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[cormack12]

Gaf, I love many genres and many games. And sometimes I wish I was someone who just had a love for one or two genres instead.

There is just too much to play, that I want to play, incoming and backlogged. How do you all manage it - focus on kne game at a time? Have a rotation that you play an hour or so a week?

 

[amigastar]

I also like many genres although my fav genre is Turn Based Strategy like XCom etc.
I don't get how people can specialize in one genre like fighting games or racing games you see on youtube.
I would get bored after some time.

 

[Shifty1897]

One game per console at a time, keep a list of what you're playing, what you've beaten for the year, and what's in your backlog in a note on your phone.

Currently playing Persona 3 Reload on the PS5 (finally going to beat it this week I think!) and Star Ocean The Second Story R on Switch (just hit what would have been "Disc 2" in the original, so nearing the end there as well.

After I beat those, I'll be doing a JRPG palate cleanser of Armored Core 6 and Super Mario Bros Wonder.

 

[HogIsland]

I sometimes play games for years, chipping away based on mood. With Baldurs Gate 3, I got obsessed right away and played it straight through. I've been plugging away at Outer Worlds for 5 years now and only recently got hooked into it where I'm sure I will actually finish it. I'm still in the first 5 hours of Prey, but I know I'll finish it eventually.

Steam Deck has really helped me get from casually trying games out to dedicating to one.

 

[Shadowstar39]

For me it's what I'm in the mood for. I will also stop a game and go back to it after a while. Having a portable switch and steam deck helps as I have limited time.

Right now I was working on Stalker 2 for over 100 hours. Paused it for kcd2 as I needed to get out of the dismal overcast for clear sky's for a bit. Also have sh2 on hold, am at thr asylum.

On switch I'm going between ys10, unicorn overlord and steam world heist 2. I play quake 2 or doom here and there to mix things up.

Doifn things this way has had me build up a huge multi generational backlog. Which makes me confused on how anyone could be out of things to play. My backlog would take me two lifetimes to get through. I guess some people only play their genre and only AAA games.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

I like several genres and I am an expert, regardless of the game... I just hate Soccer and mobile games. I play one at a time... I'm with Ninja Gaiden 2 black and the Visual novel Raging loop.

 

[Fess]

Like a food buffet. I focus on what I know I like until I’m tired of it and then I mix it up and take a little bit of this and a little bit of that and finally end it with a nice dessert.
I would get bored and starve to death if I only ate the same thing every day.

 

[LavitzSlambert]

Gaf, I love many genres and many games. And sometimes I wish I was someone who just had a love for one or two genres instead.

There is just too much to play, that I want to play, incoming and backlogged. How do you all manage it - focus on kne game at a time? Have a rotation that you play an hour or so a week?

I mix it up, because variety is the spice of life. I pick a couple games that interest me at the moment and will play those. Then I'll choose something very different to play after. I don't usually play a lot of new releases unless it's multiplayer or something I'm really excited for, unless I can buy it really cheap.

 

[rm082e]

I listen to a couple of podcasts (Nextlander and Jeff Gerstman Show), talk with long time friends in Discord, look at forums like GAF, and occasionally watch press conferences to hear about new games. I will also occasionally look at review databases and sort/filter by highest rated games. I don't "trust" any source, but it's more looking for games that are worth looking into.

Once I find a game I might want to buy, I typically go look at videos on YouTube. I don't do pre-orders so I can always find something. If it looks like something I want, it goes on the wishlist. I either eventually buy it or reconsider and pull it off my list.

 

[Gamerfan81]

I too love a lot of different games and genres. Since time is limited for me, I'm looking at games that you can complete in 30 hours or less on average. So my backlog is full of RPGs that takes on average of 100+ hours to complete. I still haven't played BG3 and have Persona 4 and 5 in that backlog.

 

[HRK69]

I play what I think looks fun. I also look at reviews before I get something

It's not that complicated

 

[bundylove]

My gaming palette is limited.
I only play single player games and within 5 to 6 genres.
And vr.

I alternate more between first person or third person, between action or adventure.

By not playing any online games i save myself a lot of time and are able to finish games.

 

[Parazels]

1) I'm always focusing on a one game.
2) I never play the same genres in a row.

 

[MiguelItUp]

I just flock to whatever sounds the most enticing. I only have so much time in a day to give to games, so I just lean towards whatever sounds the best in that moment.

 

[Fake]

Money, time and watch gameplay on Youtube before make a decision.

 

[cireza]

I like to complete a game before moving onto another. I will exclude almost immediately anything that is more than 40 hours because it will most certainly be bloated and uninteresting.

Some genres, after 30 years of gaming, became pretty uninteresting to me. As if no game delivers anything new. Fighting games is an example. Nothing can beat Dead or Alive, basically. It has been like this for years... I also really love JRPGs but despise most of what they have become.

I have a few games that are my go-to games : I will always come back to them indifferently from the current game I decided to complete. Games that can offer a good, fun session of 1 hour.

Examples :
Phantasy Star Online v2 (doing one or two areas)
Dead Cells (doing a couple runs)
Dead or Alive 6 (3 or 4 arcade runs)
Most Sonic games (all stages of Unleashed, or Shadow Generation, or a complete run of Mania)
Night Striker on Sega-CD
Burning Ranger (one level)
Nights (all stages once)
Any good beat'em up or shoot'em up
etc...

Based on this, I will simply pick a longer game, complete it, and then move on to another. And every once in a while, play another shorter game that doesn't require more than an hour of investment to have fun and complete something.

Recently, I have completed (longer games) :
Witch on the Holy Night (really surprised by how good it was)
Tomb Raider I II III (I and III were particularly awesome, II was pretty bad)
Tsukihime (a bit disappointing)
FF VIII remastered (as awesome as I remembered)
FF VII remastered (was pretty bad)
Phantasy Star II (greatest RPG ever)
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black (was absolute poop)
Panzer Dragoon Saga (legendary game)

Currently on Grandia, but the game is super boring (10 hours in). On the verge of dropping it. Thinking of doing Metroid Dread again.

One thing I am planning to do and know I will regret : getting Xenoblade Chronicles X on Switch. Absolutely love the game, couldn't complete it on Wii U, and will probably never be able to...

 

[Parazels]

Sometimes it's hard to choose a next game, if you just have beaten something too good, that overshadows the other games.

 

[hemo memo]

I use Backloggd.com. I play one game at a time and always check HLTB before purchasing. In 98% of cases, I avoid anything "rough-like".

 

[a'la mode]

Vibes

Don't overthink it

 

[mayham2199]

One game at a time. Sometimes I'll mix in an MP game. As far as choosing what's next it depends sometimes I already know most of the time I have to try a few different games and see what sticks. Most recently I jumped around and finally Alan Wake 2 sucked me in.

 

[bundylove]

One thing i do to speed things up is to drop the difficulty.

When i feel a game is just too long and starting to get burnout , and doesnt affect trophies or what ever, i put the game on easy .

It also makes the game more enjoyable.

For example i dropped the difficulty in robocop and alan wake 2 once i already progressed enough and realize its just a grind from here on.

 

[Parazels]

One thing i do to speed things up is to drop the difficulty.

When i feel a game is just too long and starting to get burnout , and doesnt affect trophies or what ever, i put the game on easy .

It also makes the game more enjoyable.

For example i dropped the difficulty in robocop and alan wake 2 once i already progressed enough and realize its just a grind from here on.

I have done it several times, if I felt the developers used cheap tricks to "challenge" me.

For example, right before the final boss in RE Revelations 2 you are closed in a room with almost infinity hords of enemies, attacking you from everywhere. It was simply annoying, I had zero interest to take part in this primitive game mechanics.

 

[Rentahamster]

Just make a decision and play something. It's up to yourself to get past decision paralysis. Try to have fun. If you don't , move on to the next one.

 

[Crayon]

Depending on my mood, which takes a quick meditation session to figure out sometimes lol.

It's easier to list the genres I don't play. It actually helps because I can have overlapping rotations of different kinds of games for different situations. Arcade games and cozy games are nice to mix in while working on long games that I want to finish, but don't want to burn out on.

 

[Crayon]

One thing i do to speed things up is to drop the difficulty.

When i feel a game is just too long and starting to get burnout , and doesnt affect trophies or what ever, i put the game on easy .

It also makes the game more enjoyable.

For example i dropped the difficulty in robocop and alan wake 2 once i already progressed enough and realize its just a grind from here on.

I used to never go to easy but nowadays, if I feel I understand the gameplay, I might do it. Especially on those games that are overstaying their welcome but I do want to see the end of.

 

[Rawbutt Jellybean]

I just pick something and play it until I stop having fun or finish. Often I'll pick a different genre for the next game to mix it up.

 

[Fbh]

I usually focus on one game at a time (plus some multiplayer game on the side).
And I just try to keep it veried. If I just finished some 60 hours story heavy RPG I'll usually play a shorter more action heavy game after, or something just completely different like a racing game or a Metroidvania.

 

[jshackles]

I'm also in the "just play whatever you're in the mood to play" camp with Rentahamster

The downside is that sometimes I get distracted by something new / fun coming out, that makes me stop playing something else - which can lead to some games (especially longer ones) taking longer than usual. Case in point, I'm now 43 hours into Trails in the Sky SC, and 80 hours into Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - which I've been playing off and on for the last 14 months.

 

[Loomy]

This hobby is a lot more fun when you don't bo yourself into 1 genre.

 

[Icymanipulator]

No logical process involved, pure gut instinct. Whatever feels good at the moment, just run with it. Gotta make a choice or you’ll just sit and shift through your library and never play anything.

 

[Rentahamster]

I'm also in the "just play whatever you're in the mood to play" camp with Rentahamster

The downside is that sometimes I get distracted by something new / fun coming out, that makes me stop playing something else - which can lead to some games (especially longer ones) taking longer than usual. Case in point, I'm now 43 hours into Trails in the Sky SC, and 80 hours into Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - which I've been playing off and on for the last 14 months.

I recognize the downside, but after so many years of gaming, I personally have changed my approach to that. It's only as much of a "downside" as I let it affect me. I'm not obligated to finish any game that I start. If a game becomes boring and I lose my interest, that's not my fault, that's the game's fault for not being more entertaining. If another game comes out that interests me more than the game I am currently playing, and I decide to play that new game instead and end up having fun, that's good on the new game for being able to meet my needs, which is what games are supposed to do.

If you're having fun, it shouldn't really matter how you're doing it.

The only really objective downside, in my opinion, is the one that is directly attached to your wallet. Short attention spans could lead to buying more games than is financially responsible. But that's a separate issue.

 

[SHA]

I think each genre affect human brains differently, I don't condition myself to think about what I'm going to play, it just happens naturally, a genre x hits in my brain and I feel like I need to play it immediately.

 

[BossLackey]

I don't. It's been a constant struggle now that I'm older and can buy every game I want. At least there was the limitation of money when I was a kid.

I have game "mixes" that indicate I've got a touch of the 'tism. Genres that compliment each other and games that slot into those genres.

Right now I'm playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and Devil Blade Reboot.

 

[Humdinger]

I'm in the "whatever I'm in the mood for" camp, too. No system, just whatever appeals to me at a given time.

 

[Grizzled Ghost]

Are there many single-genre gamers on an enthusiast site like this?

Normally I'd think those types would be be sports gamers or competitive shooter guys, though I suppose there are probably some real JRPG fiends out there as well.

 

[ReBurn]

I usually switch genres every few weeks. I'll put whatever I'm playing on hold and pick up the next thing I'm in the mood for. I have some staples that I usually play in rotation but I'll switch it up with a new game if I see something on sale. I rarely look forward to new releases any more.

 

[Radical_3d]

Oh, it’s pretty easy, really. I just stand in front of my many games that I’ve played for 30 minutes and then I end booting up the same two. Several thousands of hardware and software worth of hobby only to end up booting up Dark Souls Remaster again and make another build.

 

[Bernardougf]

I only have a maximum of two games bought and downloaded at a time... do not buy anything until I finish one.

And with so many things to play with so little time I just filter what Im more inclined in any given time.

Currently I dont play anything that contains elements I personally consider woke so it also narrows even more my choices.

 

[Laptop1991]

I just decide what game i want to be immersed in at that particular time, and i don't play all genre's, although i'm holding off going back into Fallout London until the new update and dlc get's released as i don't want to restart twice in those type of big content, time consuming open world games,

 

[nnytk]

Intuition and online discourse.

What my friends talk about and play also helps making decisions.

I sometimes really push myself to try and enjoy something I really don't (FF7 Remake). So I guess it would be better for me to ignore other people's takes or opinions a bit more

 

[foamdino]

I have a selection on the go at once and depending on mood/tiredness will pick something. For example if I have no energy, I'll play something turn-based or something I can play while listening to a podcast. If I have enough time in one chunk I'll pick up a meaty rpg with cut scenes etc. I do have a "don't buy another until you've finished something" rule that keeps the backlog from growing too large. I also track things I want to get and things I've completed so I know what to look for on ebay/on sale etc.

 

[Gp1]

Download and install everything
Wait for the process while chilling and netflixing
Play nothing because watched something like Band of Brothers (etc) for the 5th time and forgot about the games.

 

[DirtyBast8rd]

Max 2 games at a time. Might dip in other games just to try but committed to max 2 to focus on and play through.

 

[drganon]

Usually just one game at a time.