Topic: Reflecting On Your Gaming Life - Past, Present & Future

I thought it'd be fun to do something different in terms of discussion topics and have us reflect on our gaming lives, past, present and future. Here are some points to help you out:

1) Which systems did you grow up with?
2) Are you happy with your gaming upbringing? Do you wish it had been different?
3) Have you played most games/franchises that you want to play?
4) What are your plans for the future? Focus on playing new games or reducing your backlog?

Bonus: Do you think you will ever quit gaming?

Here are my answers:

1) I started as a Nintendo gamer with GBA, DS and Wii but after a couple of years I got a 360 and shortly thereafter a PS3. So overall, I've been playing on pretty much all three console platforms.

2) I'm mostly happy, particularly about having grown up with Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation. I can't imagine not playing on one of those systems today. I have fond memories of all platforms and thus each one has a special place in my heart. I do wish I would've started gaming earlier. I've played games on older consoles and I feel like I would've loved to have grown up with PS2/Xbox/GameCube. Maybe not as much with PS1/N64 but definitely that generation because most games from that era still hold up well today. I also feel like I would've loved especially the GameCube. Wind Waker, Super Mario Sunshine, Double Dash, it had so many wonderful games!

3) This question is hard for me to answer because I play on all three console platforms and I'm a variety gamer, so that increases the amount of games I want to play. But I can at least say that I have mostly played all franchises, i.e. played at least one game from that franchise, that I want to play. In terms of games, I still have an extensive backlog with hundreds of games that I want to play. But when compared to how many games I've beaten, I'd say I have finished more games than what I have left in my backlog. So even in that regard, I feel rather content with my progress.

4) I've contemplated on this question the past week actually. The reason being that I have so many systems out right now and it's getting quite cumbersome. So I was thinking that maybe it'd be a good idea to focus on reducing the backlogs for my older systems, like 360 and PS3, just to put them away for good. But at the same time, I still want to play new games. I can't imagine holding off on stellar experiences like Final Fantasy XVI in the future. So maybe it'd be a good idea to maintain some sort of balance, while perhaps focusing more on reducing my backlog.

Nice one, here I go....

1) Which systems did you grow up with?

I only really started gaming regularly with the Sega Megadrive, and before that probably the Commodore 64 - that ages me a bit! It's where my love of creating my own fantasy racing championships stems from. I remember having a Game Gear for a while too, but that was mostly for more random stuff. At the time, my friend had a PC, and seeing him play the likes of Grand Prix 2 etc. made me very jealous, so I ended up buying one, and that became my main gaming machine for years - mostly for FPS's, but also a few more simulation style racers. Then gradually worked through the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th generations, owning every major console except the Saturn, many of which I still own in one way or another.


2) Are you happy with your gaming upbringing?
Do you wish it had been different?

Happy that I have gotten to experience most consoles since I got really interested in gaming as a big hobby all those years ago, my only regret really was sinking so much money into games I barely played back in the PS1/PS2 era - something I have completely nailed at this stage in my life, boasting a very satisfying £6-£7 average spends on my PS4 games over the years, via a combination of incredible patience, refusing to buy early and having a keen eye for a bargain!
There are probably one or two consoles I kind of wish I hadn't bothered with, e.g. the original XBox, and a few I didn't really get that much out of, like the PS3 and Wii U.


3) Have you played most games/franchises that you want to play?

I feel like I have. There are a lot of genres that simply don't appeal to me, but as far as stuff that interests me, I feel like I've had a good fill of games from those categories, and that makes me pretty careful over what new games I buy, as I'm more aware of choosing stuff that offers something a little different or changes up the formula a bit. I would say my primary games are racers, with a good smattering of action/adventures and FPSs along the way - although I do find new ideas in those few and far between these days.


4) What are your plans for the future? Focus on playing new games or reducing your backlog?

Well, seeing as I have pretty much zero interest in PS5/Series X etc., my focus will be to continue to play through my PS4 backlog - which currently amounts to about half a dozen titles - and dip in and out of my retro stuff of PS1, Dreamcast and Xbox 360. I was recently gifted an unwanted Xbox One, which I will mostly use as an upgrade to future-proof some of my 360 titles, but might have a look around some of the stuff I missed from that era. 'Modern' gaming - to use the cliche - doesn't really appeal to me, not only due to a lack of titles that genuinely interest me, but also because of the way games are made and distributed now, with unfinished or unpolished full price titles becoming the norm, monetisation, general prices and a lack of creativity being among many factors that just leave me feeling like I'm more content enjoying the older stuff right now.

Gonna be cool reading everybody's replies to these questions!

Here be mine.

1) Which systems did you grow up with?
Primarily it was a SEGA GeneDrive / Megasis when I was still in single digits, followed by a PSone when I was eleven. The former got me hooked on Sonic, but we didn't get many new games for it, so I briefly fell away from "proper" gaming for a few years. There were other systems around the house (an old Atari, an original GameBoy, and our PC which came Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Dark Forces II and a shareware disc of stuff like DOOM, Wolfenstein 3D and Heretic) but nothing that was really my own, not until I was allowed a TV in my bedroom and then subsequently given my PSone for Christmas.

2) Are you happy with your gaming upbringing? Do you wish it had been different?
Yes to the first, no to the second. I was a very lucky kid; I wanted a PlayStation, so I asked for a PlayStation, and I got a PlayStation. Others at school had Nintendo hardware, or more capable PCs, but that wasn't a major problem. I'd be perfectly happy at home, playing the games in my collection, and then I'd visit a friend and see them playing different versions of stuff I enjoyed (games like GoldenEye 007 and the Rogue Squadron series, for example) and sure, I'd get jealous. What kid wouldn't? Certainly not my friend, who'd often end up feeling the same way when visiting me; the grass is always greener, after all.

3) Have you played most games / franchises that you want to play?
Most? Yes, absolutely. All? No, but then I doubt I ever will. There simply aren't enough hours in the day! Of course, there are a very small handful of "the ones that got away" (titles from specific franchises I adore that're trapped on dead hardware, or that aren't worth the cost of an entire console) but I can be patient. You never know when the next remaster or retro re-release is gonna come along and shorten that already-short list, and new games are dropping left, right and centre in the meantime, so it's not like I'm out of options.

4) What are your plans for the future? Focus on playing new games or reducing your backlog?
After aggressively pursuing backlog dominance for a good few years (and getting nowhere thanks to the nefarious efforts of PSN sales and random impulses to replay old favourites) I've decided to settle back and just play whatever I want to, whenever I wanna play it. I'm hyped for a couple of new releases, and I'll do my best to clear the decks for 'em, but they're few and far between, and carry a degree of guaranteed enjoyment (so are either sequels, or standalone additions to pre-existing franchises). The rest... well, I'm sure I'll get around to them eventually, and will likely save myself a lot of money in the process, too.

1) Growing up in the 70's, I started gaming on a 'Pong' system that had a few variations of the theme - football, tennis etc and then an Atari system. I had various 'Home Computers' too inc BBC Model B, Commodore, Amstrad and Sinclairs through the 80's as well as individual hand-held/desk top games (Astro Wars, PacMan and various Game & Watch devices. By the 90's, It was IBM PC's until the PS1/N64 era when I returned to Console gaming and remained on Consoles since.

2) I wouldn't say I am happy or disappointed with my Gaming upbringing - it was what it was and I don't really know any different. Having kids meant that I couldn't afford to buy as many games as I'd have liked to play, but then I may not have had the same 'experiences' playing games with my kids.

3) Over the years, I think I have played the 'games' I wanted - some that are now 'dead' that I really would like to see return with a 'modern' take but I've forgotten more games than I can remember. At one point, I had over 1000 games on Cassettes in the 80's for example...

4) At my age, I don't really have any 'future' plans and take each day as it comes. I'm only looking ahead to playing the 'next' big game to release that interests me and just playing whatever other games I have access to until then - not necessarily Backlog games as I have Game Pass Ultimate too - so I can play games I wouldn't necessarily buy and/or consider in 'my' backlog, but fit with my mood, available time, situation etc. I have a Laptop and RoG Ally handheld Gaming PC so sometimes its just easier to find something on Game Pass Cloud - a short 'indie' for example that I wouldn't bother downloading or buy.

Nice topic, here are my responses:

1) Which systems did you grow up with?
For me it was the original NES (american version), in which I played the true classics like Legend of Zelda 2, Super Mario Bros 3, Castlevania 1 & 3, Double Dragon, and a bunch of others. Then, after a long break, I came back to the N64 with Mario 64 and to the early PC games (Descent, RE3, Devil May Cry 3, a few emulated GBA games). I made another time skip and managed to own a PS3 (purchased with my first salary) and played Bioshock, Mass Effect 1 & 2, God of War 2, among others on a controller after so long.

2) Are you happy with your gaming upbringing? Do you wish it had been different?
I were mostly happy, then again, it was a time where even bad games were tougher to get by so as long as the game was not completely broken (i.e. playable) I still grinded some of them for months to get good. I do wish it was different though, as money was always an issue and there were not many people gaming in my country. Most of the times it was a buying a couple of games per year and finding a way to trade those.

3) Have you played most games / franchises that you want to play?
At least one entry in most of the franchises I always wanted to play. There are still a lot of games in my backlog so I am not even close to done with many games released in the last decades. I haven't even played the Witcher 3 nor Mass Effect 3 (legendary edition is still pending)

4) What are your plans for the future? Focus on playing new games or reducing your backlog? 100% reducing my backlog, even if it takes all the way until retirement age. There were tons of games I took notice of and never got the chance to play, ranging from AAA to indie developed by one person. Since there is only so much time and money, I plan to focus exclusively on the PlayStation games and perhaps I can get away with a couple of PC ones.

@LtSarge opening a can of worms / data harvesting / AI research I see. Great topic Sarge 👏

1) Which systems did you grow up with?

From the Atari 2600 onwards. I have always been enamoured by flashing lights and am a sucker for pressing buttons until something happens. So computer games are a great fit. My cousin had the 2600 which he donated to me. He then had Elite on the C64. So I begged my parents for a computer. And I ended up with the CPC6128 green screen monitor setup - straight out of the Alien franchise. My mum and Dad were skint, so I couldn't buy many games, so I learned to program on it. And then learned to copy games. And became an addict suffice writing on pushsquare so calm my withdrawals.

2) Are you happy with your gaming upbringing? Do you wish it had been different?

Absolutely, early doors I was way behind the curve. I was still purchasing Amstrad Action when 16 bit onward was crushing it. I caught up eventually, once I could buy my own gear. Rather than the lackluster handouts from my family. As an example one Christmas I was gifted a subbuteo football team. I didn't have a pitch, ball or a second team. Just 1 team of players. Happy Christmas!

3) Have you played most games/franchises that you want to play?

I've been through almost every popular franchise. A couple of holdouts are those seemingly complex European management sims. Europa Universallis, the Total war franchise, Older flight sims etc. Nowadays its impossible to keep up and I'm OK with that. I would love to have the patience for real time strategy but those games seriously lose the allure after getting my army killed on the back of a 2 hour prep.

4) What are your plans for the future? Focus on playing new games or reducing your backlog?

I want to hit 200k achievement score and find another hobby. Gaming is great, it's been cheap and its fun. That's all being stripped out because of... money. I will keep a console of course and try the odd game here and there. Retro gaming doesn't do it for me and the newest games are just installed disappointment. No risks, safe, boring. If some amazing new genres away from online appear, great I'm all in. But as it currently stands, there's not much I'm excited for. Maybe whatever the chained echoes crew does next. But yeah, I'm gamed out.

@purple_mouse_gaming @RogerRoger @BAMozzy @avatarian @themcnoisy Really enjoyed reading your posts. Thanks for sharing!

@themcnoisy Had no idea you're planning to find a new hobby instead of gaming. That's interesting though because I've been thinking about topics for the forums recently and one of those are about quitting gaming.

I can't personally see myself doing that. Video games are so heavily integrated into my life now that I've become dependent on them in order to live a happy life. I've felt depressed so many times throughout my life and games have always cheered me up. Persona 4 Golden was quite literally a life-saver. Naturally, there are many other things in life that can make you happy. So who knows, I might find something else in the future and change my mind!

Perhaps I should add this as a bonus question as it fits in rather well with this topic. That way I don't need to create a separate topic about it. I'll tag you again @purple_mouse_gaming @RogerRoger @BAMozzy @avatarian and ask this bonus question:

Bonus: Do you think you will ever quit gaming?

I'll add this question to the main post as well.

In answer to the 'Bonus' Question - I hope not - even if I do go through phases of 'interest/enthusiasm' in gaming - sometimes it seems more effort than the enjoyment in the time slot available would compensate for so may not game for relatively long periods but can't stay away for too long. Unless my health prevents me, I can't see me willingly quitting gaming.

Responding to the Bonus question:

Do you think you will ever quit gaming?
I have thought about it more than once, especially since I get tunnel vision sometimes. But most likely no, I don't believe I will ever quit gaming forever. Right now I had to take an extended break of a few months (or years) but more than happy to go back once the dust has settled.

Do I think I will ever quit gaming?
The timing of this question is very relevant, as not only do I have nowhere near as much free time as I used to, but what few games I have elected to play recently have ended up being fairly brief forays at best. Beyond about half a dozen titles on my shelf that I plan on playing eventually, there really isn't any current or announced titles that have grabbed my attention. I'm not sure this is entirely down to uninteresting games, but probably a sign that gaming is changing, and heading off in a direction that I'm just not willing to travel as often. Also, it has to do with how I consume my gaming these days, as more than ever I am happier to watch a streamer present a live playthrough of a new game than I am to actually put in the effort myself. This gives me a level of enjoyment where the choice to walk away is always open to me, and where I need not commit anything beyond a couple of hours here and there at my own leisure. I think I will continue to play the stuff that interests me for my channel, but I can't really see me desiring a current gen console anytime soon. It's unlikely I will ever truly 'quit' gaming, but the frequency of my play time may well get less and less, and I may end up watching more than I play - which is pretty much what is happening now. It's a good job I have a decent collection of older titles I can replay as the years roll by.

1) Which systems did you grow up with?

I started on a system known as an Amstrad. A cassette based machine. Moving on to a Gameboy and PlayStation thereafter.
I also had friends with Nintendo, Sega and even some curiosities like the Jaguar, Ouya and a few others. I've had an incredibly broad gaming history, luckily enough.

2) Are you happy with your gaming upbringing? Do you wish it had been different?

Yes and no. Starting on the Amstrad where you could basically count the pixels and colours, and games took anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour to load has given me perspective and a high level of tolerance for how incredibly advanced games are today and I very rarely complain about issues in a modern culture where I feel like people just simply enjoy complaining and conflict rather than seeking the positives.

3) Have you played most games/franchises that you want to play?

Yes, absolutely. I can't think of anything that's out in the cold.

4) What are your plans for the future? Focus on playing new games or reducing your backlog?

I have no backlog of which to speak and have found my interest dwindling. Which I suppose ties in neatly to the next question.

Bonus: Do you think you will ever quit gaming?

To a degree it's already happened. I'm a new account here and perhaps I've signed up in a bid to rekindle my lifelong interest in videogames. 2023 was talked up in a big way but I've been following the news from afar and almost nothing piques my interest. I have a PS4 and a PS5 but haven't loaded a game in months. Had a Switch, sold that and am fighting the urge to sell the two PlayStation systems. It's hard to put my finger on what's going on exactly but realistically I could very well be in the midst of giving up gaming, I just don't know it yet. Perhaps my time here will change that. We shall see!

I can see myself maintaining the systems I currently have, and replaying my favourites 'til the day I die, but I've come close to quitting new releases a couple of times, yeah. The whole medium has undergone some huge shifts in trends, some of which I've liked and some of which I really, really haven't. I suppose that, if one of the latter solidified on a bad day, I could find myself deciding to step back, either temporarily or permanently. Never say never, though. There are some things I care more about than gaming, some franchises or characters that could always drag me back, so long as I have the time and money.

1) Which systems did you grow up with?

At home we had a Mega Drive. A close family friend had a NES, so I played Mario when I was there. Most of my friends had Mega Drives, too although one had a SNES. Then when I was 12 I got an N64.

2) Are you happy with your gaming upbringing? Do you wish it had been different?

Perfectly. The Mega Drive is/was a truly fabulous piece of hardware. I was obsessed with Sonic as a child, and didn't really play too much else, but don't regret that for a second. I've grown to appreciate its wider library considerably more in recent years. I didn't really miss out not having a SNES, because many of my favourite games on the system were never released in Europe to begin with. I was happy to discover these games, either as ports on future hardware, or via the Wii's Virtual Console.
I loved the N64 at the time: manky hardware aside it's home to some incredible games and I have really fond memories of playing them - both alone and with my siblings. Although with hindsight it would have been great to have a PlayStation, I've played most of what I wanted in the decades since, so didn't really miss out. The PS2's backwards compatibility was a brilliant feature and enabled me to play many of those PS1 classics.

3) Have you played most games/franchises that you want to play?

Yes. There's not too much left in terms of untapped franchises, but over the past five years or so I've challenged myself more to play new things and explore new genres. Metal Gear Solid was probably one of my last big PlayStation holdouts, which I played for the first time in 2018. Over the past few years I've also got into Ys and Fire Emblem, among other franchises. Other games like Chrono Cross and Vagrant Story are in the backlog and I'm looking forward to playing them one day.

4) What are your plans for the future? Focus on playing new games or reducing your backlog?

A mix of both, as well as replaying my favourite games when I feel like it. I buy fewer new games as there is less I find appealing nowadays and so many modern games have grossly inflated runtimes. However, I very much enjoy picking up games for older hardware that I missed out on first time round (either for simply not being interested, or not having the money at the time). I've been filling out my DS collection here and there, which brings me joy. In terms of the backlog, it's healthy to accept that I won't play some of what's in there, but that's okay. It's a hobby and there's no sense in pressuring myself.

Bonus question: No. I've been gaming for over 30 years, so why stop now? I don't want children and I don't foresee any distractions that would completely pull me away long-term. Even if gaming goes down the toiler in the future, I have enough to play to keep me going and love replaying old favourites.