Gaming as a life-long hobby - Thoughts from the 25+ crowd

[Ack]

This whole discussion fascinates me because I've learned, from moving from apartment to apartment, that the accepted purposes of rooms (as well as the square footage allocated to each type by the architects) tends to clash with how I'd be happiest setting up my spaces.

If I were you, I would spend a little bit of time studying living room arrangements in Japan and Korea. Perhaps have a low table for gaming/eating at/doing work, surrounded by small cushions to sit on for comfort. It can allow you to continue doing what you enjoy but offering a cultural aesthetic your family and friends may find unique and fun.

Rooms are defined by how you want to use them, as opposed to having an express purpose. I live in a loft which basically contains just one massive room with a few low walls to divide it into smaller sections. My living room is my dining room, den, kitchen, library, office, etc. I say don't worry about it.

[AppleQueso]

I think my situation might be a tad unusual. I have everything in the living room, simply because if I didn't, nobody would ever actually use the living room at all. Everyone in my house (me, my fiance, and her mom) are basically internet junkies who use our computers for everything, so nobody watches TV or anything like that. Everything in the living room, the TV, the a/v stuff, the furniture, all of it is pretty much only used by me save for when me and my fiance will watch a movie together or something on occasion.

[Key-Glyph]

If I were you, I would spend a little bit of time studying living room arrangements in Japan and Korea. Perhaps have a low table for gaming/eating at/doing work, surrounded by small cushions to sit on for comfort. It can allow you to continue doing what you enjoy but offering a cultural aesthetic your family and friends may find unique and fun.

We have a kotatsu! That's where we eat, hang out, and often use our laptops, and whatnot. It's so funny that you said that, because the low table is always the centerpiece of our living room, and I've often felt that I'd be right at home in a Japanese setup.

Most friends were fine with this for short visits (although it was difficult on a few lower backs), but nobody in either my or my husband's family was comfortable without a chair or a couch, unfortunately.

I have everything in the living room, simply because if I didn't, nobody would ever actually use the living room at all.

I get you. I prefer not to spend time in rooms that are separate from the main one -- I don't like to be isolated from the main goings-on in the household -- so having the desks, computers, gaming systems, low dining table, stereo, and bookshelves mixed together in one area is my preferred way to be. You're able to share time with everybody even when you're doing separate things.

[Hyp81]

I am 31, and a female. I love gaming and could not imagine giving my systems up. Like others, my family was not well off financially when I was a kid. They scraped to get me my NES in 1989 for my 8th birthday. I took super good care of it and my limited games, simply because I knew it would never be replaced. I still have it and play it regularly. Four years later, for my 12 th birthday, my grandparents bought me my Genesis console. Once N64 and all came along, I was I college and working, so I added the late generation consoles myself. I still have every game and console, and, having discovered the wonders of EBay a few years back, have added some consoles I wanted back in the day bit could not afford. I enjoy playing my games and that is my primary motive in collecting. Most of my close friends and family are also into games and indeed, most Friday nights can find us either playing video games or Magic the Gathering. In our group, being a geek is definitely not a bad thing. Should add that we are all professionals with college degrees and full time jobs. No she or embarrassment here. I find most "normal grown ups" to be quite boring actually!

[fastbilly1]

I have everything in the living room, simply because if I didn't, nobody would ever actually use the living room at all.

I get you. I prefer not to spend time in rooms that are separate from the main one -- I don't like to be isolated from the main goings-on in the household -- so having the desks, computers, gaming systems, low dining table, stereo, and bookshelves mixed together in one area is my preferred way to be. You're able to share time with everybody even when you're doing separate things.

Same as both of you. Sadly my house does not have a room for me to dedicate as my gaming room, but it does have a nice flow that connects the three main rooms. Since our house is oddly setup there is only one extra room that has a door, which is my wife's craft room. And before you ask, the garage is doing triple duty as a workshop, sound studio, and general storage. The only extra area in the entire house is an extra part of the den (our den is almost the entire basement - almost 900 sqft or twice the size of our old house). I have about 20ft x 10ft area that is open to the rest of the den/basement. It was originally designed to hold a pool table, but that doesnt help us since we do not really play billiards. And while it would be cool to have, we get the same amount of fun out of caroms.

Now why does this fall into the lifelong hobby part of the thread? Well my wife is a gamer to a degree, but also a geek (though I do hate using that word). So in our living room we will be storing our boardgames as well as our books and turning it into an analog gaming room/library. And in our basement I will have that small section for gaming, with a room divider to block it out when non understanding company comes by (like her work mates). Granted most of our modern gaming is PC based so it will look more like a computer lab than a gaming room, but thats ok.

Gaming will always be part of our lives, in some form or fashion. And while it gets old having to explain it to everyone who comes over - like why we have alot of 10mm WW2 German and US tanks next to Xwings on our kitchen table, it is always worth it if someone is willing to sit down and give something new a go. It makes it all worth it.

[Hyp81]

Everyone's houses sound great to me!! Normal can be very boring. I am always proud to be abnormal.

[Flake]

No she or embarrassment here. I find most "normal grown ups" to be quite boring actually!

I think it's just people who cling to this idea that being an adult means being bored all the time. I think our generation (along with gen x before us) are going to redefine adulthood.

[Luke]

I can't imagine my dad or any of his friends (in their late 50's - early 60's) spending time doing meet ups or posting on vid game forums.

I've recently thought about how much I dick around on this forum during work hours, and it was obvious to me that if for some crazy reason my Father joined a video game foru fm, his first and only post would be "People still play Missile Command? Neat-o!".

My forum activity will probably see a big drop (*some members applaud*), but I can assure you I will be gaming as long as I'm alive.

[Hyp81]

No she or embarrassment here. I find most "normal grown ups" to be quite boring actually!

I think it's just people who cling to this idea that being an adult means being bored all the time. I think our generation (along with gen x before us) are going to redefine adulthood.

Yes, you are probably right. When I think about many of the people I work with (not all) who are pretty much about a decade or so older than I am, very few of them have hobbies or interests outside of their children/families and "socially normal" interests, like reading, going to bars & drinking, gambling, etc.

I don't fault people for that, mind you... to each their own. But damn... seems boring.

Sure as hell makes it easier to shop for me for holidays and birthday-- head on over to Ebay or the local thrift shop and pick me up some old cartridge games or Magic cards and I am happy as a clam.