How do you manage to play more than one video game at a time?

[Bluelady]

This question has been bothering for quite some time now. You see, I usually like to play one game at a time until I finish the plot and extra content. I do tend to burn out sometimes, but that's not the question. Now that I'm playing AC:NH, I'm starting to feel a little weary from looking at all of my incomplete projects. However, I don't want to stop working on them. It also doesn't help that I've been itching to complete my rerun of Rune Factory 4.

How do I balance playing two video games along with my other hobbies and job? Should I set up a schedule? How do y'all do it?

 

[Bird_9]

This is an ability that require mental organization and usually it works well if you are playing different genres if games
Its almost impossible to fully enjoy 2 games at the same time
But it can get worse if you are playing 2 rpgs at the same time
What i usually do is
I can manage to plqy 3 games at the same time but i divide them in categories
1 game with rpg elementes wich is required to be immersive in story elements
1 game as a fastfood style (like animal
Crossing after you are almost done in town development)
1 portable game that is platform or adventure style, rythm games works fine

The whole idea is diversity
Like reading 2 books
Can be one novel and tbe other a more academic kind of book

Post automatically merged: Jan 5, 2021

Another great idea is to schedule or hours of gameplay during the weekend
Im very passionate about planning my day
And routine and schedule is always the best way to manage your time and acrivities

 

[Bluelady]

This is an ability that require mental organization and usually it works well if you are playing different genres if games
Its almost impossible to fully enjoy 2 games at the same time
But it can get worse if you are playing 2 rpgs at the same time
What i usually do is
I can manage to plqy 3 games at the same time but i divide them in categories
1 game with rpg elementes wich is required to be immersive in story elements
1 game as a fastfood style (like animal
Crossing after you are almost done in town development)
1 portable game that is platform or adventure style, rythm games works fine

The whole idea is diversity
Like reading 2 books
Can be one novel and tbe other a more academic kind of book

Post automatically merged: Jan 5, 2021

Another great idea is to schedule or hours of gameplay during the weekend
Im very passionate about planning my day
And routine and schedule is always the best way to manage your time and acrivities

Yeah, I agree. Mental organization is important for this to work. Unfortunately, my brain isn’t that good at it. Idk why...

I’ll keep in mind the idea to keep genres separate when attempting this. So thanks for that!

Also, I think that I will set a schedule for this. My work schedule is similar to that of retail where hours are constantly changing, sometimes at last minute too. As a result, the only control that have are my nights.

Seriously though, thank you for your input!

 

[Neb]

Bird_9’s method is a good model to follow. Be careful about buying too many games. It can easy to lose progress on something you’re already playing when a shiny new game hasn’t been touched yet.

 

[BluebearL]

Well I generally try not to own many games or else I would be stressed about wanting to play them all and a recreational activity should not be stressful. I play more than one game at a time by having variety. 1 RPG is the most I can take at a time, they are incredibly immersive so I will generally play a plat-former or puzzle game + something I can play with other people such as Mario Kart. I always have more focus on one game though. I don't get a lot of time to play my games either but on the occasion I get some time off I like to enjoy all of my hobbies whilst I can and this is what I do with video games.

 

[Manah]

I don't have work to manage, but what I do is have one big "focus" game and one or two I can play in short bursts like AC or rhythm games.

 

[Masenkochick]

Personally, I have a kind of routine. I start my day off with animal crossing because it’s really relaxing. At this point in animal crossing, my island is pretty much exactly what I want it to look like and I just do my “dailies”- talk to villagers, plant money trees, hit money rock, build snowman, collect some snowflakes, check out shops.
Then I work from home/school online for a few hours and play some things in my lunch break.

I play other games (mostly on Pc) in the night when my west coast friends are done with their work because they are several hours behind me.

 

[huuussein]

for me i just don't play a lot of different games in general. if there's a game that involves a story, i'll play through it in a couple of sittings and then almost never touch it again but then there are games that i play almost daily because there's no real end to them, in my case it's new horizons, mario kart with my siblings or overwatch with my friends

 

[Mairmalade]

My favorite genres are RPG/JRPG so I've always found it difficult to balance playing multiple games as well. Right now I'm in an even larger bind because I've gotten into visual novels on top of them and other time-consuming hobbies. I don't let the fact that I have a backlog overwhelm me which makes it easier to enjoy the games I feel like playing.

Rather than a set schedule, I have a detailed list of games I want to get to (or continue) and will reference it depending on what I'm feeling. The type of game plays a part too. For example, if I start a visual novel, RPG, or JRPG, I don't balance it with other similar games because I'm completely absorbed in a single story and its characters, but I'll still play games like New Horizons, Smash, a hack-and-slash, dungeon crawler, or a party game that I can quickly jump in and out of alongside my playthrough(s). Don't feel as if you have to play everything at once!

Depending on the game, I'll also create journal spreads for them (both for art and tracking). For my FE:3H playthrough, I have art/photo pages for my favorite units and write out my plans for the direction I want to take them (e.g.: Mage, Assassin, Falcon Knight, etc.). It helps me remember what I was doing when I do get back to it.

 

[Bluelady]

My favorite genres are RPG/JRPG so I've always found it difficult to balance playing multiple games as well. Right now I'm in an even larger bind because I've gotten into visual novels on top of them and other time-consuming hobbies. I don't let the fact that I have a backlog overwhelm me which makes it easier to enjoy the games I feel like playing.

Rather than a set schedule, I have a detailed list of games I want to get to (or continue) and will reference it depending on what I'm feeling. The type of game plays a part too. For example, if I start a visual novel, RPG, or JRPG, I don't balance it with other similar games because I'm completely absorbed in a single story and its characters, but I'll still play games like New Horizons, Smash, a hack-and-slash, dungeon crawler, or a party game that I can quickly jump in and out of alongside my playthrough(s). Don't feel as if you have to play everything at once!

Depending on the game, I'll also create journal spreads for them (both for art and tracking). For my FE:3H playthrough, I have art/photo pages for my favorite units and write out my plans for the direction I want to take them (e.g.: Mage, Assassin, Falcon Knight, etc.). It helps me remember what I was doing when I do get back to it.

Hey thanks! I like the idea of creating spreads for my games. Before my 3ds broke, I did make little notes on its notepad section. I’m sad that it’s not available for the Switch.

I do have a gaming journal but it’s not organized. Perhaps I should try Excel or Google Docs instead. I do need practice in those programs anyway.

 

[Bird_9]

Bird_9’s method is a good model to follow. Be careful about buying too many games. It can easy to lose progress on something you’re already playing when a shiny new game hasn’t been touched yet.

This is one important thing to have in mind
“Not buying too many games”
Youre absolutely right i have the feeling that if you are not a collector as you increase your backlog you start to feel anxious about finishing your old stuff and this the beginning of your downfall
Because the frustration is getting in the way of a hobby and the obligation of completing stuff is about to mess with the whole fun of the process
Unless you are having fun on starting a collection, than tou can manage what are the games you really want to finish
As for the organization process
Using excell or any other application that will help you summarize your goals is wonderfull
Its going to be a tool for better performance in all aapects of your life
Just keep in mind to not get so attached and perfectionist about yournschedules
Because as i said before... is all about mental health and organization

 

[Nooblord]

I cannot play more than one RPG at a time. I have to dedicate all my attention to one because of how I play them. So now I kinda have a backlog growing, thanks to some impulsive eshop sale purchases, which I usually have the willpower to avoid... but they were really great deals for games I really wanted to try.

However, I have no problems playing other genres simultaneously. Preferably genres that aren’t heavily story driven.

 

[Fruit & more]

I have probably 50 games I'm playing but most of them are on break. I'd say I more regularly play 5-10 and only really focus on/work hard on a few of those. It may take me longer (less if I get into the mood to play that one game in particular and start making a bunch of progress and then I pretty much just keep playing it for a week or something and only a little bit of the other games. Eventually I hit something like "I need to train higher" and then I take a pause on it.) but I don't have any problem playing so many games at once over such a long amount of time. Even if they're all rpgs or something. This is how I watch tv too. It just depends on what I'm in the mood for and sometimes I'm not in the mood to play one game or another.

 

[dizzy bone]

I focus on one game at a time and I'll get really into that one game. I usually play it for a couple weeks without touching other games, but sometimes I'll spend one week on one game and then the next week on another. The only exception is ACNH and Splatoon2. Even if I'm really focused on one game, if there's an event or a friend calls me on either games, I'll usually hop on. But this is because these games have a certain level of "schedule/real time" aspects involved and a strong multiplayer aspect that I enjoy participating in (eg. AC has things like KK that I still need to complete and Splatoon has hourly ranked games/rotations that I like to keep my eye on). But tbh my game library isn't that big to begin with so I'm able to manage it well. Things like RPGs and Indie story games I'll always play it until I finish the storyline or objective before I can move onto the next game (unless I realise I don't enjoy the game). I rarely come back to these games if I finish them, the exception being BOTW because I just like "chillin" in that world sometimes, haha. I also don't really hold much "guilt" over not touching a game because I always find myself excited to come back to a game I haven't touched in a long time. Currently I'm really into Stardew again and I can't see myself playing any other game until I reach my goals.

 

[Cowplant]

I play around 3 games at any given moment, but all of them are different enough that I can easily get back into the story or gameplay mechanics without getting confused.

I play Animal Crossing: New Horizons when I don't want to think, Breath of the Wild when I'm itching for more of an adventure, and Sims 2 when I feel more like roleplaying/storytelling.

So, honestly, go for it! I find myself enjoying games a lot more when I take breathers from them. I personally don't think I'd be playing New Horizons for this long if I didn't have Breath of the Wild or the Sims to escape to. (And vice versa!)

 

[Stella-Io]

I literally just alternate what I play day to day. Like some days I'll play NH, other days I'll play BOTW. I'll play each game for a few days then switch, or binge play one game one day then the next day binge play the other game and keep switching.

Also since I really like BOTW, RF and Stardew Valley, I'll play those games alot and take my favourite inspiration/locations/aspects/ect... from each game then come back to NH to create those things in game.

 

[LuchaSloth]

Playing multiple games at the same time is something that I try to do whenever possible...just because my backlog is so vast. That said, there are definitely a set of guidelines I try to follow in order to do so. It helps to have games that are completely different from one another. I can play, for example...a racing game, a fighting game, an RPG, a puzzle game, and a casual game all in the same day. I can do this because my brain just intuitively accepts that the controls for these games do not occupy the same space in my head. But...I definitely struggle with trying to play similar games with similar (but different) control schemes, or story-driven games that I need to put myself "into". That's just something I can't do with any real success. It's definitely a delicate balance.

 

[Jam86]

i tend to just play whatever i feel like playing
like if there's a story game i still need to complete, i won't play unless i want to and i'll play some other random game instead

i'm currently in the middle of a bunch of pokemon games like diamond, shield, alpha sapphire, black and moon
and i still haven't completed link's awakening
i always start one game then play another lol

but then most of my time is spent on animal crossing NH or HHD
(i haven't played botw lately, i should do that)

i don't really go out anywhere so i got plenty of time to throw away

 

[Matt0106]

I try to just make sure that I am allocating a similar amount of time to each game. Right now, I'm in the middle of playing Age of Calamity, Mario 3D All-Stars, Shadow of the Colossus and Skyrim. I was playing mostly Skyrim, but now I've been allocating more time to Shadow and Age of Calamity.


Although it doesn't help that I picked up Mario Kart 8 DX again recently and that's all I want to play.

 

[nudgenudge]

I've had this variety VS. Immersion debate internally for almost a year. Ultimately, what I did was try to force myself to limit my gaming to just one game, and the result was immediate: I became bored and started to hate persona 5. While I would ideally like to focus on one at a time, I own so many (most of which have little to no story) that I cannot bring myself to limit my hobbies. It would be like saying "I have to finish this drawing before I start another one". It's a totally different story with anime tho. One show at once. Two tops.

Though honestly, maybe I'm missing out by playing so many at once. I feel like I'm neglecting my other hobbies and never getting fully immersed in the games I play. Maybe I just had a particularly bad experience with persona since it's like 130 hours long.

Maybe I'll do one big title and tons of smaller side stuff with little or no story.

Sorry for the stupidly long response. I've been thinking about this exact topic for super long and tried tons of different approaches and still don't really know what to do