Have you ever taken time off work to play a video game?

SWard

Supergirl
Staff member
It's so quiet!

All of my buddies are off playing Final Fantasy :D

Have you ever taken time off work to specifically play a video game? I definitely did for one of the old Sims expansions I was super excited for, but luckily it fell on a long weekend. I think if there's ever a new Baldur's I'd probably take a good few days...

I mean technically I've taken whole weeks off to go to LAN's, but I don't really count it, as its more of a social thing and less of a "No, something has just come out and I need to consume it entirely" situ. :D

What's the longest you've taken?
 
Jun 27, 2023
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I have taken time off work to play video games and I'd do it again too!

It's just nice to not have any distractions, as I find myself being interrupted or time getting cut short because of life.

Especially if it's for a game or series that you're eagerly awaiting. It's been a while since I've done it as most things that I were heavily invested in have grown worse through sequels.

I've also stopped buying games on release day now, which probably effects it too.
 
I took off a few days before the weekend to play Starfield at launch. Wasn’t too disappointed with my decision as the first few hours are some of the best. The hype really got to me prior to launch, I thought we were about the witness another gaming sensation as huge as Skyrim when that first came out.

I took off a few days to play Red Dead 2 on my Xbox One at launch. That was one moment where it was so hard for me to put down the game, the following days at work all I could think about was riding my horsies.

I also remember calling out sick from school to play Battlefield 3 at launch just for it to be a buggy disappointing mess. Couldn’t get into any multiplayer matches, and the single player mode was still bugging out all over the place.
 
Sure, but what about your “sick” days nudge nudge wink wink

Did you know that children get sick an average of 12 times a year? And they are terrible at not spreading their germs everywhere, so I catch whatever they bring home about half of the time.

I don't have limited sick days, but if I call in more than two or three times a year they will start asking questions.

I used to skip a lot of class to stay home and play games instead, probably wasn't a great decision at the time, but I'm in a good place in life these days, so don't think I'd change anything.

Can't say I've ever taken time off work to play something though and my current job doesn't give me any vacation or sick days, so that's moot.

I have skipped a few lectures in university and while I don't think I ever did so specifically to play a game, that was what I ended up doing most of the time.
 
I never regret the decision to start working for myself.

I technically work for myself. I have had my own business for going on 14 years now, though it's mostly been fallow, cause I have other priorities.

I just don't get any days off because I'm the stay at home parent right now. Summer break is... Challenging. Working on my car yesterday was actually a nice break.
 
Have i taken time off to play a game? Absolutely not. I maybe a heavy gamer and gaming is my defacto passion, i don't obsess over it to the point i'm taking days off specifically play a game. Thankfully. I have life commitments like money, work etc and treat it as entertainment. Hell, i don't do marathon sessions or all nighters when i play. I play my hour or 2 and maintain a schedule.
 
Frankly, im appalled at the amount of you that never did this already! :p

For me? Yes, more than a couple times. When i was younger, itd be to get some pvp time in with friends in college, having different job schedules, classes etc. I remember doing this for Halo 2. Took a day off because there was a big online campus gaming session going on that night and this was back when this was extremely rare and new for campuses, so i couldnt miss it and my job at the time wasnt like...super amazing anyways.

Now, Its usually in conjunction with my wife and rarely is the SOLE reason for it though. I can name a couple times where i would take a day off to be able to grind a new game with my wife. We work opposite schedules (im overnight, shes day, different days off etc.) . Did this for The Division, Diablo, Gears of War and most def. when raiding with her and clanmates in Destiny 2.

Honestly, i hear the reason people call off of work and from my experience, its usually, imo, nothing way more important than getting in some gaming time.
 
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Zloth

Community Contributor
Sure, but what about your “sick” days nudge nudge wink wink
A sick day IS a vacation day `round these parts. (On the plus side, there are no worries about whether you are "really sick" or not, and all the drama that can bring. On the minus side, people come into work sick because they don't want to burn their vacation time, making even more people sick. Now that I work from home, I get sick less often.)

I've never taken a day off just so I can play a game I really want to play. Of course, I prefer "staycations" when I do take days off so I can play my computer games. Make of that what you will.
 
Honestly, i hear the reason people call off of work and from my experience, its usually, imo, nothing way more important than getting in some gaming time.

Yeah I agree with this. Spending time on your favourite hobbies is no worse than spending it on most other leisure activities. For people who don't want to do things like spending an entire day or staying up all night for their hobbies, okay, fine, but don't act like it makes you a better person than those of us who love to throw ourselves into our hobbies now and then. I've definitely stayed up all night reading, or writing, or TV and film when I was younger, or boardgaming, or yes, videogaming. I've dedicated entire days to all those things, plus hill walking and several others. I'm a politics and stats nerd, and this week a friend and I are going to stay up all night, with drinks and snacks, watching the UK election results roll in; I've done this with friends in-person for 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2017. It's great to let go of caution and responsibility occasionally and enjoy a hobby session so prolonged that you can get your teeth into it. I think there's a joyless attitude abroad that adults, and men in particular, shouldn't enjoy anything except working and DIY, and I want none of it. Give me as much enjoyment as I can handle.
 
Jul 2, 2024
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After a long platinum run through all the Yakuza games (and Judgment, of course), I finally got to Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

And man, it is incredible. I probably sound like a sick fanboy, but no game series hooks me like this one.

So, what makes this topic relatable to me? Right now, I find myself frustrated and fighting the urge to slip off work at least once to spend all day on IW. I don't always have time for it on the weekends, or it is just not enough for me usually.

P.S. Actually I didn't platinum the entire series (there's a Kiwami 1/2 and Ishin that left for me, excluding PS exclusives)
 
Never taken time off work but their have been lots of occassions when i went to work looking like a zombie because i forgot where my bed was.

In 1982 on new years eve i was determined to get to the end of the bug ridden hobbit on the spectrum , even when you knew what to do the game interface did odd things ... the butler jumped in the barrel and sails away....
That meant you were stranded cos you only had one barrel.

When i did finish it i looked at the time and it was too late to go out....... the only time i ever gone to bed sober on new years eve.
 
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Have you ever taken time off work to specifically play a video game? I definitely did for one of the old Sims expansions I was super excited for, but luckily it fell on a long weekend. I think if there's ever a new Baldur's I'd probably take a good few days...
Yes. I can't be specific but after playing games this long, I know its happened. Might not have been a PC game, could have been a Console game. Sitting at home playing a game was always more appealing than going to work.

I played Wow in the past, I know I have spent the entirety of two week holidays playing it... as reason I stopped playing game is I didn't want to do it again and chose something else for those two weeks... probably another game.

It hasn't been a problem in recent years since I am not working...
 
Dec 5, 2023
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Yes, absolutely I have! When Mass Effect 2 released in 2010 I grabbed my collectors edition at midnight on Jan 26, played till about 530a and then called in sick to get a small nap in and then play the rest of the day lol. Did the same thing in 2012 when Borderlands 2 came out. I called out sick the next day when I picked up my very first XB1 console in 2013 at midnight, also played hooky for 3 days while I attended E3 in 2016. I think the last time I did this was when Cyberpunk released in 2020?

If I take a unplanned day off just to play games now, it will take me a day to get caught back up on work, so its a bit of a wash. These days I'll just pick it up on a Friday evening and really dig into it over the weekend. I also have the luxury of vacation days in my current position so if I really want to play the heck out of it I'll plan ahead and schedule a day off when I pick up a game. This way I can handle all responsibilities leading up to "game day" beforehand so I can disappear into my lair for 60 hours without distractions or feeling like I should be doing something else.

The days of preordering for midnight at a brick and mortar store are long over so this isn't such a common thing anymore. As I got older and stopped working in the industry my intensity died down quite a bit. Hardly ever excited for new drops anymore since they are often half baked garbage that takes a year to patch it into the state it should have been released in (see Cyberpunk)

edit: Grammar
 

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