Time spent in an average gaming session

[Rich in KCK]

The how do you make time to game thread got me thinking about this. Some responses in the thread sound like people can sit down for just a few minutes at a time to game. Me, I need to have at least 2 hours set aside where I won't be interupted before I'll even attempt to play. I seem to need that much time to get immersed in a game, having invested that much time also increases the chances that I'll make time to play again fairly soon. Any less time and the desire to game doesn't take hold which explains my recent 2 month hiatus from any actual gameplay.

[bluefugue]

Hmm, I dunno what is average for me these days. Probably anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes. But then I had some epic multi hour sessions of Rome Total War recently...

[Smoove_B]

If you want to play more games, you have to make the time. And you make the time by giving up something else. TV, Sleep. Hopefully not time with your spouse or children.

Seriously though, if you just take 1 hour a day and block that off for gaming, you'll see the difference it makes. It's not so much a 5 hour gaming marathon that's important - it's getting into a gaming "habit".

[JayG]

Usually around 2 hours if I manage to get a chance to play. Yesterday though I played around 8 hours with Vampire, which is the longest I've played since KOTOR. Brilliant game. Luckily there isn't too many games that hook me so much.

[Blackhawk]

I voted 1/2 hour, but that is a bit skewed. On an average day, I play any number of 30 minute or one hour sessions, sometimes so close together that I don't even exit - I just pause the game. I game when the kids take a nap, I game when they're at school, I game before dinner, after dinner... Whenever I get a free moment. After the kids go to bed is generally Spousal Interaction Time. Because I am at home taking two kids, I often have several hours of free time a day - but it is rarely in chunks larger than 30 minutes.

Fridays are my joy - on Fridays Ian doesn't have school, so they take an afternoon nap together. That means three solid hours of game time for me!

[Kraken]

I don't usually game unless I have at least two hours to give. If I'm in the groove and not distracted, I can go about four hours without getting bored or restless. A really excellent game might keep me in the chair for 6+ hours, but that very rarely happens anymore -- games seldom grab me like they used to.

[dbt1949]

I voted for 2 hours because that's how long I can hold out until I have to pee.
If you're talking about total playing(including pee breaks) for a day then 6-8 hours migh be closer to the truth.

[jonsauce]

I voted two hours because when I em employed thats what I have time for in the evenings. Unfortunately I'm not employed again until December 20, so I have been putting in 3-4 hours at a time, then taking a break to eat, then coming back for another 3-4 hours.

[Ripstar]

Voted for 4 though its closer to three and includes some photoshop which is kind of like gaming for me.

Where do I get the time. TV is so moronic its easy to find time.

[LordMortis]

If I don't lay down 2 - 3 hours at a time it hardly seems worth it to me. I get into playing over time. If I were only to make an hour of it, I would be more concerned about my timeline for play rather than actually getting lost in the game.

[Freezer-TPF-]

I like to have at least 2 hours free before I sit down to a game so I can re-brief myself on the controls (I often have weeks-long gaps between gaming) and complete a mission/level or two at a time. What kills me is that I often use up perfectly good gaming time by first surfing the forums, etc. By the time I do that, I often feel like I don't have enough time to game, so I end up doing something else. What would probably help me would be to schedule game time specifically (like one hour/level after work each day if I don't have other plans).

[Kelric]

My average gaming time probably works out to about 45 minutes to an hour, but that happens two or three times a day. Once in a while I get a serious 3-5 hour gaming binge (like the first few weeks I had Rome: Total War) but that's rare.

[Rich in KCK]

I think Smoove's habit comment is my problem. I enjoy it and find time once the habit starts but getting into the game the first few times is my problem along with lack of time. My daily schedule goes something like this.

Wake up at 11 Am - Noon
Start getting ready to leave for work around 2:30 pm
Go to work and work + mandatory OT
Get off work and get home around 3 AM
Up for about 2 hours winding down from the day
sleep 6-7 hours and start again.

I really don't have time except on the weekends. When I worked days it seemed like I had a lot more time because work didn't interupt my free time like it does now and it seemed like I got by on less sleep then as well. Having my free time split into two small chunks kills the desire to do a lot of things. Still, if I can't fit in at least 2 hours it never seems worth it to me.

[is_dead]

I put 2 hours but in retrospect I should have put 4. I only game one or two nights a week, but once I get started I find it hard to stop, so it lasts about that long.

[disarm]

i usually like to put in at least 1-2 hours at a time...although i've been known to go for quite a bit longer than that if i get caught up in a really good game. i usually keep enough games installed that there's always something i can just jump into for a few minutes though. i will admit to some marathon sessions in the past...6 hours of UT2K4 on zaxxon's server a few months ago is probably the most recent 8)

[The Meal]

I rarely feel as if I can put forth more than an hour or so without being neglectful to my wife and child. They're both really good at entertaining themselves, but I'm not able (it's *got* to be my Catholic upbringing) to go on enjoying myself for too long without feeling like I'm doing something wrong to them. Usually I'll take a two or five minute break and check up on the girls to make sure I'm not irritating someone or that someone else isn't bored because I'm gaming and 9 times out of ten after that break I'm back to whatever it was that I was doing.

~Neal