Finding Time for Games
As a busy gamer who also has a full time job, a wife, and lots of responsibilities, finding time for playing games can be a challenge. Carving out several hours to get together with friends on Xbox Live, or to work through the new RPG is one kind of problem (and one that I’ll deal with in a different post). But what if you’re looking for a mid-week gaming fix, a mid-day pick-me-up? With a little planning and ingenuity you’ll find there are opportunities to fit gaming into the little spaces in life as well. Here are some of my top strategies for getting in some gaming time during the week.
- Going Nowhere Fast: If your idea of exercise is preparing for an Iron Man triathalon (no, I’m not talking about your plan to attend three showings of Iron Man on May 2nd) then this one won’t work for you. If you’re more my speed, get yourself a comfortable exercise bike or other stable, stationary workout equipment. Haul that old CRT TV out of the garage, and hook up one of your current gen or older gaming systems and sit yourself down for 30-60 minutes of exergaming! I find my workouts tend to be less intense when gaming (I’m distracted?) but also longer (I’m distracted!) My favorite genres for exergaming are strategy games, which are especially good at taking your mind off of the job at hand. Recommended game: Age of Empires: Age of Kings, DS.
- I’m not tired yet: If you’re a married gamer you’re probably already familiar with this one, in which you stay up late after your wife goes to bed in order to game for a little while. Pitfalls to watch out for include: a. You’ll need to keep it down (Rock Band may be out.) b. You still need to get some sleep (WoW is probably out, as are those favorite “just one more turn” games. I’m looking at you Civilization. ) c. You probably can’t do this every day or you’ll risk an unhappy spouse.
- Going Nowhere Fast (Redux): Yeah, I’m going there. Grab your DS, PSP, or GBA and head to the bathroom (the Virtual Boy is not recommended, for more than one reason). You’re going to be in there for a while anyways, so why waste your time with Sports Illustrated? Just don’t let your legs fall asleep (your grandpa’s padded toilet seat isn’t sounding so silly now, is it?) and stay away from portable games with poor save spot distributions.
So, these are some of my top ways to get a mid-week gaming fix - what are yours?
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