I just realized..

I hate playing games. Well, I don't hate it, but I think I've only played like 5 games I actually enjoyed, and played for a good amount of time, in..hm..8 years. This applies to all of the people I make games with as well.

However, I LOVE making games! I spend a lot of time doing it and consider it my biggest hobby right now, aside from making music and graphics..which *cough* always ends up in my games <img src="smileys/smiley36.gif" border="0" align="middle" /> But yeah..I don't have a single console hooked up and every game I've ever owned is in a box in the closet in the other room.

Now, my brother, and a lot of my friends, LOVE playing games. Hell they've spent thousands of dollars and hours playing games. They all have multiple consoles hooked up, shelves loaded with games, merchandise all over their apartments..

However, they HATE making games! They want absolutely nothing to do with it. I say "Hey I don't have any projects going on right now and you play a ton of games, right? Well lets work on something!" and they act like I'm about to stick them with a fork and run.

Rarely, and I mean VERY rarely, a friend of mine who plays a lot of games will throw me an idea - however - 99% of the time it's a horrible idea and I wonder how they came up with it when all they do is play these (apparently fantastic) games that have raked in millions.

So I find it odd. Either you make games and don't play them or you play games and don't make them. I can't say I've met anyone in the middle.

Is this true for anyone else here? If so, what are your thoughts?

I do both, but I am very specific about the games I do end up playing.

I basically don't play, or more to the point I never finish more than 2-3 levels of a "sh*t game".

I love doing both, though I do tend to take breaks from development that are often longer than planned... but I always come back, and I never really leave.

~Sol

Sounds very familiar <img src="smileys/smiley36.gif" border="0" align="middle" />

From time to time I really enjoy a game, but most of the time I try to create games.

My generation grew up without mobile phones, pc or consoles until, I think, my 13th birthday, back in 1980. My birthday present was a brown/black box called Atari 2600... I played something I called "tennis", but the real name was "pong" ;)

However, after a few minutes of playing I started thinking: "How is this done?" But I couldn't find out...

3 years later, in 1983, my school bought a Commodore 64 and offered using it for a selection of good math students. I convinced the teacher to borrow me the key for the computer room and spent hours there daily after school.

First things I did was starting some games from the tape. But, again, after a few minutes playing all that interested me was how this all works. And this time there was this blinking cursor and I started programming.

This drives me still. Whenever I see a game with a feature I've never seen before - boom - "How the heck did they do this?"

But most people and friends I know prefer consuming over creating. I really feel lonely sometimes <img src="smileys/smiley17.gif" border="0" align="middle" />

actualy i have the exact opposite,

i cant imagine a gamedev creating a cool game without loving the games. Its like a deef musician or blind sharpshooter. You cant be a cook without the taste.

I love playing (some) games. And i totaly hate making them. Its a process so painfull that i actualy have to drink beer every time i work on my game.