How many games do you have going at a time?

[Brian Boru]

I see many of you dipping in and out of multiple games, sometimes coming back weeks later to revisit or finish off.

Apart from my 5-min solitaire game I visit a few times daily, I usually have only one game going at a time. With a new game I like, I'll often jump right back into a replay directly after finishing.

This may be related to me playing far fewer titles than many of you. Eg in the recent thread about our top games released in 2021, some of you had no problem coming up with a top-10—whereas I'm fairly certain I haven't played a 2021 game yet.

Or maybe it's a more general thing—I typically prefer to work on project until it's done, then move on to the next. How about you?

 

[Johnway]

On the PC? i usually play one main game and doom wads during the weekends or spare time. That said, it might increase to a third game with Path of exile when a league starts. So i typically have 3 on the go. that said i do have a few other games installed but not playing. probably needs to uninstall them i guess.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

I only ever play one serious, lengthy game at a time. Sometimes I might load up a short time-waster game, though. Like right now, I've started Dishonored 2 as my main game, and I might play something like Pool Nation to shoot some pool here and there.

My problem is that I don't have a ton of time to play, so it takes me forever to get through whatever my main game is. But that's why I won't keep playing a game I end up not liking. With as little time as I give for gaming, I'd rather just move on to something I like than stubbornly playing a game I don't like for a couple of months.

 

[ZedClampet]

It really varies for me. If I find a game I'm really liking, I'll probably only play that one game for awhile (other than multiplayer games with co-op partners). But if I don't have that one game that I really like, then I'll skip around a bit. Like today I probably played 6 or 7 different games. Tomorrow (I'm still on vacation) it may be 6 or 7 different ones.

Okay, time to come clean.

I have severe ADHD that has gotten progressively worse through the years. Even though I take meds for it, I'm still very, very bad. If I can't find a game that completely captures my attention (almost always an unstructured sandbox game), then I'll just go to one game after another. Trust me, I wish it was different, but that's just the way it is. This morning I was trying to play RDR2, and it was just driving me crazy because it wanted me to do things in an exact order with exact timing. I already knew what I was supposed to do, and I was just seething having to do it the game's way in the game's time...sooo much waiting....so I quit and played something else.

And it's almost impossible for me to play the same game twice. It just drives me crazy. So I frequently find myself in a position of trying out many games and hoping one will stick.

I don't know why, but I've never had much problem with my actual job, but I set my own schedule of things to do, so that probably helps. If I had a boss hovering over me all day, I would have a tough time. I'm very fortunate to have a job where I'm almost completely independent.

 

[Colif]

Almost always only one game. If I am playing anything its the one thing until I get tired of it. I can't think of a time since I had an N64 where I would bounce between multiple games in a day.

Only time I bounced between things and not find anything I want is most days trying to find a YouTube video I want to watch for more than 2 minutes. So many fail before the 2 minute break... get to the point, stop wasting my time.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

It really varies for me. If I find a game I'm really liking, I'll probably only play that one game for awhile (other than multiplayer games with co-op partners)...

You make a good point about multiplayer games. I think you could have several multiplayer games going during one time period, and it wouldn't make a difference. But I'm a single-player only guy. I don't get into multiplayer at all. So I don't think that way, which is why I'm stuck with one game at a time.

Also, the types of games I play tend to have at least some kind of story to them. So trying to play multiple games like that would be like me trying to read several fiction novels at the same time. I just can't do it. I prefer to put all my focus into one thing if I can.

 

[Ryzengang]

It really varies for me. If I find a game I'm really liking, I'll probably only play that one game for awhile (other than multiplayer games with co-op partners). But if I don't have that one game that I really like, then I'll skip around a bit. Like today I probably played 6 or 7 different games. Tomorrow (I'm still on vacation) it may be 6 or 7 different ones.

Okay, time to come clean.

I have severe ADHD that has gotten progressively worse through the years. Even though I take meds for it, I'm still very, very bad. If I can't find a game that completely captures my attention (almost always an unstructured sandbox game), then I'll just go to one game after another. Trust me, I wish it was different, but that's just the way it is. This morning I was trying to play RDR2, and it was just driving me crazy because it wanted me to do things in an exact order with exact timing. I already knew what I was supposed to do, and I was just seething having to do it the game's way in the game's time...sooo much waiting....so I quit and played something else.

And it's almost impossible for me to play the same game twice. It just drives me crazy. So I frequently find myself in a position of trying out many games and hoping one will stick.

I don't know why, but I've never had much problem with my actual job, but I set my own schedule of things to do, so that probably helps. If I had a boss hovering over me all day, I would have a tough time. I'm very fortunate to have a job where I'm almost completely independent.

Yea, I struggle with this as well. I actually recently got diagnosed with ADHD myself, so it went undetected for a long time. It seems weird but I never really knew what the exact problem was, just that I clearly had some issues. I hop around games a lot and getting a game to capture me can be difficult and I get easily annoyed with games and just uninstall them, lol. Things have improved now that I'm being treated but it is still an ongoing struggle to some extent.

 

[DXCHASE]

This may be related to me playing far fewer titles than many of you. Eg in the recent thread about our top games released in 2021, some of you had no problem coming up with a top-10—whereas I'm fairly certain I haven't played a 2021 game yet.

This is why i dont have more than 1-3 at a time and if i do its simply because it was a new game. I def. could not come up with a top 10 of 2021.

So, right now i have 4 games at once. My forever game Destiny 2 doing the usual tasks i do in there. The other 3 are simply there because i received them on Christmas as a gift or got them super cheap and wanted to try it, these include Days Gone, Deathloop and Greedfall. I will most likely finish Days Gone since Destiny is at a lul part in the season but deathloop feels to me that i wont be finishing that soon and will mostly likely fall into my "i will never finish" pile. Lastly is Greedfall, ive been playing it on and off since i got it through Steams Autumn sale and might finish it. Kinda taken a back seat with xmas gone by but who knows.

 

[Pifanjr]

I usually have one big game for when I have an hour or longer to play, a small game for shorter game sessions, a co-op game to play with my wife and sometimes a game for my phone as well.

 

[Colif]

i don't play "play and wait" games or want to turn my Mobile into an ATM so I don't play games on my phone at all.

 

[mainer]

But I'm a single-player only guy. I don't get into multiplayer at all. So I don't think that way, which is why I'm stuck with one game at a time.

Also, the types of games I play tend to have at least some kind of story to them. So trying to play multiple games like that would be like me trying to read several fiction novels at the same time. I just can't do it. I prefer to put all my focus into one thing if I can.

Yep, that's me too; single player games only. I've never been into co-op, or MMOs, or PVP, or Battle Royal type games. I like to stay focused on whatever RPG I'm playing. Your example of trying to read several different fiction books at the same time is a great example. There's just too much going on for my mind to be able to multitask between games.

I actually tried doing that a few years ago (with games, not books), but I just ended up loosing focus in all of them, so I ended up sticking with one and dropping the others.

The only rare (very rare) exception is with certain ARPGs like Diablo 2R or Grim Dawn. If I only have an hour or so free time and I don't feel I can go into my current main RPG game, I'll drop into an ARPG for that hour. But even then, I usually start a new character from the beginning of the game than continue the journey of a current character.

 

[Pifanjr]

i don't play "play and wait" games or want to turn my Mobile into an ATM so I don't play games on my phone at all.

When I still went to the office every day I'd spent about two hours a day in busses. I played a lot of different mobile games then. Most free ones are indeed ****, but there are a few that are decent and I had a couple of paid games from Humble Bundles I got ages ago.

I've also played a couple of games recently on PC that have a mobile port as well. I'd probably pick one up if I'd have to go to the office again every day, though that's not likely to happen ever again.

 

[Colif]

i think i have about 2 good games on my account. They not on my phone now, but if I felt like scrolling through every application I have ever installed on my last 4 Samsung Galaxies, I would tell you their names. I haven't bought one in a few years. Getting old means I have to use glasses to read phone now, and sometimes that is too much trouble. MY interest in things that are a total blur without glasses is not very big.
I don't like laptops for their lack of surround sound, so mobiles were already at a disadvantage. Not all of them even have stereo sound. Maybe I am spoiled at home with 5.1 sound.

 

[mainer]

When I still went to the office every day I'd spent about two hours a day in busses. I played a lot of different mobile games then.

That's something I'd never thought of when considering mobile games. If I had to spend 2 hours of my life per working day riding public transportation, I would have definitely invested in a few mobile games myself.

 

[Pifanjr]

Maybe I am spoiled at home with 5.1 sound.

I wouldn't know what that's like. This is my sound setup:

 

[WoodenSaucer]

i think i have about 2 good games on my account. They not on my phone now, but if I felt like scrolling through every application I have ever installed on my last 4 Samsung Galaxies, I would tell you their names. I haven't bought one in a few years. Getting old means I have to use glasses to read phone now, and sometimes that is too much trouble. MY interest in things that are a total blur without glasses is not very big.
I don't like laptops for their lack of surround sound, so mobiles were already at a disadvantage. Not all of them even have stereo sound. Maybe I am spoiled at home with 5.1 sound.

I've worn glasses for short-sightedness since I was 9 years old. But a few years ago, I started needing reading glasses, too. So I have those lineless progressive lenses. It would be a pain if I had to put reading glasses on every time I need to read something, but I have to wear glasses all the time, anyway.

 

[SBan83]

Yea, I struggle with this as well. I actually recently got diagnosed with ADHD myself, so it went undetected for a long time. It seems weird but I never really knew what the exact problem was, just that I clearly had some issues. I hop around games a lot and getting a game to capture me can be difficult and I get easily annoyed with games and just uninstall them, lol. Things have improved now that I'm being treated but it is still an ongoing struggle to some extent.

Lol, I'm the same way, especially the "get easily annoyed with games and just uninstall them" part.

 

[Zloth]

It would be a pain if I had to put reading glasses on every time I need to read something, but I have to wear glasses all the time, anyway.

It's getting off topic but, if you can swing it, get an additional pair of computer glasses. These are just glasses set to focus at about arm's length. Progressive lenses are good for things close and things far, but the band for things on a monitor is kinda small. You might even find yourself slowly bobbing your head up and down to read an entire screen.

Computer glasses won't be as expensive as progressive lenses because they are far easier to make. They don't need any sort of anti-glare stuff, either, which makes them even cheaper and also easier to clean.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

It's getting off topic but, if you can swing it, get an additional pair of computer glasses. These are just glasses set to focus at about arm's length. Progressive lenses are good for things close and things far, but the band for things on a monitor is kinda small. You might even find yourself slowly bobbing your head up and down to read an entire screen.

Computer glasses won't be as expensive as progressive lenses because they are far easier to make. They don't need any sort of anti-glare stuff, either, which makes them even cheaper and also easier to clean.

Yeah, I've noticed progressives aren't great for arm-length stuff. like a laptop screen.

 

[retechno]

Sometimes I play a big game in an hour and small game for 5 - 10 minutes