude what grade are? Because high school def takes a ton of time out of gaming

  • if you can handle lack of sleep....my prime time for gaming is between 3 and 8 in the morning. however I'm not in school and obviously it would be more important if i was, so i wouldn't stay up all night playing games. but my best suggestion is to just make time...whether it's 15 minutes or 2 hours....think about how long a game would last you, not having time to play isn't necessarily a bad thing. good luck in school btw
  • Well considering that TV sucks, if I'm not watching a movie or reading, you can bet I'm playing a game.
1 2 Next