Do you enjoy reading about video games more than playing them?

I think it would be fair to say that I spend more time reviewing sites like Giant Bomb, Gamespot, Destructoid, Kotaku, and Escapist than I do playing. This includes reviews, written features and video content.

Is the editorializing occasionally more interesting than the subject matter? Or do you think I'm nuts?

Nope. Quick Looks, the Bombcasts, and TNT's are interesting because I... well, I don't want to say I know the GB crew, but I've kept up with the site long enough to know who they are and gotten a general, er, feel (?) for what they like (!?).

To be honest, I don't really visit any other gaming site and almost all of my gaming news actually comes from forays onto these forums. I find that I get a better breadth of knowledge about the gaming world today just by clicking of the Forums tab of this site than I would if I checked IGN every day or something.

Not really though I do like reading about them a fair bit.

Hmm as far as pure enjoyment goes I enjoy my time with games more but I don't know, I guess the two activities complement each other. I probably spend a bit more time reading about games but the two are very different experiences for me. It really depends on the mood I'm in and of course the games and articles I'm currently playing / reading.

EDIT: As far as specific games go, I love reading about EVE Online but I have no interest in playing it.

Hell no. I do, however, like writing about them quite a bit.

Nope, playing them is still the best.

@kzebski: I try very hard not to fall down that hole. I try very hard not to watch quick looks of games I already own and can play at any time. I try not to pay attention to bombcast talk about games I have, but have not finished yet.

I feel that it kind of defeats the purpose of watching the content in the first place.

I spent a disgusting amount of time with World of Warcraft. What's even more disgusting is how much more time I spent reading about it rather than playing it. Theorycrafting takes time, and that's the only example I can think of.

I like playing AND reading about video games.

Since i have two kids (ages 4 and 9 months) i feel that i spend way more time reading about video games than actually playing them. I just don't have the time to sit down and play games for a couple hours (when i do it's usually Friday/Saturday night after 11pm).

I agree in a way, for the most part I find that I read or as I call it "research" games more than play them sometimes.

: )

Then I go on marathons of playing games that completely wipes that out.

It all stems from a love for playing games.

I get where you are coming from though.

I also wonder sometimes if I don't spend more time watching quick looks and other Giant bomb content than I do playing fucking games. Then I drop a hundred hours into Skyrim or something and realize nope. It just seems that way sometimes.

Playing games is by far the best part, I just do the other stuff to find cool games to play. Or because it's more interesting than most of what's on tv. I'd rather watch GB content than Storage Wars, for example.

I think my predilection comes from the way I go through games. I seem to exhaust my interest in them quickly.

Sometimes, yeah.

No.

Sadly yes. I can refresh Giantbomb every 15 minutes and fail to fire up my last saves on the games I intend on playing... I guess that has to do with me having to concentrate 100% and devote at least 3 hours in every sitting :/

In most cases, no, I don't enjoy it more.

However, recently I've been struggling to find an urge to play anything so I've just been watching QL's of new releases to see what they're like.

Some times yes I do read about games more then play them, it all depends if I have a game holding my interest at the moment.

I don't think I really rate my interests in this way, it's hard to explain. When I think about the things I love in terms of hobbies/interests it's stuff like movies, podcasts, games, books, technology, etc. But I don't think I prefer or enjoy one of them more than any other. They all just exist on a pretty even plain.

Most times yes. The fact that I can't afford most games on their release period means I enjoy reading/listening about them. I also enjoy features and opinion pieces on the industry and its people.

A good article by Jim Sterling I enjoyed recently was:http://www.gamefront.com/videogames-loving-the-art-hating-the-business/ In fact a lot of his Gamefront stuff is pretty decent.

I still enjoy playing games though, because only then can I experience them myself and form my own opinions and feelings.

@Masha2932: That article has a nice header. Not a bad read either.

You're not alone. For some reason I don't feel as guilty for browsing gaming sites for 3 hours than for actually playing 3 hours. That's dumb, but I can't do anything about it.

I think over the past couple months, I've enjoyed watching (GB videos) people play games more than I have actually played them. Been kinda a drought of games that have controlled my life

That's like asking do you enjoy watching other people have sex more then doing it yourself.

I tend to talk about/write about them more than I play them, but that's mostly due to having a new child, so my actual play time has diminished considerably as of late. That, and I really like talking about video games.

I've probably enjoyed reading and listening about skyrim more than I've enjoyed actually playing the thing.

the imagination is often far better then the reality when it comes to games... It can be much more interesting salivating over something that could be the best thing ever made.

In the case of many games, yes. For example, I'd rather hear about Duke Nukem than ever play it. The same is true of Final Fantasy VIII and IX and many other games.

But in general? Usually, a great game is better played than read.

I like playing them more. Reading about them only makes the wait for the release date harder.

Nope.

@mikeeegeee said:

I spent a disgusting amount of time with World of Warcraft. What's even more disgusting is how much more time I spent reading about it rather than playing it. Theorycrafting takes time, and that's the only example I can think of.

Tell me about it. I have played hundreds of hours of Starcraft 2, yet I'm pretty sure I have spent more time reading about it and watching pros play.

@kzebski

I do that sometimes. More often as I get older. Some games I look at and just know I want to play and think "man I don't have time to get sucked into this 80hr "RPG" Reading can be a quick placebo without the time, financial or mental commitment.

Probably also helps that now I've probably played over a thousand different games and beaten several hundred, that there isn't much new stuff in games to surprise me anymore. A lot of games I want to play I can already visualize what they play like or what happens in them, so the grind can feel longer than it used to.

It really depends. When I have a game grip me, I can't stop playing and it's the best thing ever. But most of the time, like right now. I just hang around reading stuff online with some occasional gaming. I'm hoping Diablo 3 will get me into a new gamingbinge. I usually don't get more than 2-3 games a year that does this.

I like reading about Dwarf Fortress but I doubt that I would ever be able to get into it for many obvious reasons.

I read and watch videos about games way more than I play them. For me it isn't a time restraint problem. It's more that as I got older, the types of games I like to play shrunk. Back when I was younger I'd play anything thrown in front of me. Now I'm really picky and a lot of the time I'm satisfied off of the hour long quick looks. Say for a game like Prototype 2. I have no interest at all in that game and watching to quick look left me feeling satisfied that I got an idea of what the game is about and that I know I wouldn't want to play it. Also at time the industry can be more interesting that the games are.

Yes. Part of that is decreased willingness to play mid range quality games. I would rather watch a quicklook while eating supper and get the gist of the experience than actually play the game myself.

Actual hands on is reserved for games I have a strong interest in. I don't play iffy games to pass the time anymore.

In college, no, I played a lot and had a little interest in reading about games, just mostly looked up release dates, and occasionally a review if I was on the fence about a game. But when I started a career I spent less and less time at home, which meant more time reading about games. That was around the time GiantBomb started, so I don't mind it much.

sure, i enjoy about video game stuff.

Nope I hardly remember the last time I read a preview/review/info or in dept article about something game reladed I just read headlines and a little bit of what the news post says I do like watching videos because it serves the porpuse of a review to me, but no I enjoy playing games more than the side stuff about gaming.

No - though it helps to decompress after playing a game. Writing and reading about games is good for my videogame digestion. And it's always nice to have a little anticipation in my life.

It's part of my gaming lifestyle.

Who doesn't?! I mean, I feel too lazy to turn on the tv and console, so since my computer is on anyway, I'll read about them, discuss them, or watch youtube videos about them. I'm slowly getting myself to play more as Steam is just a few clicks away...

Well watching and hearing about them. I don't really read like anything on this site.

I was actually thinking about this the other day. I spend a lot of time keeping up on news concerning various interests - games, music, movies, books - but don't spend as much time actually partaking in those interests. I have a tendency to feel kind of antsy if I feel like my time could be better spent, and as a result I neglect reading books or watching movies or playing games because even though I know I would enjoy them, I don't have the patience or attention for them sometimes. It's weird.

I just think you haven't yet realized why this is. It's not because you enjoy it more, it's probably because you don't have the money to pay for all the games you'd like to play, or can play, so you instead spend time reading about them. I notice that every time I get a new game; I'm busier playing the game than I spend time on a game site. I think if you picked one game that you didn't have, but somehow got, you'd probably be playing that instead of being on here reading about other games. The only thing you may come on here for is to discuss what you think about the game. Make sense? If you had all the games in the world, you wouldn't be on here as much, because you'd be playing. I don't actually think you enjoy coming on game sites to read about them more so than playing them, maybe just as much, but not more. You're confused!

Here's a thought:

If the games were bad, why would they be written about?

That's a shitty argument, but it's the crux of my opinion. I like reading about games, and mostly finding out about games I haven't played but are apparently cool. But playing the games is always more satisfying to me in the end.

Reading about them its like Eve Online I don't want to play it but I love the stories.

I read/watch much more about video games than I play them, but I enjoy my time playing games more when it's a good game. I only watch/read about them so much because the GB staff makes videos hilarious and the articles are well-writ and interesting.

Depends what games I'm currently playing, but there are certainly times I've enjoyed reading about games more than playing them. 
Happens more than I'd care to admit really.

What? No. Games are for playing, not reading.

While I have become super interested in the inner workings of game design (through the prism of the Double Fine documentary and Indie Game: The Movie), I would much rather play most games than read a dissection of them.