Do you spend more time actually playing games or following games?

For a couple years (like most of last generation) I followed/discussed games online way more than I played any. Two things changed that, and both were in the summer of 2013. A) Final Fantasy XIV came out and was awesome - so awesome in fact, that I spent free moments at work researching the game, and all my free time at home playing it. Despite the anticipation I'd had for GTAV, the PS4, Battlefield 4, and other games that were coming that year, I never even thought about following those games online once I got into FFXIV.

B) After years of hearing how amazing The Witcher 2 was from podcasts and videos and reviews, I finally got my hands on it. I thought it was a terrible game. Definitely a 3 or 4/10 sort of deal, meaning I honestly didn't think it was even average. That experience made me realize that in a lot of ways, online game discussion can become a sort of hive mind thing where a general opinion forms about a game and it becomes an unwavering fact. Think about all the people who "know" FFXIII is a bad game and haven't ever played it. How often do people who haven't played X year's Call of Duty complain that each game is the same every year? Sources form an opinion bout a game and depending on how much we like or trust that source, it becomes fact to us. So being excited for, owning, and hating The Witcher 2 made me think of all that and I decided to just play stuff that seemed cool to me, before getting online to see what the world thought about those things. It's worked out well, helped me get through my back catalog, and lead to some fun realizations when I do go online and see how people feel about certain games (I was pleasantly surprised I wasn't the only person who was pleasantly surprised by how good Garden Warfare is).

More than anything though, it made me realize most games are really, really good.

Following, since I started pulling double duty by listening to podcasts while I grind or cheevo hunt. So even my gaming time, is often "following" games too.

Easily following as I always have a Bombcast or video to listen to or watch. I try to play often but sometimes that isn't the case

I used to play more games than keep up with the industry, but school left me with very little time to actually sit down and play. With the exception of weekends it has been easier for me to listen to podcasts and watch videos while doing homework rather than try and make time to play a lot of games. This summer may be different as I plan to get a new pc, maybe build one? We'll see.

Following. I only play on the weekends because I don't have the time on weekdays. I can, however, turn on a video at anytime while doing something else, or listen to a video game related podcast during the course of my work day.

I've been noticing the older I get, the less games I try out. I have a handful of games I'll play all the time while watching and keeping up with games I know I'll never play.