Is D&D a lifestyle for you?

[Gothmog]

I said its "It's a small, though important, part of my life. I spend time on it when I can." I get to game about once every 1-2 months for 2 days at a time, and spend probably 10 hours per week on the boards or painting minis. I usually read every night before I go to bed too- sometimes gaming related stuff, other times scientific journal artices, or fiction. There hasn't been as much time recently (the last 3-4 years) to game since I have been working on my PhD in neuroscience, but since I finished my dissertation in Dec, I've had more free time. Most of my free time now is spent exercising, weightlifting (400# bench, and I've heard I look like a pro wrestler many times), with my girlfriend (who is into painting minis, making dioramas for them, video games, and gaming), playing my Xbox, poking around ENWorld, ghost hunting, reading RPG books or working in my game, and playing with my dog. I used to spend WAY too much time on gaming- it was the only thing I did for recreation.

 

[Balrog]

its a small but important part of my life. I used to spend much more time on it, but after 23 years of gaming, other concerns have invaded my life and the lives of my friends. We still get together every 2 weeks or so, usually for about 6 to 8 hours a session. I probably spend about double that number of hours reading source material and rules while I am DMing my campaign, but I dont think others in my group do the same while they are running PCs. But on a given week, if our whole group cannot together, a couple of us still try to play a CCG, board game, or PC game in the interim. (Magic:The Gathering, Settlers of Cataan, Civ 2 Multiplayer, Age of Empires, etc, whatever the mood calls for)

Its is still my best and only hobby, and if I could spend more time on it I would, but there are enough roadblocks in our current schedules as it is. I am happy to still game with my friends after all these years, and we continue to do it for social reasons as much as pure love of the game. Most of our group has been together since 1987, and we have solid friendships outside of the gaming table also.

 

[Elf Witch]

Gaming is a big part of my life. I love playing and reading gaming books. It fits with my lifestyle I guess. I am a big fantasy fan I belong to the SCA, I used to dress and belong to a Klingon group.

I love to write and I used to write a ton of fan fiction now I tend to write gaming fiction.

I play RPGs with my now grown up son I have found that it is a great way to stay close.

 

[Iron_Chef]

D&D may be a lifestyle, but MATCH GAME is a ________!

 

[D+1]

By rights I should opt for something between "eat/sleep/drink" and "majority of free time" although I chose the latter. It's a daily ritual for me to at least look over usenet, enworld and the wotc boards - and I haven't run or played in a campaign for a year. Even a number of years ago when I hadn't run or played a game for THREE years I still bought D&D products, miniatures, etc., did planning for a new campaign, read modules and discussed rules sometimes in great detail.

I play computer games, watch movies, and do other things to fill my free time but D&D is ALWAYS my first and favorite option.

 

[Parlan]

Nah, don't think it's dumb. DnD has been given such a "negative" "geeky" in the 80's and 90's that, in my opinion, that has become the general outlook when "gamers" think of DnD. At least that is what it was like with my other groups, where they wouldn't try and discuss DnD with their non-gamer friends.

For myself, I am discovering that the majority of the people I know have almost NO knowledge regarding DnD. An anology that I usually come up with them is that it is like "Final Fantasy (or video game), except you can do more..." They have no pre-formed ideas that DnD is considered a "geeky" hobby and are very receptive to hearing about what it is. While this doesn't necessarily mean that they will play, they are not burden by all the negative connotations associated with the game since they have never heard about it before.

Maybe I'm old school, but I'd really rather tell people that I'm on crack rather than admit to playing D&D...

Come to think of it, I ve also used the Final Fantasy analogy 　with decent results the last couple of times I was FORCED to admit to my hobby... maybe I should loosen up.

 

[dren]

a very small part of my life

It's a small part of my life.

Between work, family, new and old friends, relationships, school and other hobbies...I can only squeeze in 40-50 hours a week. God, I feel like she's a girlfriend and I am not spending enough "quality" time with her.

 

[Ranger REG]

D&D is just one of many RPGs I play. That's why I pride myself in being a RPG hobbyist, lately a d20 gamer. My RPG hobby is a lifestyle for me, but that's not ALL of me.

 

[Qlippoth]

Gene Rayburn's a small, though important, part of my life. I spend time on him when I can. Wait....

 

[Desdichado]

It's an important hobby too me. Not a lifestyle, though. I have plenty of other hobbies.