2G18 - 20: Then vs. Now - Hobbies & Interests

Reiji · Post by **Reiji** » Fri May 18, 2018 6:35 pm

Everybody seems to be at the point in our lives where responsibilities are more numerous and free time is much more limited.

What are your hobbies and forms of recreation now?

Do you still play video games?

Do you still have some of the same hobbies and interests you had back in the early 2000’s?

Do you want to pick up or revisit any old hobbies you haven’t been able to do since the days of SG2K?

WaWard · Post by **WaWard** » Fri May 18, 2018 6:47 pm

I make bread and ferment things.

I play video games, but far less than before. Probably 0-5 hours a week I would say.

I’ve replaced some of that with board games, who have been amazing in the last 10 years.

Before my hobbies were basically video games and coding. Coding is now work and no longer a hobby (despite how much the industry tells me it should be both

)

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Fri May 18, 2018 7:10 pm

I'd say my main hobby is still photography. Back in 2000, I'd pay to have a roll of 36 developed and then put them in and album and have friends that come round take a look. Nowadays (an d the the last 12 years), I've been taking photos digitally, editing them and putting them up on Flickr with captions. I have such a ridiculous backlog now though. Time just doesn't spread as far as it used to

I still play videogames, though this somehow tends to be a mainly winter hobby. I really need to be gripped to play a game, and can get distracted and leave it unfinished way too quickly. Suffice to say, by backlog is laughably large. Like Ward, I play as little few as zero hours a week (not counting mobile crap).

Pokémon is something I was in to around 2000 and am still in to now... probably even moreso. I'm not even sure I have any hobbies I didn't have back then (unless you cont clicking around aimlessly on social media as a hobby). I got back into Lego about 8 years ago (something I stopped buying around 1996), but I'm neither a creative builder or a proper collector. I get the sets I like and can afford and try to collect as many of the blind bag Minifigures as I can.
I've recently gotten an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil and am hoping to maybe step back from the photo editing and pick up drawing again. I used to do that a lot, but all but stopped around 2002.

I wish I had more time to do what I wanted to do, but we're all just decaying vessels for capitalism

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Fri May 18, 2018 8:07 pm

Reiji! Our old regular hot topic presenter back with a new hot topic?! I'll answer hot topic questions later but will admit this was a really cool surprise that I didn't guess.

RDM · Post by **RDM** » Fri May 18, 2018 9:13 pm

The RDM barely plays video games now. He has his kids play old games and plays Pokemon Go and that's about it.

He writes books in most of his spare time. Also, he makes ridiculous piles of food because food is good.

Also, he had a house in the woods that requires insane amounts of work to make liveable. So he does that a lot.

Back in the before time he saw human beings that didn't live in the same house as him or work in the same place of business as him a whole lot more. Mostly he's cut that stuff out, and any hobby that involves knowing those people.

Mitsurugi CP · Post by **Mitsurugi CP** » Sat May 19, 2018 11:35 am

I still have a lot of the same hobbies, but I don't have as much time for them now, or people to do those activities with. Backpacking, Ultimate, and cycling are all hobbies that I haven't been able to do at all since the move.

I don't think I've played any video games since January, but that's more because of current circumstances. I think I may have played a couple hours a week on my days off, then realize all the things I have to do and stop. It's a lot harder to get immersed in a game like I used to, because all I can think of while I'm playing is what I have to do when I'm done.

I haven't been SCUBA diving in forever, but that's a consequence of not having vacation time or living long enough in non-landlocked states to make the trips happen. Good thing my diver's certification is good for life when I can finally do it again.

I do still cook a lot. That's the most functional hobby I have right now where I can do it and not feel guilty that it's taking time away from other important tasks.

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Sat May 19, 2018 3:25 pm

I guess my main hobby was video games in the old days. And the internet. I mean I did get outside, but... it’s not like I was into anything too specific out there. I skiied a bit but last time I did that was in my teens with Shaun.

Now like most of us I play waaay fewer video games. I play guitar in the past year and a bit. Can I consider wandering around mostly aimlessly a hobby? I also like city biking, but I don’t actually own a bike, I just use the bike share. I like some crafty things like cross stitching but I barely ever do it.

Calbrena · Post by **Calbrena** » Sat May 19, 2018 11:34 pm

Reiji wrote:Everybody seems to be at the point in our lives where responsibilities are more numerous and free time is much more limited.

What are your hobbies and forms of recreation now?

Do you still play video games?

Do you still have some of the same hobbies and interests you had back in the early 2000’s?

Do you want to pick up or revisit any old hobbies you haven’t been able to do since the days of SG2K?

Heyy, bonsoir mon ami, comment ça va ?

- Sadly not much time for recreation. Listening to classical music has played a big part in my life recently as I needed it to empty my brain. Apart from that my recreation mostly comes from events I organize at work, which is pretty sad. Because you know, when it's me who's organizing the party for others, it's hard to actually relax as I'm too busy making sure others are having a blast.

- I don't play video games much these days, no time for that sadly.

- Mostly different hobbies from back in early 2000's. Back then my life didn't have much in common with my current life.

- One hobby which would probably do my some good is Taekwondo, it was good to help me empty my brain and relax. I need to make more free time for hobbies first though.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Sat May 19, 2018 11:52 pm

I guess my hobbies are pretty much still the same. I still play video games. Obviously I have less time than I used to and more money. So where I used to have fewer games and tended to play them multiple times, now I have more games and a growing number that I haven't completed or even barely played at all. I definitely still play enough that I would consider it one of my hobbies though.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Sun May 20, 2018 10:52 pm

Games tend to be longer now too. Not just stuff like Dark Souls and Skyrim but ongoing games like Final Fantasy XIV (and even XV) and evolving social games withbfrequent events and new modes like Overwatch. Whereas back in the day, it was very easy to finish a game and file it away, it’s increasingly not like that now. There are so many games you could dedicate your entire gaming time to, all competing for attention. I almost feel guilty for abandoning FFXIV midway though the story or not getting all my weekly loot boxes in Overwatch, single player, static games in my backlog have no chance!

RDM · Post by **RDM** » Mon May 21, 2018 12:01 am

Gaming, in some ways, seems a bit like work these days.

Mitsurugi CP · Post by **Mitsurugi CP** » Mon May 21, 2018 2:39 am

Lots of games have turned into Skinner boxes, so it gets to a point where you don't necessarily enjoy it, but you do feel strangely compelled to keep playing.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Mon May 21, 2018 2:59 am

It"s true. It feels like when casual games became big the non casual games leaned even more hardcore, so now tje type of games I like to play are typically longer than they were in the past. The worst part about that is it's not necessarily more substance at least in terms of whay I look for in a game. I really don't appreciate when a game thay would have been a 40 hour game in the 90s becomes an 80 hour game because of bullshit that you have to deal with.

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Mon May 21, 2018 4:20 am

Flappy Bird is an 80 hour game if you’re good at it.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Mon May 21, 2018 4:27 am

No one's good enough at games to both stay awake for 80 hours and maintain the reflexes for that time to play an endless game for that long. Short of pausing it and resuming after sleep (assuming that's even possible), there's no way a human could do it. I also wouldn't be surprised if the score caps out well before 80 hours.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Mon May 21, 2018 7:06 am

Mitsurugi CP wrote:Lots of games have turned into Skinner boxes, so it gets to a point where you don't necessarily enjoy it, but you do feel strangely compelled to keep playing.

With Overwatch, it's the constant release of content and frequent rewarding that keeps me playing. It is also very fun though. I often ended up never playing a game again after unlocking all characters etc. Most recent example is Tekken 7, where I played what was necessary to unlock all the story chapters, extras and Trophies, then sold it. Overwatch's loot system makes sure that never happens.

Mitsurugi CP · Post by **Mitsurugi CP** » Tue May 22, 2018 10:40 pm

That got exhausting for me, it felt like I had to keep playing or I'd miss out on something that I wouldn't be able to get later. It's why I never got back into Team Fortress 2 after I stopped playing regularly for a few months. (that and the core player demographic was difficult to tolerate)

RDM · Post by **RDM** » Wed May 23, 2018 1:47 am

The RDM pretty much even quit Pokemon Go because there's too much of a daily commitment now. Games shouldn't feel like responsibilities.

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Wed May 23, 2018 2:48 am

That’s why I never got into MMOs (except for a few weeks in high school). They felt too much like an obligation, for various reasons. The main thing was the feeling of “missing out” when I wasn’t playing.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Wed May 23, 2018 6:30 am

I still play Pokémon GO every day. Consider that more of a walking app than a game though. Finally got Mewtwo from an EX raid yesterday and finished the Kanto Pokédex!

RDM · Post by **RDM** » Wed May 23, 2018 12:21 pm

MMOs seem basically impossible to keep up with.

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Wed May 23, 2018 1:00 pm

I can barely keep up with games that wait for me to come back to them.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Wed May 23, 2018 7:15 pm

At least Final Fantasy XIV has a generally decent story with several pretty well contained plot arcs. I can plough through the story when I want to. I just tend to easily get sidetracked or drawn away to collect pretty shit and chat to people.

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Wed May 23, 2018 7:44 pm

Maybe they’ll make an offline version of it like they’re (maybe????) doing with FFXI.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Wed May 23, 2018 8:37 pm

I don't think I'd even play an offline version unless they streamline some stuff. I found the gameplay too tedious when I played the trial period.

RDM · Post by **RDM** » Thu May 24, 2018 12:50 am

MMOs, in the RDM's extremely limited experience, do seem to make everything take longer than it needs to.

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Thu May 24, 2018 3:27 am

It’s to give you more time to bond with your internet friends.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Thu May 24, 2018 3:41 am

I think it's more to keep you paying monthly fees for a good long time.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Fri May 25, 2018 7:05 am

To be fair, it's really easy to get your money's worth out of an FFXIV subscription. Also, let your account lapse for a while, and you'll generally also be offered free/discount time.

B0N3M4N · Post by **B0N3M4N** » Sun Jun 24, 2018 2:47 pm

Well my interests are still pretty much the same as they were two decades ago, but my mode of consumption has changed significantly.

I still love books but rarely read anymore. I have stopped buying new books that interest me because what's the point if they just collect dust.

I still love video games and I still play as much as I can, but since the industry totally exploded and my time budget imploded I feel that I am always chasing after the must-plays only to stay somewhat up-to date. Still sitting on top of my PS3 backlog and I will not get a PS4 until I'm done, so I may skip a whole console generation

I still love movies but rarely get around to watching them and reducing my movie list. Also with all the series coming out on Netflix, I somehow get stuck watching those instead of watching movies.

I still love music, but for some reason I can't bring myself to discover new stuff. It seems that when I listen to music, it's mostly the stuff I've listened to a decade ago.

Yeah, so being an adult and a dad has changed the way I pursue my interests quite a bit.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Sun Jun 24, 2018 9:02 pm

I wish I were able to restrain myself from buying books/games that I knew I stood fair chance of never using

To be fair, I haven't bought a book for a couple of years and I'm better at waiting for games than I was a year or so ago, but I still have increasing backlogs

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Sun Jun 24, 2018 9:48 pm

Listening almost exclusively to non-new music has been shown (through Spotify data or something) to be a very 35+ thing.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Sun Jun 24, 2018 10:54 pm

Really? I've neen doing that since my 20s easily.

Fei Ayanami · Post by **Fei Ayanami** » Sun Jun 24, 2018 11:06 pm

You’ll do it with video games instead.

Lord Golbez · Post by **Lord Golbez** » Sun Jun 24, 2018 11:14 pm

I'm already past 35 and still playing new games though. Still when everything switches to VR, I'm out. That shit fucks up my eyes.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 6:49 am

I listen to lots of new music

WaWard · Post by **WaWard** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 12:26 pm

I listen to what Spotify tells me I should listen too.

Mitsurugi CP · Post by **Mitsurugi CP** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 1:25 pm

I listen to a lot of new music. But I haven't hit 35 yet, so maybe that's the point when I'll start lamenting that Soundgarden is referred to as classic rock instead of grunge by the youths.

Damien · Post by **Damien** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 4:27 pm

WaWard wrote:I listen to what Spotify tells me I should listen too.

Spotify has recently only been giving me Swedish football songs.

Square Gamer

2G18 - 20: Then vs. Now - Hobbies & Interests

2G18 - 20: Then vs. Now - Hobbies & Interests

Re: 2G18 - 20: Then vs. Now - Hobbies & Interests

Re: 2G18 - 20: Then vs. Now - Hobbies & Interests