If you only had 1 hour/day 5x/week to play games, what game(s) would you play?

[Ns1]

I need to get my fix but my time is limited. Given the above time requirements, I can't seem to get into Total War or Civ, and I can't dedicate as much time as I would like for WoT.

Thoughts?

 

[shortylickens]

I wouldnt.

Thats like giving me a thimble of Coke and then saying "Piss off!".
Easier to just quit.

 

[Igo69]

1 hour is actually a good amount of time to play a game. I think the longer you play a game the more fun you get from it unless you don't like it.

 

[Ns1]

I wouldnt.

Thats like giving me a thimble of Coke and then saying "Piss off!".
Easier to just quit.

I've tried that route for a few years now....I need something in my life other than work.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

An hour is plenty of time to get your fix on multi-player FPS (BF, CoD, Overwatch etc.). Actually, I've been getting into Skyrim and 1 hour 5x/wk is pretty good for my fix. Of course if I could play it longer I would but wife and kid.

 

[Mai72]

What about weekends? Could you maybe extend the hour to an extra half hour, so it's 1.5 hrs instead of just 1 hr. Also, maybe 2-3 hours on the weekends. Maybe even binge every now and then.

If I only had an hour I'd play an FPS like UT3 or Quake 4. Also, an RTS would be good as well. Sports games would be a go as well. I'm currently playing BulletStorm and I've been playing in 1hr increments.

I'd be careful of roleplaying games like Skyrim or Fallout 3. They can suck up many hours easy. MMORPGs would be off limits.

 

[Zenoth]

I'd just play quick arcade-styled games if I knew I only had 1 or 2 hours a day. I wouldn't try to commit to a long-lasting single-player experience only to eventually finish it two years later (if I did that I would only try it during vacation).

Instead I'd play Beat em' Ups (8-bit and 16-bit era ones) like Streets of Rage 2. I'd play arcade styled, light-hearted non-commitment racing games like Mario Kart or Sonic All Stars. I'd play Shoot 'em Ups (side scrolling or top view ones) in the veins of R-Type, Ikaruga, Raiden, Thunder Force, Gradius, etc. I'd probably give a few rounds and matches to Fighting Games (Street Fighter series most likely, since I find the gameplay of most of its games to be pretty friendly for most characters; especially the SF2 series, SF2 Hyper Fighting and Turbo, or Alpha 2 as well).

When it comes to FPS games, there's plenty of games that have short maps and don't required much thinking or 'research' (exploration) on your part and have zero long-lasting RPG elements in them (saving a lot of time from potential grinding) such as the DOOM series (not DOOM 2016, but the original ones up to DOOM 64, if you do play them then get yourself the GZDOOM engine which can run all the DOOM engine games including Hexen, including famous mods like Brutal DOOM; which in my opinion is the quintessential Magnum Opus of the franchise). In more recent years there was Painkiller, also Hard Reset is a very solid retro-styled FPS with more modern graphics, and on Steam there's a bunch of other remasters of old(er) FPSes like the excellent Turok 1 and 2 remasters for example, or the Steam (or GoG) versions of Duke Nukem 3D as well would fit that bill.

If not, there's decent puzzle-styled games that can be fun to burn some minutes here and there like World of Goo (superb soundtrack by the way; have to mention that), or one of my favorites if it comes to just burning time on a rainy day while not feeling like playing anything else would be Bejeweled 3 (I got it on Origins, not sure if it's available on other platforms) and Peggle. And Plant Vs Zombies (the first one) still holds pretty well for that kind of quickly-played game.

I've been in your situation from time to time a few years ago. That's what I did and it was just fine. I had about 2 hours (max) when I got back home for myself once everything was done. I'm not a "TV person" much so I still sat down in front of my monitor instead and went on YouTube, checked for some documentaries to burn time and when I had about 20 or 30 mins left before going to bed I'd play the types of games I've mentioned here. So to reiterate... that would be Arcade styled, light-hearted games, or games that don't require commitment in any way possible; I only made sure that all the games I played had a "save anywhere anytime" saving system; otherwise I'd just avoid them, no time to worry about dying or failing a mission or a challenge before a specific period of time, or a checkpoint somewhere.

 

[Ns1]

What about weekends? Could you maybe extend the hour to an extra half hour, so it's 1.5 hrs instead of just 1 hr. Also, maybe 2-3 hours on the weekends. Maybe even binge every now and then.

lol nope, weekends are for the 16 hour days. I did also have the thought that I would tell my wife I need 1 day off a month and just binge 12 hours of straight gaming.


Thanks for the replies all.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

NS1, you basically captured my situation to a T. In fact I probably have more like 3x1hr thanks to two kids, a wife and a career, all of which I love.

I have been working through my game library and I actually find (contrary to some of the advice here) that I strongly gravitate towards story heavy RPG/questing games.

These types of games generally have a solid chunk of self contained content (quests, which typically are self contained arcs with a beginning, middle, and end) that can be finished in roughly half an hour to an hour which provides a satisfying feeling of "doing something" with that limited amount of time you have to game.

Multiplayer games are really more frustrating because I just cannot devote the time to "git gud" and get stomped by a bunch of 14 year olds on summer break that have done nothing but for the last two months. MP has much blurrier start and stop conditions than single player games (that "just one more round" feeling).

Currently I'm playing Shadow of Mordor and it feels like the game was made for someone in my position. Easy to pick up and play, content is broken up into an assortment of 15-30 minute challenges, story missions, and "Nemesis" ganking. Very forgiving game while also a ton of fun. I'm going to make it a point to look for more games that fit this genre going forward.

Other good options are some Bioware games from the Dragon Age or Mass Effect series (especially Dragon Age 2, for all it's faults, it really lends itself to casual play). Recently played through Deus Ex Human Revolution in hour sized chunks as well, quite enjoyable.

 

[A Casual Fitz]

MLB The Show. Just don't turn it off mid-game or I'll break your nose.

 

[EXCellR8]

Any decent racing game, hour is enough to get a few good races in.

 

[Oyeve]

Between 1994 until 2004 My gaming time suffered quite a bit. 1994 was when my son was born and most of my gaming was basically just here and there. Working 12 hour days didn't help. Now my son is 23 and I am divorced so I game all the time now! The key is to never have kids or get married!

 

[shortylickens]

Any decent racing game, hour is enough to get a few good races in.

I guess thats true. I almost always get tired after one hour of Forza.

 

[DigDog]

I've tried that route for a few years now....I need something in my life other than work.

Sex?

I hear people like that a lot.

 

[shortylickens]

Sex?

I hear people like that a lot.

I used to have sex......

 

[dud]

A good RTS whereas you save at the end of your one hour daily session ... and continue the next day. If its a good RTS I doubt that one hour will be enough.

 

[snoopy7548]

Any good FPS, preferably multiplayer. I haven't been in the scene in a long time, but CS 1.6 (or Source) would be perfect, though you always get that, "Just one more round" thing going on.

 

[Ns1]

Multiplayer games are really more frustrating because I just cannot devote the time to "git gud" and get stomped by a bunch of 14 year olds on summer break that have done nothing but for the last two months. MP has much blurrier start and stop conditions than single player games (that "just one more round" feeling).

Yeah that's my problem - I love MP games but I'm also very competitive and play to win. I can't play MP games casually - 5 hours/week definitely won't cut it.

Fuck it, might as well resub to WoW. I can kill 50 murlocs in half an hour no problem.

 

[repoman0]

If you were a half decent CS or other MP FPS player at any point, you'll probably do well at Overwatch, even with only ~5 hours a week to spend on it, at least for a while. You'll rank low at first because you don't know the game, but skill wise you'll quickly start to stomp on everyone if you pick "FPS-like" characters who require decent aim.

I ranked bronze (worst 10%) when I first got the game, and now I'm climbing up but people often ask me how I'm silver or accuse me of hacking (there are no hacks in this game that I've ever seen ...). A bunch of my college buddies also bought the game which makes it a lot more fun.

Anyway that's my answer -- I have 5-10 hours a week to spend on gaming and it's always Overwatch with friends. Previously we did PUBG but that game sucks.

 

[Cozarkian]

Tactical combat games (the new XCOMs), short games (like FTL), classic platformers (maybe get NES classic), puzzle games, kart racers, sport games.

 

[Modular]

I'm in a similar boat. House, kiddos, wife. I want to keep my gaming going, but only have a few hours per week. I've found that I typically gravitate towards multiplayer FPS games for that very reason. I used to be decent at them and find that even without a ton of extra time to play, I'm still good enough to have fun.

I also play a decent amount of racing games, but find that those do actually require a little more commitment to get really good at. Casually, they can be enjoyable though. Same thing with RTS games.

Good luck. Don't give up!

 

[Fenixgoon]

i really like For Honor. yes it's an Ubisoft game, but 1) they've been continuing to support and improve it, and 2) matches aren't super long, so you can hop in, get a few rounds in, and get out in an hour.

plus i love the combat system and the art style. pretty brilliant, IMO

 

[Midwayman]

Lots of multiplayer games. FPS is good. If you stick to deathmatch type games rather than conquest you can get several rounds in an hour. MOBA type games you can typically get a round or two. Just those you can't really quit in the middle of the round. I might also be inclined to go back and play more of the indie platformer type games.

Sort of depends if you have an hourish uninterupted time or if you'll have to deal with getting up in the middle. Battletch might be good. You can finish most mission in under an hour. Its tolerant of having to get up and do stuff. You can save in the middle of a battle if you really need to quit.

 

[MrSquished]

Whatever Battlefield is out at the moment, team deathmatch mode.

 

[Rebel_L]

I have to agree with the advice on the rpg's. Single player you can pause at any time and so long as you play regularly you should be able to remember the overall story and such from one session to the next. RPG's are tough if you can only play once a week or two since you tend to forget whats going after a while, but with regular short sessions you can get ahead and remember whats going on.

I also find I enjoy playing games I have played already in the past when I have little time. Replaying old games isnt everyone's cup of tea but I get plenty of enjoyment from multiple play through's. You get to skip the learning curves and already know whats going on for the most part so it makes pretty much any single player game work with shorter play sessions.

The other suggestion if you just want your mind more stimulated than watching TV, even your more basic puzzle games can work well to keep you occupied for a while. Freecell and spider solitaire are my favorites. Sodoku can be great too, I just prefer to do those on paper.