I had originally planned on continuing my “Adventure Log” but that will happen tomorrow! Instead, I read an interesting question on the OnRPG Forums. A forum-goer pointed out that now that he’s married, and works a full-time job, the options for gaming seem to be so much smaller. And he’s right! He’s absolutely right. Though I’m not married, I do spend a great deal of my week working, planning content for YouTube, Streaming to keep eyes on our product, an upcoming Podcast, and then social/familial obligations. When does that leave time for me to play shit just for me? It’s a real chore. I have a lot of friends who work 40-80 hours a week and maybe get one day a week to enjoy a game. One of my closest friends, whom I first bonded with over gaming, tabletop and otherwise, probably hasn’t bought a new game in over a year. Not because he can’t afford it, but he has lost the urge he used to have. Not enough time in the day!
His answer is tabletop RPGs. His wife, brothers, and other close friends play with them and in that, they can enjoy some quality gaming time without having to spend a lot of money. They usually get together once a week, or every other week for most of the day. Hard to get that kind of schedule with a group, but success has its rewards. I don’t have as much time to play with them as I used to though. What’s my answer? Well, I have to ask this person, “Does your spouse game?” if so, find a game you two can play together, like an MMO. Something you can casually play and level and enjoy each others company. WoW is a good mark for that. Or FFXIV. Mobile games are another solid choice. I don’t mean cellphone games, but like a 3DS or Vita. A good RPG that you can spend an hour or two with here and there, or short, exciting action/platformers. Your ultimate goal is to be able to enjoy a game while simultaneously not eating up all of your personal time. What do I do though? If it’s not something I play for work, or stream, or for an editorial or article, I either stick to free to play/multiplayer games like Smite, League of Legends, or pay games like Overwatch and Battleborn. Something I can enjoy, potentially with friends, that won’t take a lot of time. For the weekends, I tend to play longer roleplaying games, because that’s what I prefer, or a fighting game. I do enjoy practicing combos and stuff.
Those are the times when I have nothing going on, no reviews to work on, nothing to edit, just a few brief hours of relaxation time. Lots of folks think it’s great to be a game reviewer, and for many things, it is! I love it. But I don’t have too many games I purchased just to play it because I wanted it. And if I do, I don’t really have the time to finish them. If you’re looking on advice on how to game with a full-time job, figure out who, if anyone you can play with, look at how much spare time you have, and what titles you like. If you like to be competitive, maybe CS:Go, Overwatch, League, something like that. Aktilum, if you’re looking for stuff that requires little investment and you can still have fun? Overwatch. It’s challenging, fun, doesn’t require a ton of investment if you don’t want it. Something casual, but still challenges you a bit. Smite is probably the game I play the most alone though, between that and Overwatch.
Weekdays: Overwatch, Smite, League of Legends, Street Fighter 5
Weekends: RPGs, Overwatch, League of Legends, Street Fighter 5, Whatever Retro RPG has my eye [currently FFIV]
