Experiencing games differently at different times

[Wispmage]

I don't know about you guys, but I'm curious to find out: does anyone else feel like certain games are better experienced at certain times? It goes without saying that many darker, creepier games are better experienced at night with headphones on. I know that while I was on my second play through of Thief Deadly Shadows for instance, I would only play it at night. I would even go so far as to say that it felt wrong to play it during the day; the atmosphere was ruined and I couldn't get nearly as immersed in the game. But I'd also argue that the same goes for the more light and cheery games, which I often find myself enjoying more on a sunny day.

Normally this isn't the case with me, and most of the games I play don't have this timing distinction. But there are certainly a couple that do, and I was hoping to find out if the same goes for anyone else, and if it does, what games do you feel need the right time of day (or night) to be best experienced?

[Retrodude]

For me, it seems more natural to play Super Mario Sunshine during the summer.

[Wispmage]

I can definitely see that. Seasons are another aspect to this that I hadn't really considered, but I guess I do like playing certain games more during the winter/summer and vice versa.

[pierrot]

Hey, I went to school in Burlington. (I hope I don't actually know you.... >_>)

I thought this was going to be a thread about the change in experience from playing video games as a kid to playing them as an adult. I think as a kid one is more open to the experience a game is trying to facilitate, and as such, replaying those games can make the experience feel less significant at times.

As for the actually question you posed, I don't make any concerted effort to play any games at a particular time. Although, I do try to take every precaution not to play survival horror games at night, in the dark, while I'm alone. I have a fairly strong constitution, just not when I'm sitting around alone at night, in the woods.

[Wispmage]

Although, I do try to take every precaution not to play survival horror games at night, in the dark, while I'm alone.

C'mooon, where's the fun in that

[Raiiban]

Any games with a dark color scheme are best played at night simply for the fact that I can see them better on the screen without having to fuss around with the brightness settings. As most others will say It's a must to play horror survival games at night.

Lately I play all my games at night time since the suns usually down by the time I get home from work, shouldn't be an issue for me much longer though. For me, I just game when the opportunity presents itself, I never get the chance to make a plan to play a certain game at a certain time anymore like I used to. When I did though I always had a tradition to play Majora's Mask on rainy days. Mood of the game always seemed to fit a gloomy day with light rain in the background.

[tintinmayo]

Like the others, I find that horror games are more effective at night, particularly during times when I'm the only one still awake in the house. I remember playing Vampire Masquerade: Bloodlines, and being spooked out of my pants at the part where there's a ghost walking past corridors and stuff, which is odd because my character was a very powerful paranormal creature herself and had no reason to be afraid.

Besides times, climate/season also does it for me. I really, really, really enjoy playing games from the 8 and 16 bit era during rainy days, as it reminds me of my days in elementary school, when heavy rains meant that we don't need to go to school and I can spend the rest of the day going over to my neighbor and playing with either a Famicom (lotsa bootleg carts, including a street fighter type game called Master Fighter, which only had 4 playable characters, and a 100 in 1 cart) or a Super Famicom (He's got the second DBZ game. Totally blew my mind at that time). Or sometimes we'd go over to another classmate's house and play with a Megadrive (He only has Sonic The Hedgehog, NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat, and Earthworm Jim)

[CamaroCam]

For me, I like playing Yoshi's Island during the afternoon hours of the day, when I have nothing to do. It's just me, Yoshi, and baby Mario–not a care in the world.

Dead Space, and Bioshock are night-time, lights off, and alone. I don't even find those games enjoyable without that combo.

I also enjoy StarFox 64 the most after midnight.

I grew up playing Sonic 1, 2, 3, and Knuckles with my brother on his(now my) Genesis. Nowadays, I only see him on holidays/when the 49ers play(same thing, really.) So I guess you could say I enjoy those games the most on holidays.

I enjoy the DS Zelda games the most in the month of December. Both of them were released around that time, and I remember playing them while watching Christmas films with my family. Hard to believe that '07 was 6 years ago. Damn.

[BoringSupreez]

Hot sunny summer weather puts me in the mood to play Sega or some long RPG. I think it's because of the way I spent some of my summer vacations as an early teen. Summer is also when I do my annual MGS marathon, since that's when I would have time. I enjoy manly gung-ho FPS games like Halo or Gears at night, since when I was younger I played them after my siblings had gone to bed.

[ZeroAX]

Retro games from my childhood I always love to play during summer mornings, cause it reminds me of my childhood summer holidays (too hot here, so almost all kids only came out to play in the evening).

The LAST game that gives me the same feeling was GTA San Andreas cause it came out 3 days after my last exam on my final year of school.

Other than that, I tend to want to play Assasin Creed at night when it is quiet and the conspiracy theories get to your head a bit more