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[Mucman]

I should be studying for Numerical Analysis, but what better way to procrastinate then to create an open ended discussion on the affects of gaming on your own personal history!

Personally, I started gaming around 1989-90 on an 4MHz, 20MB, monochrome XT. I played Sierra quest games, and oldies like Alley Cat. Later on I graduated to the 238, 386, 486, then Pentium. Games like Star Control II, Civilization, Wing Commander, X-Wing, Ultima, Monkey Island, and many others became the neurological background noise for my entire teenage years.

Gaming has been a big part of my life. When University started, that all changed. I do not get the same enjoyment out of games. Nowadays when I play a game, I am bypassing tasks that I should be doing. I should be working out, doing homework, cleaning, programming, reading, seeing my girlfriend, seeing my parents... Now I have so many responsabilities that there is no room for gaming in my life.

Every month I still pick up PC Gamer, Computer Gaming World, and PC Games. Why? I am still passionate about gaming, even though I don't play anymore! Over last year I bought 4 games: Call of Duty, Syberia, Doom III, and The Sims 2. I was addicted to Call of Duty and that caused some hardships in my life. I love Syberia but I don't have time to really enjoy it. Doom III makes my laptop crash. The Sims 2 was enjoyable for short burst of time but has fade away as my responsabilities took over again.

My question to you guys is: Is it possible to still enjoy gaming when you are an adult like you did when you were young? Some of this abandonware brings back a lot of nostalgia, but I would prefer it to not be nostalgia and just be fun again! Will this change when I graduate?

Personally, I think my enjoyment of gaming changed when I picked up numerous other hobbies. I love Unix and now have a 10 machine network at home. I read like crazy. I play guitar and would love to attempt to write an album. I go to about 30-40 concerts a year and have a 600 CD library. Besides all that, I love going for walks, distance biking, and going to the gym! When I was a kid I didn't care about anything else. Now I am a totally different gamer than I was before. Gone are the days of 12 hour Civ sessions *sigh*

On the plus side, I have a girlfriend that enjoys playing games

Yes, I understand the irony of writing this verbose slop when I should have been studying for an exam.

Wish me luck! Must.... interpolate... Lagrange polynomials!!!!