How many games do you play at once?

direpath

Member
I'm a busy guy. I have four kids, a wife, a full-time job, plus a rental house and I am co-owner of a farm. That being said, I have plenty of time most evenings to play games, which I love. I occasionally need to check myself in the game-life balance category, but my wife is usually good to call me out and I am good at listening for this.

I have been finding myself being a roaming MMO player as of late. I have a ton of games kicking around. When it comes to single player ones, I cannot even think of the last time I actually completed one.

Here is my current list of games I tend to rotate through:

  • WoW - I have been playing since vanilla, recently moving to Terenas to join TF. I resub at least once each expansion for 6-9 months (not all at once some times). I enjoy it but its old and I need to mix it up.
  • GW2 - Love the visual style and the combat. The gameplay tends to get a bit dry in the higher levels. Being part of LoJ helps. No sub helps too.
  • SWTOR - Love the stories and achievements. Collections are my favorite thing. BotL/CttL are my home. They are a small bunch but its nice to have a few around here and there.
  • TSW - The combat was interesting but the difficulty jumps in each new area pushed me away. I love the story, lore, and ambiance. Language is a bit much (headphone game for sure) and the dark content can be a bit overbearing. I do wish to carry through the story. No sub is a nice bonus.
  • Diablo 3 - No sub. Single player for the most part (never at the same level as my friends). Love achievements and leveling. Transmog rules.
  • Starcraft 2 - love playing the campaign. I have not finished. Achievements.

I tend to cycle through them. Last summer I was in GW2, then SWTOR, then WoW, then I bought TSW, then returned to WoW, moved to Terenas and played there for several months. Then I got back into D3, capped a Crusader while playing WoW. I then picked up SWTOR where I am currently. All of that is within a span of less than a year lol.

I have the pre-order of WoD for WoW and intend to return for that (if not before). SWTOR interests me in terms of finishing class stories and achievements. The end game holds little interest for me (truly in any game). My problem is Wildstar is only weeks away and I am eyeballing it again. I'm going to give the open beta a go and see if it interests me. I was in closed beta and stopped playing it after a few weeks. I'd love to love it, but I am skeptical about it winning out and even if it does, I have WoD coming by the fall...

So if I end up adding WS, thats another game in the list. Oh my. I wanted to try FF14 and briefly considered ESO, but neither held enough interest for me to pay for another subscription-based game.

Don't get me wrong. I play plenty as is and wish for no more playtime. I just get a bit overwhelmed when I look at the list of games I am not playing. I played each more than enough to get my money's worth out of them so I am not feeling like I have wasted money. I would say that when I decide what I am playing, subs will play into that. I will not sub for more than one game at a time. So that means WoW/WS/SWTOR are competing for my time. If I am subbed I will tend to play that game over a F2P game. Yes I do realize SWTOR can be played for free, but it is terrible in that format so I consider it a sub-or-don't-bother game.

Do any of you find yourself in the situation of tons of games you want to play/finish and not enough time?
 
Here is my main rotation (there are some other games I may throw into the mix from time to time):

Skyrim
This works well since I can pause for numerous interruptions. I play at my own rate and have numerous possibilities for each character. Though I generally don't play while the kids are up.

CS:GO
My "money maker" - not a windfall, but I can generally make a buck or two each week through drops. Also don't play while the kids are awake.

War Thunder
I've always loved flight sims - reaching the higher levels as a F2P player is nigh impossible but I'm pretty content in level 1 or two. I have reached lvl 3 for each country (lvl 4 for the US) but the 1-hit kills in the higher levels really take the fun out of the game. This is one of my 2 "go-to" games while the kids are up.

SWTOR
Just picked this back up and leveled a number of toons to lvl 20 during the double XP weekend - not really sure how long I will last - but I mostly play for the stories. I also play this while the kids are up. My 5 year-old loves everything Star Wars so he often will watch as I play. My main is a level 29 light-side Sith Juggernaut.
 
My current list:

Minecraft - This is my main go to. This is a game that I can play anytime. Its easy to fire up, and can play alone, or with others.

Guild Wars 2 - Just started playing this again, since we bought a copy for my wife last Saturday. She is totally hooked, and its been fun showing her the ropes (though she now understands certain aspects of the game more than I).

I also have a list of around 100 games on Steam, that I have bought with the intention of playing, cause they were on sale, but I have yet to even touch about 85% of them.. Not sure if its the fear of starting something new, or knowing that I could be playing something else that I already know I enjoy..
 
Team Fortress 2 on Tuesday nights.

I want to get back in to Unreal Tournament 3 on Monday nights.

I was playing Natural Selection 2 most Thursday nights before we our unofficial NS2 server shut down.

I've been playing Puzzle & Dragons too often lately.

I've recently been playing Hearthstone and SMITE with Elihu.

I've also been working my way through Zelda: A Link Between Worlds on the 3DS and just started Shin Megami Tensei.

I want to get back into Guild Wars 2 once my wife and I buy desks and set them up in our bedroom. (Playing GW2 ten feet away from a 46" TV just doesn't work very well.)

TF2 is the one "constant" in the bunch.
 
I tend to prefer cooperative multi-player games over competitive games or single-player. So rather than maintaining a "rotation", I have a number of games that I keep available for times when I can find a buddy to play with. If anyone is similarly looking for a companion in any of these games, send me a PM :)

  • Guild Wars 2 - my primary game of interest right now. I've got a few people I play with semi-regularly, and still working on getting a few professions to max level.
  • Minecraft - my secondary game of interest. The thing that holds me back most is finding that cooperative environment that I really yearn for.
    • Vanilla - I'm not an architect, so vanilla really doesn't hold much interest for me. I suppose if I was part of a tight cooperative group, then I could find interest in farming, ranching, or mining to support the team.
    • FTB: Direwolf20 - This modpack has become one of my favorites, due to the variety of mods. I really enjoy creating automated systems, and using those to support the rest of the team as they build the region up.
    • FTB: Agrarian Skies - This relatively new modpack has really piqued my interest. It's a skyblock map, where you start with a single patch of dirt, some saplings and some bonemeal. What makes this pack unique is the quest book that you get, which gives you specific goals to achieve. It supports cooperative play, and I'm really interested in finidng 1-2 others who might be interested in trying a game with me. I've played a bit in single-player, and had a blast, even though I haven't even gotten past the first 25% of the first set of quests (there are 7-8 sets).
  • Borderlands (1 & 2) - I have them both, and really enjoyed the first one when playing alongside some of my friends. I haven't had much opportunity to play through the 2nd one though, as it gets boring to me playing solo.
  • Torchlight (1 & 2) - Again, without a companion, I find the game gets stale quite rapidly.
  • SimCity - I've played a bit of this one single-player, but I'd be interested in developing a region cooperatively.
  • Battlefield 4 - I recently picked this up, but haven't even played one game yet. Still waiting to find a squad where I can learn the ropes, and eventually provide support to.
  • Just Cause 2 - I played much of this single-player, and really enjoyed the open-world and completionist goals that it provides. There is a multiplayer mod for it, which I haven't tried, and if it supports a cooperative mode in the main campaign, I'd really be interested in giving that a go.
  • Asgardian Nightmare - My first online game 20 years ago was an online Multi-User-Dungeon (MUD), and I still play them today. The one I play has lost many of its players (it's text-based, which is great from a nostalgic point of view, but not so alluring to today's gamers), but I'm in a group with 2-3 other people who play regularly, and we've been working on very late end-game content (to the point where we're becoming somewhat elitist).
  • Honorable Mentions: Other games I dabble in include Don't Starve, Banished, and Burnout Paradise, though I play those much less frequently. I also enjoy a set of logic games by Everett Kaser, and when I can get my hands on the wife's iPad, I dabble in games like Township, Farmville 2, and Pocket Planes. I have also played several other free MMOs like LOTRO, Aion, Silkroad, and Path of Exile, and always enjoying taking a trip down memory lane to pick those up again alongside some adventuring buddies.
  • Looking Forward To: Some games I haven't picked up yet, but am looking forward to trying out (typically once the price drops a bit - I'm a cheapskate!) are Diablo 3, and several of the RPGs on the 3DS (the Zelda franchise, Bravely Default, etc).
 
I also have a list of around 100 games on Steam, that I have bought with the intention of playing, cause they were on sale, but I have yet to even touch about 85% of them.. Not sure if its the fear of starting something new, or knowing that I could be playing something else that I already know I enjoy..

I can empathize here. I certainly don't have 100 games but I have several I have bought and just never got through. The nice thing about sale games is I spend so little on them that I do not feel too bad if they sit on the shelf for a year or two.
 
The number of games I have/want/try to play always far exceeds the amount of time I put into them. These days, I'm playing...

Elder Scrolls Online - Probably my favorite proper MMO to date (not including things like Phantasy Star and Diablo here). It just feels so very right. I looooove it. Unfortunately, I don't have money to spare with so few hours, an impending wedding, and necessary trips between now and then, so I won't be continuing my sub for a while (got the game for $10 out of pocket and planned to sub... looking forward to when I can again)

Guild Wars 2 - Between the April Feature Pack update, which is awesome, the recent sale that got at least two of my friends into the game, the lack of monthly fee, and my MMO itch, I booted back up. Forgot that I can really like the game. Finally gave PvP a go, and I rather enjoy it. Looking forward to continuing to level.

Tales of Symphonia - Was in the recent Golden Week sale on PSN, so I got it and its sequel for $10 total. I loooooved this game back when I got to play a bit at its Gamecube release, so picking it up was a no-brainer. Probably about to boot it back up right now... or GW2.

As for my priority back burner...

Batman: Arkham Origins - Despite not finishing it yet, it would have to do a real number to lose status as favorite in the series so far. It plays wonderfully... and Deathstroke is in it. 'nough said.

Transformers: War for Cybertron - I love Transformers. Game is really cool. Just haven't put any time into it. Wanting to change this sooner than later. (Also reading the first novel in the trilogy that shares continuity with the 'Cybertron games and 'Prime TV series.)
 
SWTOR is still my main MMO. I still very much enjoy the storyline, graphics and voice acting. I'm leveling up a Sith Marauder with RhemaTom. Once that's done, I'll focus on finishing the level 55 storyline on Oricon.

ESO - my sub is ending in a couple of weeks. I liked it initially but I'm losing interest in it. The graphics and voice acting are excellent but have a hard time finding my way around towns looking for merchants, crafting stations, the bank, etc. If it ever goes F2P, then I may play again.

GW2 - I bought this prior to launch but never put much effort into it. I'll probably start playing again as an alternative to SWTOR.
 
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