Sometimes, getting free time to play games is a distant dream. Ironically, now that I work in the game industry, I find myself playing games far less than I want to. I'm around games all day, but making games and playing them are completely separate activities and copious overtime hours during crunch time ensure that I'm always left wanting.
Luckily, I've been able to adapt my play style to suit my long work hours in three easy steps!
1) Play more handheld games.
Handhelds are great because they give you the opportunity to game on the train, in bed before you fall asleep and even when you're watching a show or movie. Most handheld games these days are designed to provide fun in short bursts. Having a game that you can easily set down and pick up later for a quick session helps me satisfy my gaming itch.
2) Stick with a single game (Or as close to a single game as possible).
When you only play games for a few hours each week, it's best to keep things simple. Getting involved in too many games will ensure that you don't have enough time to fully appreciate any of them. Instead of starting a plethora of games at once, as I would if I had more time, I try to stick to one or two games until I've seen them through. I've resigned to the fact that there are way too many good games out there and I simply won't get to experience them all. I just have to stick with the games I'm currently playing and try to resist the call of every great game I have yet to play. It's not easy, but it's paramount in enjoying the little game time I have.
3) Sleep less! (But really... Don't follow this step)
This is the easiest step. If you want more time, sleep less! I'm an eight-hours-a-day kind of person, but I find that I can squeeze in an extra hour at night here and there without wearing myself out. In fact, getting less than 8 hours of sleep on some nights refreshes me. I end up getting too little sometimes, and I have yet to find the perfect sleeping rhythm, but I'll get there!
As you see, even when working overtime, there are ways to maximize your game time. I'm always working on my writing in my free time as well, so it's hard to balance everything, but actively planning out some time for games and coming up with your own methods of utilizing your time wisely will insure that you don't have to completely give up doing the things you like!
1) Play more handheld games.
Handhelds are great because they give you the opportunity to game on the train, in bed before you fall asleep and even when you're watching a show or movie. Most handheld games these days are designed to provide fun in short bursts. Having a game that you can easily set down and pick up later for a quick session helps me satisfy my gaming itch.
2) Stick with a single game (Or as close to a single game as possible).
When you only play games for a few hours each week, it's best to keep things simple. Getting involved in too many games will ensure that you don't have enough time to fully appreciate any of them. Instead of starting a plethora of games at once, as I would if I had more time, I try to stick to one or two games until I've seen them through. I've resigned to the fact that there are way too many good games out there and I simply won't get to experience them all. I just have to stick with the games I'm currently playing and try to resist the call of every great game I have yet to play. It's not easy, but it's paramount in enjoying the little game time I have.
3) Sleep less! (But really... Don't follow this step)
This is the easiest step. If you want more time, sleep less! I'm an eight-hours-a-day kind of person, but I find that I can squeeze in an extra hour at night here and there without wearing myself out. In fact, getting less than 8 hours of sleep on some nights refreshes me. I end up getting too little sometimes, and I have yet to find the perfect sleeping rhythm, but I'll get there!
As you see, even when working overtime, there are ways to maximize your game time. I'm always working on my writing in my free time as well, so it's hard to balance everything, but actively planning out some time for games and coming up with your own methods of utilizing your time wisely will insure that you don't have to completely give up doing the things you like!