Question Of The Month Reader Responses: Issue #261

In issue 259, we asked readers what game they've put the most number of hours into. The usual suspects came out on top, with Bethesda, BioWare, and Blizzard consuming a staggering amount of our readers' lives. Here are some of the responses we received.

Aging With Elder Scrolls:

• I had no interest in Skyrim initially and really couldn't have cared less for almost two years. But after finishing my backlog and growing tired of Call of Duty, I borrowed it from a coworker. Days turned to weeks. Weeks to months. Months to over a year of traversing. Every time a new game comes out that I'm interested in, Skyrim goes in its box, and I forget about it for a few weeks. But then the chant starts – you know the one – calling to me. And I always answer. I honestly have no idea how much time I've put into Skyrim, and I doubt I would be proud of the answer. I'll just say too much. Too much time. It's a masterpiece.
  
  Austin Wells
• Skyrim on PS3. My save file says 417 hours, and I believe it. There's so much to do, so much to see, so much to craft, so much to buy and sell, so many books to read, so many people to assist, so many artifacts to find, so many shouts to learn, so many dragons to slay, so many factions to join, so many bandits, thieves, afflicted, forsworn, dwarven centurions, falmer, ghosts, draugr, daedra, beasts, vampires, werewolves, witches, Thalmor, and Storm Cloaks to fight. And that's not counting the DLC...
  
  Mike Wallin
• I have spent countless hours on a variety of games, but the ones I spent the most hours on would have to be The Elder Scrolls series. Beyond the main storyline, there are so many other quests and so many places to explore. From the Dark Brotherhood to the Adventurer's Guild, there is just so much to do. Bethesda did a really great job in creating such an in-depth game. I can't wait to see what coming for next-gen consoles.
  
  Patrick Boyle
• I find it rather difficult to recall which game I've invested more time into, but I know for certain that the game was made by Bethesda. Something about the freedom from story-centric play has continually put a stranglehold on my attention and encapsulated my fondest gaming memories. Be it Skyrim, Oblivion, or Fallout 3, I always made room in my schedule to waste time in their worlds.
  
  Jacob Duggan

Falling Over Fallout:

• The game that has sucked up the most hours on my life is Fallout 3. Fallout is the game that made me a gamer; I was new to gaming, so it was harder, and I died a lot and wasted a lot of time doing silly stuff and killing things. I love it, and Bethesda should do a  remastered version for next-gen systems.
  
  Janiel Martell
• I put the most hours into Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas – 100 hours before I even touched the DLC. These games were just magic to me. The atmosphere, the go-anywhere/do-anything gameplay, the interesting environments –when I traded in my PS3 for a PS4, I kept my collector's editions. I can't let go.
  
  Dave
• I have spent countless hours on the Fallout games. The story is generic mostly, but what makes me return is the gameplay. Every time I replay it, I know more than I did the last time. I understand the mechanics better, from how I want to shape my character to interacting with the A.I. Also, I never 100-percent complete the game, which makes me want to go back and discover all of the locations and quests that I missed.
  
  Daniel Hansen
• The game I've put the most hours into is Fallout 3. If you have to ask why, you've obviously never played it and badly need to play it.
  
  David Dylan Stewart

Origin Story:

• The game I put the most hours into has to be Dragon Age: Origins. Personally, I love RPGs; the idea of creating your own character and that your actions will affect the outcome of the story makes me want to sample one of everything on this buffet of choices. Since it came out in 2009, I've probably played through the game in full 27 times, with various non-finished save files. Despite the thousands of hours I put into the game, learning the ins and outs of every quest and even the DLC, I feel there is something new or something I had overlooked that I discover each time, whether it be in the main story, a side quest, or even in the lore. Dragon Age was my first RPG and I'll never for get about it.
  
  Madeline Vokovitch
• The game I put the most time into is without a doubt Dragon Age: Origins. The amount of times I've replayed that game just to make one different small choice, be it a different race, fighter, or just to say something slightly different is staggering. I've spent hours upon hours playing that game, and that isn't even including the DLC. DA:O, for me, just always has that little something different every time I play, and I love it.
  
  Cassie Leavitt

Mass Appeal:

• Ever since I decided to buy the Mass Effect trilogy without knowing much about it, I put about 250 hours into the series. The RPG elements blended with action-packed gameplay, interesting characters, and an amazing story that is influenced by the player's actions throughout the games kept me interested enough to put in that amount of time.
  
  Jacob Wells
• The Mass Effect trilogy. I've played through the entire trilogy at least seven times. With so many paths to the conclusion of the story, how could I not spend endless hours exploring them? Plus, where else can you make it with a blue alien and then send your loyal crew off to be made into apocalyptic baby reaper food?
  
  Daniel Kelly

A Grand Old Time:

• I have to say Grand Theft Auto V will be my most played game by the end of January. I have played through twice on the PS3, plus countless hours online. I will plop another 60 bucks in November for my PS4, and being a recent PC convert, I'm pretty sure I will spend another 60 in January. I wish they would do the same for Red Dead Redemption; they could squeeze another 120 bucks out of me!
  
  Bucky Thomas
• I've invested a lot of time into playing Grand Theft Auto V online. I first played through the story mode, then went into the online world. Even though it's now gotten to a point of being utterly repetitive (exactly how many times can I play against people who use illegal mods?), the game is still a personal favorite of mine. I don't see myself giving it up anytime soon, though I would be interested to know if Rockstar is developing GTA 6.
  
  Mike Chrusciel

Hail To The (Master)Chief:

• I have spent countless hours in the Halo universe playing through every campaign and a ridiculous amount of time in multiplayer. The thing that keeps bringing me back every time is knowing that it's a way to get my old high school friends back together. Thanks for that, Halo!
  
  Emalie Galvan
• Anything with the Halo branding on it. Between Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo: ODST, Halo Reach, Halo Wars, and Halo 4, my Gamertag has accrued over 2,000 hours gameplay. This isn't counting the offline play I did in the original Halo. I'm proud to say it, too.
  
  John Zimmerman

Already Caught 'Em All:

• I've probably put the most hours collectively into the Pokémon series. Especially with the newer games, it's very easy to rack up hours just waiting for someone to challenge you to an online battle. I've put probably close to 500 hours into HeartGold, Black 2, and Y.
  
  Andrew Cunningham
• Pokémon HeartGold is the game I've played the most. I just had to catch: Wobbuffet, Mr. Mime, Alakazam, Hypno, Gardevoir, and Togikiss. I also had to get the pokegear number from all the gym leaders/elite four/champions and red. This game is so good; I almost have all the Pokémon in the national pokedex. I have all the Pokémon in the Johto Pokédex. This game is very addicting.
  
  Jack Lanza
• The game I've put the most hours into is Pokémon X and Y. I enjoy looking for rare Pokémon and trading online for even rarer Pokémon. The main game was easy, but I love the post-game; no matter how many people say that this game has no post-game, I'm glad to say that I have put the most hours into this game.
  
  Justin K.
• Between Pokémon Blue and Gold, I probably logged a couple hundred hours. Both games are really challenging and it just takes so darn long to catch them all!
  
  Josh Jensen

The Final Fantasy:

• The game I’ve put the most hours into to this day is Final Fantasy VII. I played it upon release, and it was the first RPG I had ever played. It immediately captivated me and became an obsession. Seeing the brilliant story, unbelievable characters, gorgeous cutscenes, and Sephiroth really birthed my love for gaming and especially RPGs. I could not put the controller down and spent months on end leveling up different materia – especially mime, which took forever. Not to mention the chocobo racing at the Golden Saucer, which netted you the gold chocobo needed for Knights of the Round materia. To this day, that is easily the best and most creative game I have ever played.
  
  Jason Linderman
• Undoubtedly, it’s Final Fantasy X. I put over 100 hours into the game when it was first released, and recently bought the HD version for PS3 and did it all over again. It was one of the first RPGs that featured voice acting and it brought a whole new level to idea of “role playing.” It allowed you to begin to relate with characters thanks to their unique accents or snarky tone. They became less like digital animations and more like real characters.
  
  Traver Freeman

Probably For The Best:

• The video game I sunk the most time into is Tiny Tower for iOS. For a period of probably two or three months, Tiny Tower was my whole life – even to the point where I would wake up at 3:00AM with my iPod beeping at me to restock the freakin' donut or coffee shop. And then I tried a glitch or two and it deleted my whole tower. I'm starting to think that was a good thing.
  
  Gannon Brady

Destiny's Calling:

• I have been playing Destiny nonstop since it came out. Bungie most definitely has me grinding day and night for those legendary and exotic weapons that I just crave to have. I have put over 290 hours into the game, along with earning over 2,275 Grimoire cards. Being a stay-at-home mom keeps me from putting in more hours than I currently have, but this game is so addicting that my boyfriend has to unplug the Xbox One at night just so I will sleep. It has consumed my life, but it's too much fun to put down. Destiny is like an addiction; you get your first legendary and the second and then you just want more and more. This is my only game of choice right now!
  
  Brittany Agerton

To Each His Own:

• The game I put the most hours into is Euro Truck Simulator 2. I have put over 350 hours into this game. The reason is because it offers a unique experience, and if you get the multiplayer mod it also offers a great multiplayer experience. I do feel as a fan of the game that it is very underrated and the it should be reviewed, but I understand there is a very limited market for games like these. It would be nice to see some kind of mentioning of the game from you guys, though.
  
  Conner P.

A Good Way To Look At It:

• I've invested literally hundreds of hours into each of the three Wii Fit games, mostly doing some strength training and aerobics every day. They're unique because most video games take away hours of your life, but these actually add hours to my life – maybe even years!
  
  Bobby Miller

Life Sentence:

• I would have to say World of Warcraft. I’ve been playing it for nine years, and my account says my play time is about 400 days. It’s a game I can always fall back on, and it’s more fun with a good guild.
  
  Jon Weise

What game have you played the most? Share your thoughts in the comments below!