A reader counts up how many hours hes spent playing video games this year, and is shocked at what he finds…
I have been a committed gamer for many years. Its been a passion for me since I was a small boy. I was recently asked to recite back through my history of consoles, handhelds, and PCs and I think its fair to say the poor guy who asked the question instantly regretted it, its a long list! But fair play to him, he stuck with me and went on to ask what games I have played this year and then, in an exacerbated voice, How much time do you spend gaming? Id never really given this that much thought, but I was probably frightened too!
So I looked back at my gaming log on my Xbox, to have a look at which games have had the most time spent on them, and came up with this list. Ive added a few comments as to why I have played these games for so long. So here goes:
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5. Honourable mentions. A couple of games have seen up to 40 hours of playtime this year, including Far Cry 5 at 39 hours and Shadow Of The Tomb Raider at 36 hours. Both games I really enjoyed, or in the case of Far Cry 5 am still enjoying. It just keeps getting side-tracked.
4. This was a surprise. Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4 comes in at 57 hours. This surprises me as I only play Blackout. I have had great fun with this game, both in solos and squads. It looks excellent and has great control and boy is it fast. What really surprises this old gamer is I can actually do quite well and even have a couple of wins under my belt.
3. Red Dead Redemption II with 75 hours. Theres not much to say about this game that hasnt already been said. I am mightily impressed with the game. It gets a few things badly wrong for sure, but the overall experience is a joy to behold. Arthur is one of gamings great characters and I actually feel bad for letting him become ill! I am nearing its conclusion but much like Zelda: Breath Of The Wild I dont want it to end.
2. Battlefield V with 79 hours. Now this I really enjoy. It came in for some criticism for its lack of content on release, which I frankly disagree with. There were plenty of game modes with different map layouts to keep me happy. It was nice to learn a few maps and not be bombarded with different maps every time you played, which you could never really learn or appreciate. The new content has started to arrive with a great tank map. And with Firestorm on the horizon I think its fair to say there is going to be a lot more hours spent on this game.
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1. PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds takes the title of most-played game this year with a whopping 382 hours! I had no idea that I had spent so long playing this game and lets face it, its a broken mess which isnt really getting any better despite its considerable updates and patches. So why have I spent so long playing this game?
it creates an atmosphere of tension and drama that starts the moment you see the flight path on the map. This gets ramped up a few notches as you hunt for weapons and equipment. It keeps going as the circle shrinks and the players remaining drops. When that hits single figures, its got every gaming emotion running on max and all for a chicken dinner! Amazing but please sort it out.
In total the six games here have taken up 669 hours or just under 28 days! Thats a lot of gaming but it by no means reflects how much time I have spent gaming this year. That works out at 1.9 hours a day, every day. Which Im sure would sound great if Id only played six games all year. But I havent. thanks to Game Pass and EA Access Ive played loads more. A fairer reflection of the time Ive spent gaming would be 1,000 hours or 41 days or just under three hours a day.
Now Im sure some people out there will have their views on my gaming time (heres looking at you Underbox!) but its my hobby. I do have a loving wife and family. I run a small business which is growing every year. I do have other hobbies such as sports, reading, and Lego! I love going down the pub and taking my wife out, but I dont watch TV or spend hours on YouTube, Twitch, or the Internet. I dont game during the day.
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Im sure some psychologist would have some pretty strong opinions about my gaming habits but frankly Im happy and those around me are happy. And thats what matters most.
By reader Dirtystopout
The readers feature does not necessary represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
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