I’m just curious, mainly because I’m noticing that my own weekly hours spent with a controller/mouse and keyboard have been declining as of late. Real life responsibilities have been making a slow creep into my time since my early 20s, and I’m starting to hit a breaking point.
At the moment I estimate that I’m getting about 3-5 hours in a week on average. This might extend itself if I get heavily engrossed in something — recent example being Dark Souls and Dark Souls II. Then that number might grow exponentially, but I don’t imagine it grows over 10 hours, and it’s difficult to maintain because it’s usually eating into my actual sleeping hours!
I just find that I have a lot going on. I have Dad responsibilities, husband responsibilities, a demanding job, and I have a lot of training commitments for climbing. It doesn’t leave me too much free time.
Am I alone in this? When I was a carefree single student God knows how many hours I was packing in, but things are a little different now.
Let us know in the comments below.
Comments
47 responses to “Tell Us Dammit: How Much Time Do You Spend Gaming?”
~2 hours per week of casual gaming in 10 minute bursts at lunch or during a break (TagPro, Hearthstone)
~2-3 hours per week of hardcore gaming one night a week (Dark Souls 2, Wolfenstein).
Same reasons as Mark, minus the climbing. 3 kids + demanding job = not as much gaming time as I’d like. Or is that 3 jobs + demanding kids?
Entirely too much
entirely not enough
Even though I’m unemployed right now, I still don’t find myself gaming as much as I used to/want to. No idea why, but I guess it’s usually that I’m either too tired, or something else comes up that needs tending to. I do go through phases though. Even when I am working full time, there will be occasions where I will stay up all night (or every spare second of my day) playing, but I guess it really comes down to what I’m playing at the time, and how engrossed in it I am.
Exact hours unknown but lucky for me my wife is also a gamer so she does not hassle me at all about my gaming hobbies. Also with the birth of our daughter 2 months ago (Yay!!!) and me being the primary carer for her (stay at home dad) I have even more time than ever for gaming.
Really? Wow, you must have one of those sleeping babies I’ve heard of (and a self cleaning house!)
I found I had way less time for gaming once my latest daughter (4 daughters now!) came along. She eats up all my time, in a good way, but there is none left for gaming during the day.
Sleeping baby yes. She is amazing. Had a few all night sleeps lately but has been a 2am and 6am feeder since about 2 weeks old.
Staying on top of the cleaning is not hard. Have worked as a professional cleaner in the past so this is a breeze. I expect to get a lot less time as she grows older and I am 100% ok with that. But in saying that as she gets older I am hoping she is a gamer like her parents so I will likely be gaming with her, just different games to what I am used to.
Yeah, enjoy the time where they stay where you put them.
I got a climber that apparently doesn’t need sleep. At 12 months old she could climb out of the cot, now at 18 months she can literally climb and descend *anything*. She is so much fun, but my gawd, you can’t avert your eyes for a second.
I struggle with the cleaning, but 4 kids adds to the fun, and one with special needs.
Now I just have to wait until she is old enough to game *with* ;^)
Enjoy it while it lasts…at three moths they figure out how to keep themselves awake…..and from then on they take up more and more time. The first 2 moths are often easiest……….change them, feed them, smile at them, put them to bed and repeat in 3 or 4 hours……..I use to pretend I was a robot.
I was a stay at home dad too….though at the time my kids were born I was investing in property so I was more of a drag my kids to different construction sites and other meetings dad….
Steam said that i spent 50 hours ever 2 weeks, i like to think it’s less, it most likely isn’t.
I work 11 hours a day, so when i get home or it’s the weekend i just like to chill and play, but that is if i have a free weekend.
Edit: i guess steam counts my idle time.
Between 1 and 6 hours a day, sleep is for the weak….
Other than my missus i have no family obligations so that’s nice and easy.
if i have no plans i game, if i have plans i don’t.
Same here if I have nothing else to do gaming it is but if something comes up happy to turn off an do that instead
I go through phases. Six months of the year I might play 5-10 hours per day, the six months after that I may barely touch a single game unless it’s over beers with friends.
I’m the same game hard for months then just can’t bring my self to turn the ps3/ps4 or pc on to play games
If I’m working the day I’ll probably only get about 2 hours play but if I have no work on the day I can play up to 6 hours so something like 10-20 hours a week so too much game time lol
When reaper of souls launched just after losing my drivers licence in 2 and half months or so put 310 hours in to D3 RoS
1-2 hours whenever I feel like it
What’s this “sleep” thing you mention? I’d say up to 8 hours a day, however I’d average about 2 hours. I make time to game.
If I didn’t have to work I’d be spending all my time playing games!
Now it’s limited to 2-6 hours a day going up to 18 on weekends.
Glad to hear your gaiming time is declining Serrels, I was worried about you there for a while.
I have 4 kids, and a wife that I love to be with, so my gaming is mostly *with* the kids lately, it went up to an hour or so a day during school holidays, but now is back to maybe a couple of hours a week tops.
This can go haywire when something gets its hooks into me, and I will binge late at night, and become zombie-dad, which is why I have held off from getting the Elite beta for my Oculus Rift. I fear I could disappear into that, never to be seen again…
88 hours bi-monthly
Not enough. I usually get about 1 hr during travel to work and back on weekdays, then about an hour and a half on school nights. On the weekends I usually tend to get maybe 4 – 8 hours in depending on what’s happening and if I’m exhausted or not.
Lately it’s been 0 hours. I haven’t played a game in about a month. I want to but just can’t due to various reasons.
well if theres a good SP game out ill sink my time into that till iv finished it (like Wolfenstein.. good game)
But lately iv been watching One Piece trying to get up to the latest one and im also an admin on some pages on facebook.. so id say daily i get from 1 to 4?
Time is an illusion when you’re logged into Dota.
Around two hours each night and sometimes can be up to 6 – 7 hours on weekends
On average an hour a day on my phone…
On average an hour+ a day on my Xbone…will increase over the coming months with all these releases though.
Probably 0-10 hours a week depending on what;s happening or what I’m into.
I just started a new game of Demon’s Souls so it’ll probably jump up now.
6-8 hours or so? Depends what I’ve got on.
Probably 10-12 hours a week.
2 hours raiding on a Wed/Thurs night before bed, then as much time as I can possibly cram in on the weekends.
Wish I was playing more, but like most others, real world takes up most of my time. Also I got a puppy recently and he needs real hugs, digital ones just dont do it for him (else he’ll pee on me… again…)
Not enough.
agreed, stupid real world commitments and the whole needing money to buy games & live thing.
Around 20-25 hours a week, primarily on my 360 (GTA Online). I do play on my PS4 and XB1 as well, and will probably switch to them completely once GTA Online comes out on next gen. I should mention I am single, with no kids lol.
As much as possible. But with 2 jobs, a partner that likes doing things and a band that plays regular gigs, it’s still no where near enough. I miss the time in my life when I wasn’t afraid to start a game because I might not get time to see the story through!
About 30-40min on weekdays. About 10-14 hours over the weekend? If I’m hungover less =P
Edit: I endeavour to keep my weekend mornings responsibility free so I can get some solid gaming time in.
2 hours on a good week.
Probably about 10 hours a week on wow capping for 2s and rbgs
Probably 4-5 hours a night Monday – Thursday
On weekends, Friday night – Sunday night, probably about 30 hours total.
It really depends what I’m playing at the time.
I work 2 jobs, and have a 2 year old son and I still find time. I do have an awesome partner though who doesn’t mind me sitting there all the time 😛
Back when I was single and free, I’d have probably spent 10 hours a day gaming, and even more on weekends.
-Get home from work about 4pm.
-Shower.
-Game.
-Notice it was 10pm.
-Decide with my housemate who would drive to get take-away (or just eat cereal)
-Continue gaming until about 1-2am
-Sleep, get up for work at 7am.
Maybe a bit over 26 hours a week – couple of hours each night and eight+ each on weekends. I try to orchestrate my weeks such that come Friday night, I don’t have anything else I need to do until Monday. No social life means my weekends are usually free.
I’m 23, so not really any commitments beyond a girlfriend, full-time work, two hours of personal training every morning at 5am and completing my masters part time. That being said I have Sundays totally dedicated to gaming, but sadly there isn’t much left in my back catalog, and not much interesting stuff coming out until 2015 to keep me interested.
Not enough.
4 hrs of Public Transport per day… but probably gaming for about 3 hrs actively… so 15 hrs per week… plus home gaming which isn’t alot at all, because twins.
So… might hit 20hrs per week on occasions.
Two hours a week at most; way too busy for more.
not enough lately… maybe 1-2 hours a week on a mobile game and about an hour ever night after work with either Xbone or PC whatever i can be bothered with. I have been forcing myself to be earlier for my health but i game as much as possible on the weekends.
Nah not much. Love gaming and the industry/art of it all but I have taken up competitive mountain biking, along with working full time, running my own business on the side, being married and being a part time musician. Gaming for me is what reading is to my wife. Time to relax, chill and get involved with a story. 🙂
I’m more fluid about it. I can’t count the time I spend gaming because it’s varying degrees. It’s like asking how many hours I spend listing to music. I almost never give music my full attention but it’s always there. Likewise I’ve been playing DS most of the day but it’s not like scheduled DS playing time it’s just playing DS while I work.
Probably 6-10 hours a week, plus weekend time which varies depending on game and other activities.
Not as much as I’d like, that’s for sure. Between husband and dad responsibilities it’s pretty tough to find time that doesn’t eat into sleep. I’m so much more efficient with my gaming now though. It’s all about maximising my time whenever I get it.
I 3DS to and from work, depending on what bus I catch. Usually play it a bit on the can as well since it’s one of the few times I can multi-task. Couple of games of Hearthstone on my wife’s iPad in the evenings just after I get home to wind down a little. We usually have ABC 4 Kids on when I get in (for my son, honest… jk Peppa Pig is the bomb!) so the Wii U is a godsend for off-screen play. I feel sorry for my PC though, as I don’t spend as much time with her as I’d like. Usually get a few hours at once on the weekend though, and during kiddo’s naps.
Single guy with no kids or real responsibilities but I still have to really put time aside for gaming these days.
I get home from my 10 hour work day and after spending 2 hours at the gym it’s already 8pm. I get 2 or 3 hours of gaming each night before my body tells me it’s sleepy time. Thursdays and Fridays I go out in the evenings. Saturday is PC free day, I’ll do the washing, tidy the house, do some shopping etc. So about 6-9 hours a week on average. However, similarly to yourself my time can go up substantially if I play on a Sunday.
I do get sad that I can’t game as much, but i’m also happy with how things are.
I’ve found myself playing a lot more casual and indie games rather than long story driven games or MMO’s due to time constraints.
Interesting comments. Seems like jobs/study/family are not the only factors why people aren’t playing as much as they wanted. Maybe we need something more? A technological brake through? Will it be a new genre/ an innovative game mechanism/ VR / or something else?