What are the biggest real-life hinderances to your gaming?
- Thread starter Emirikol
- Start date
I clicked nearly all of them, but happily my gaming possibilities are about to open up tremendously.
For the past 4 years I've been doing full time school (more like over-time school what with getting a double major in math and physics) plus full time work and a girlfriend (now fiancee, to be wife in ~two weeks) which left me with exactly zero time for gaming. I'd get in maybe 6 sessions a year during the summer (job, summer school, and girlfriend) and a handful of nights playing boardgames over winter break (job, girlfriend, family stuff).
So finally I graduated and will be starting grad school for my PhD this fall. Thanks to assistanceships and loans, this means no more work. So my hours from 2pm - midnight during the week and Sundays just went from booked to completely empty. Grad school will suck up a few of those, but seeing the wife every day means she won't be jealous when I go off to game on Saturdays and no job means having people over during the week. Heck, I've even found people who want to play in this past month (a sticking point for the summer games I mentioned the past few years).
August 23rd here I come.
For the past 4 years I've been doing full time school (more like over-time school what with getting a double major in math and physics) plus full time work and a girlfriend (now fiancee, to be wife in ~two weeks) which left me with exactly zero time for gaming. I'd get in maybe 6 sessions a year during the summer (job, summer school, and girlfriend) and a handful of nights playing boardgames over winter break (job, girlfriend, family stuff).
So finally I graduated and will be starting grad school for my PhD this fall. Thanks to assistanceships and loans, this means no more work. So my hours from 2pm - midnight during the week and Sundays just went from booked to completely empty. Grad school will suck up a few of those, but seeing the wife every day means she won't be jealous when I go off to game on Saturdays and no job means having people over during the week. Heck, I've even found people who want to play in this past month (a sticking point for the summer games I mentioned the past few years).
August 23rd here I come.
WayneLigon
Adventurer
My biggest hinderence is having a group of players that want to play what I want. For me, the problem is mostly my own tastes; I love superhero gaming the best and to my mind if you're not a regular comics reader, there's no way you can adequately play a superhero. Maybe there is someone that can, but so far I've never seen it happen. Even in the best games I've run or played in, there's been at least one person, usually two, who Just Didn't Get it. Same with fantasy and people who read (non gaming-tie-in) fantasy novels. So.. I play a bunch of other stuff and have an adequately good time, but also keenly aware that it's not what I want to be spending my time on. It's that or not game, though, so I shut up.
I live in a different country to my players. You would be surprised what a big hindrance 7,000 or so kilometres can be! We're now trying to work out how to play by Skype.
To those earlier posters from the US complaining about the price of petrol, remember that it's still a lot cheaper than the price most of the rest of us pay!
To those earlier posters from the US complaining about the price of petrol, remember that it's still a lot cheaper than the price most of the rest of us pay!
I basically game as much as I want, about 1.5 times per week. However, some people I game with do not know how to schedule their time like adults. Regular days are set aside or days are booked far in advance but they seem unable to cope with the idea that anything can be confirmed more than about 7 days in advance. Some of these players are, weirdly, quite committed to the games, carefully writing down everything that happens, doing outside reading, etc. and yet they're plugged into social networks that makes decisions about scheduling other events on the fly.
It has caused me to start to discriminate against players who are younger or, and this is the height of hypcrisy, enrolled in school. I'm doing my PhD and therefore doing school full-time but I find that most people in my program, even people older than me, run their social lives like they're still 25. So I choose to game with professionals in their 30s and 40s.
It has caused me to start to discriminate against players who are younger or, and this is the height of hypcrisy, enrolled in school. I'm doing my PhD and therefore doing school full-time but I find that most people in my program, even people older than me, run their social lives like they're still 25. So I choose to game with professionals in their 30s and 40s.
Psychic Warrior
First Post
Agent Oracle said:
Yeah, that pretty much says it all.
Wow. Cheap!
$3.67 here.
For me it is personality conflicts.
TheAranan
First Post
Lack of responsible players. My group has cancelled two or our three last meetings, both because people decide to make plans the day of our scheduled get together that was set up a week in advance.
I may be able to snag one reliable player from this group... I guess it's time to see if I can DM my silly homebrew with one person.
I may be able to snag one reliable player from this group... I guess it's time to see if I can DM my silly homebrew with one person.
Calico_Jack73
First Post
I had to vote for a few. For one I seem to be in a gamer's no-man's land. I have to go to work really early so mid-week gaming is out. This invariably leaves only Friday nights or Sunday afternoons open and my wife can put on a real guilt trip if she comes home from work on Friday tired or in a bad mood because the last thing she wants is for me to leave her to take care of my 1 year old son all by herself. The last group I was with played every week so that didn't help matters. What I really need is a group that plays every other Friday night and then I'd be set. 
I also find that the role-players who live in my area in general aren't the most responsive people when it comes to answering e-mails. I've sent a ton of e-mails out to folks I've found on gamer registries who live in my area and supposedly are looking for a game. I haven't gotten a single reply. Not even a "No thank you I'm not interested".
I also find that the role-players who live in my area in general aren't the most responsive people when it comes to answering e-mails. I've sent a ton of e-mails out to folks I've found on gamer registries who live in my area and supposedly are looking for a game. I haven't gotten a single reply. Not even a "No thank you I'm not interested".
Last edited:
Agent Oracle
First Post
Darn it! I posted the gas prices from my corner station hoping for some sympathy, instead i find out everyone else is paying, like, $0.40 more per gallon.
HeapThaumaturgist
First Post
My major difficulty in gaming is, currently, my job.
My LACK of job.
We're currently about 50 miles away from where my group games, so I have to drive in about an hour. That's not that bad, but it eats up about 18 bucks a week when I've got zero income ...
We're in the process of moving in with my folks (gah, embarassment) which is about 160 miles away from the gaming group ... untenable.
As it is, for various reasons, I've only missed one week. I'm often in or nearby the city we game in, so I find excuses to stick around for the game.
When I agreed to join the group, I figured it would be 3-4 months of me driving in before I found work in the city and we moved there anyway. Well, the 3-4 months has now turned into 10 months. My closest job prospect is factory work 100miles from the group. You'd think, with a tech-focused English degree I'd be able to get SOMETHING in a moderate city with a growing tech sector.
Eh.
--fje
My LACK of job.
We're currently about 50 miles away from where my group games, so I have to drive in about an hour. That's not that bad, but it eats up about 18 bucks a week when I've got zero income ...
We're in the process of moving in with my folks (gah, embarassment) which is about 160 miles away from the gaming group ... untenable.
As it is, for various reasons, I've only missed one week. I'm often in or nearby the city we game in, so I find excuses to stick around for the game.
When I agreed to join the group, I figured it would be 3-4 months of me driving in before I found work in the city and we moved there anyway. Well, the 3-4 months has now turned into 10 months. My closest job prospect is factory work 100miles from the group. You'd think, with a tech-focused English degree I'd be able to get SOMETHING in a moderate city with a growing tech sector.
Eh.
--fje
Similar Threads
