Japanese Gaming Population

maybe im getting old but i would rather spend my time watching or reading then playing games.

Bottom game looks interesting though.

Do visual novels count? Considering that I play them for the storyline (and art), I have to say that I play quite a lot of games.

However, reading is one of my favorite hobbies of all time :)

Well I do play games, but I've actually started to play less since last year or so...
I guess in my case most recent games aren't that apealing to me, also a somewhat busy schedule is to blame as well.

maybe playing eroge. 5 hour isn't enough to finish all scenario !!!

I think gaming isn't as much fun as it used to be. Somehow new games lacks the gameplay that old games had. Or maybe it's me getting older as looking back at great old games fails to reveal why I thought they were so great.

However I wouldn't mind if something happens in the gaming industry where they have to think about what they make. To put it mildly, I see a lot of garbage. I really hate how they manage to buther Fallout 3. I was really looking forward to that one >.<

I've been playing less games lately, but that's more because I haven't picked up anything new recently.

iv stopped gaming as i broken my call of duty 4 and now sent it off to get it replaced. but ill might be getting p4 and re5 if i can spare the money.

Hmmm used to love to game and i still do ^^
But not as much anymore ^^; Last game i did was Matrix; Path of Neo..
Cleared it in 2 days....

If i had 5 hours extra i would so something else and maybe game "some".

I'd probably game. It really depends though, games don't keep me as addicted as they used to. When I was a kid, I could spend all day playing SMB or Sonic and we actually had this Sega service where we got like 50 free games a month to play as much as we want. I'd wake up at like 5 AM at the start of each month to see just what games they added.
Very few games keep me that obsessed. There is the odd one every once in a while though, like Saints Row 2 kept me playing for a long time, I'm at 50 hours now with that game, 91% done. And RE5, that kept me playing, now I have 49/50 achievements, I just need to beat the game on Professional, lol.
I think one thing that makes me play games though is co-op/multiplayer online. It's way more fun to be able to play a game with friend(s) than it is to play alone.

I don't know but there seems to be less creative games now compared to back in the older days. Most seems to be a repeat in plots and characters. Also the US line of games seems to be of little interest to me now, there's also not a lot of variety too, mostly fps, sports, action, and games based on a recent movie's release among many others. I usually prefer rpg and action games, but none as of late has made an impression on me, switched to fighter games but got bored relatively quickly and didn't felt satisfied with story content. Had a cfw psp, so I am finally able to play a lot of jp releases, but the lack of knowledge in the jp language is also a problem to fully enjoy them. Final decision was save money to buy figure releases that catches me interests.

I find myself looking and playing more games (PC) beside reading articles here and there. Besides I don't own a PS3, Xbox360 or Wii...and I stay in my room most of the time. But I need to keep up with my studies..too much slacking <_<

I'm not like I used to be, I remember staying up till 5 in the morning playing FF7 on the Playstation, used to pour so many hours into it. Now after a couple of hours I usually get bored and go do something else, Can't remember the last time a game kept me playing for the whole day.

typically in my spare time if i dont have other things to do, im usually just watching anime, and sometimes playing WoW or Secondlife. i dont bother with games too much now days, unless i buy a new one, play it, finish it within a day or two, then put it on the shelf to rot unless i get bored.

Generally too busy studying or social networking to game. Sometimes I'll play TF2 or break out the DS though.

When I got my own source of income and stopped having teachers and assignments breathing down my neck, I feel I'm actually gaming a lot more than when I was young, and now that I am able to afford the high-end hardware now, I feel I'm getting a lot more out of my gaming now with all my settings maxed out and bells and whistles like 3D Vision. I haven't read an actual book in years, printed text on paper bores me to tears now. Not enough sensory input.

Sumeragi Amane, huh... Agreed. I think she is the most attractive out of the bunch...^^

She's my fave character already ven tho I haven't touch the game... XD

As for gaming... I'm really out of the loop... I still consider myself as a gamer... But I just don't have the time, study and anime take more priorities now.. Xp, Not to mention I don't have the hardware for new games... been using crappy lappie for a while, and I don't own any next-gen... Just been catching up with some PS2 RPGs...

The demo for Mirror's Edge was awesome. Could say that I've played over the demo at least 20 times before i got tired of it..(^^') Was considering to buy the real deal until one of my friends persuaded me that it's worth more of a rent than a buy.

I tend to have a bad habit of playing games depending on my mood rather than the amount of 'Free Time' available which sometime gets in the way of my studies/sleep hours.. orz

Wow a whole five hours... I think I would check to see if my friends were online (gaming) but if they weren't then I would go about reading my manga and watching anime... I mean I only play video games when I have friends playing online with me, otherwise I don't play video games. I would much rather spend my time reading manga, and watching anime ^^

Nowadays I tend to avoid playing games due to the fact that I'm pretty hardcore when I played one. Usually 10-15 hours/day will be spent on the game until it's completed. Sometimes I would totally forget to eat until the point my eyes started to blurred out ^o^

I differ frequently. I support the video games, and game genre that I love, but only spend maybe 2 or 3 out of 7 days a week playing, and when I do, it's for at least 3 hours...depending on what, or how many titles. However, in the past, I have been known to game for up to 9-12 hours...but very rare. MMO gaming is alot easier to game for longer hours as well for me. However, alot of my other time is taken up by other things I am interested in as well, like reading manga, watching anime, blogging, and internet stuff. Other than that I've got school, and loved ones to care for...but I'll never stop gaming, ever. :D

~HK

Not really into games right now like what I used to before. Either I get tired too quickly or just get bored. Then I would spend my time doing something else. ^^;

I do play games and when I do, I never see the time pass. It goes by so fast that I always end up regretting having started playing :3.

Im still a hardcore galege/eroge player... I finished Flyable Heart in 3 days lol...
Don't think it's really bad for me though... I finally found something that i can stick to.. before galges i was just jumping through stuff trying to find something interesting

I definitely would spend the free time playing games - visual novels to be exact. Used to play MMOs, but it's just endless grinding in the end. Playing is relaxing and is more involving than watching tv/anime. I guess reading manga in bed or on the sofa is ok too.

Funny that you bring up Flyable Heart, since I'm currently playing it atm. I have to say this is one of the better games this year so far, with all 6 routes intertwined, a great OP, likeable characters, awesome art and decent BGMs. I'd highly recommend people to try it out.

Ito Noizo draws up some of the best girls out there. So moe.

Games take too long for me to finish. ^^; It means a minimum 18-30 hour commitment over all, in general, and for more open-ended games it takes far longer than that. Meanwhile I can claim to finish an anime in roughly 8 or 9 hours.

I get a higher sense of satisfaction, and I feel more productive...even if it's doing something that ultimately does nothing in life. ^^;

Gaming only slightly wins out, as I have no new books to read. But I can replay several games. Now, if that free 5 hours came with a few new books, or a stack of manga, then my answer would be different.

really like to game. can play a few hours straight no problem. But there isn't much satisfaction recently in the games i've been playing; killzone2, MS(lol), SF4. I like to play every now and then, but when i see how much time has gone by i felt like i wasted my day. Would much rather spend the 5 hours reading, playing guitar, watching anime, or sleeping.

well i would play video games but not the whole 5 hours ^^; I would do a mix of things between playing games, watching anime, surf the web and read manga ^o^

I find that I don't have as much time to play games as I use to. Plus half the time when I do I find that I end up doing something different for whatever reason it may be.

Well I don't really play games anymore...but once I get into one, it can be a few hours...

I'd rather sit still and stare at a blank wall than just throw away time in gaming.
This said I do play games, but that's spare time accounted for it or else.
Not that I do have a definite timetable, but just don't do like in the old school days,
when studying was done in the spare time... :)

In other news, the DSi has sold 2 million units in Japan in just 5 months. http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/24/dsi-surpasses-2-million-sales-mark-in-japan/ To echo the caption: "IT PRINTS MONEY!"

here's my entertainment list ranked highest to the lowest
internet >> anime >> game

If I were to be given 5 spare hours, I'd game and the game would be fallout3. Been wanting to play it for real but time doesn't allow it. Playing for 1 hour a time just isn't enough. What I do when I have free time is either watching stuffs (mostly anime) or reading books (from VNs to light and normal novels). IMO to tell a story, text is still the best way to go around it, that way the audiences can let their imaginations roam freely. That also creates variation in how ppl interpret a story, making discussion about it much more interesting.

I am deciding if I should sell my xbox 360, as I am thinking of doing other stuff during some weekends and plus I can rack an additional 350$ ^^

Since I use all my spare time in Guild Wars MMO all the time I would have to pick something else and that would be 'God would have to give me 5 spare hours to go back and make sure things that happened don't and things that didn't happen do. Thats about all I got to say.

I try to game when I can, but I'm really busy nowadays. Work is obviously a place I can't game, and I try to draw and work on other art when I'm at home. That leaves my commute- when it's not too crowded and I can sit (most mornings, few evenings), I try to get through my books (right now it's "Reality Check" by Guy Kawasaki). So, I end up having next to no time for my games.

Fortunately, I mainly play portable games nowadays, which helps.

5 hours? Sleep.

When was the last time I got 5 hours of sleep? Hmm..

As a gamer myself i'd be using that 5 extra hours to do something IRL
than play a game.
So Noizi Ito is active again with a new project. Need to get a copy of that game.

I would love to play if I had an xbox360 instead of a Wii. But if I was given five hours I would probably end up doing something else.

I have tons of games to beat but I find myself doing other things 95% of the time. When I do game I usually do it for about 4-5 hours then stop for a few days XD

I would really like to play more games, but college brings some terrible time constraints to one's life.

Add to that that I own a Wii, which, even being an astonishing console with a very creative gameplay, has a considerable amount of terrible games. And when I say considerable I mean enourmous. I'd say that there's nothing but 15 Wii games that are worth playing. This becomes even worse if you remember that instead of Soul Calibur IV, I've had to do with the horrible Soul Calibur Legends. Instead of Final Fantasy XIII, I 've got Chocobo's Dungeon (which is not bad, but it is not the same as a true Final Fantasy game).

Because of all that, I'm even considering selling my Wii or, at least, sending Nintendo a letter asking what they have done to Nintendo's Quality Seal.

I like the OP music ^_^

if i have 5 hours left to live then i'll go on a crime spree or keep making out

hopefully after i graduate i can get a job at mircosoft or some gaming studio so i can continue to play games

I get bored really quickly with games and rarely have time to even play nowadays anyway. During my younger days I'd spend long hours doing so though, sometimes sleeping by the PC.... ^_^

Been trying to finish some games I started but lately none of the game have anymore pull or interest in them anymore. I actually got bored playing video games. I have more fun posing and taking picture of my figma, revoltech and shinki around.

Games.... --_-- mmMmMMm...

I stopped gaming a while ago. I came to the realization that it took up too much of my time and I was never getting I wanted to do done so I stopped. I haven't touched a game in over three years.

I'd love to play games more, I still buy the ones I really want... but I don't seem to find the time to play them.... For instance, I bought Persona 4 2 weeks or so ago, and I still haven't tried it yet. I haven't even finished the P3Fes yet... I wish I had more time for games... but other things... like internet..... uni work.... and other stuff... games just arn't top priority at uni.... when I'm at home... I endevor to play as much as humanly possible. Like at least every night, and when I was at home last, hours during the day.(Was at home alone lol)

The flyable heart girls do look lovely indeed.

It's not just games I'm not finding time for... its reading novels, even manga... only reason I get to watch anime is when I watch it before I go to bed. When gaming is not really an option... though when I was watching Supernatural, I could watch that, and play my DS, due to most of the time... bits of the show creeped me out and it was better for me not to watch all the time... if I didn't DS... I drew... lol.

I miss gaming but school life is taking its toll. If i get like maybe 8 hours at night free, then i would game (gotta finish those old ps2 games I stocked up on). But if its during the day,I would either pick up some extra work, study, or go to a random Japanese supermarket :D

I bought a PS3 and a wii they both have been collecting dust. The games today have just progressed so far that they are just too complex to just sit down and have fun in a short period of learning just the basics. Along with the death of the arcade. I mean online gaming is great but without having the satisfaction of beating them in person is so much different. It also cuts down on the trash talk if they can't back it up. I mean who wishes they could beat the crap out of the trashtalker. Well back in the day. Thats what happened.

I used to put more free hours into playing pc/console games during my high school years but after college I've been using mostly all my free time watching anime.

i stopped gaming ever since....my computer became outdated

Me = No console EVER

Watching anime and read Manga better than play Game for me :P

I just turn on my DS when I'm on travel or when you need a "time warp machine-kun", and I abandoned my PSP

I love playing video games, considering that college takes up more than 90% of my time and energy, playing video games is one of the few things i do to relax myself.

If God gave me 5 hours free at this moment, I'd use 1 hour to play video games, 2 hour to make love to my girl, and the next 2 hours studying for quizzes and homework.

Probably games. Maybe something else...

Nonetheless, closeby the end I'd ask him for an extra 5 hours. XD

You know, I'm just not as much into gaming as I used to be.

I used to be a die-hard arcade gamer in the "before" time,
but since arcades are dead in the US, I tried consoling gaming,
but again grew tired of that as well.

Even the once almight Eroge is lossing some of it's appeal
OMG! GASP! SHOCK! Is any treatment for this?! Kore wa Yadaaa!!!!! >_<

I'm still gaming (Dawn of War 2 at the moment), but not nearly as much as I used to. I think that will change when some upcoming triple A titles come to market (Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dragon Age). Those will get me to open up my wallet. With all due respect to Mirror's Edge and the like (I'm sure they're good games), they just aren't tempting enough.

In regards of life? I'd actually go to a church instead. Really.

I don't game as much as I used to. That'll change the day after tomorrow. I'll be busy with "2002 Ultimate Match" and "Amagami". As much as I want "Arcana Heart II", I have to cut back on games and if I can buy only one more game for the year, it wouldn't be "Arcana Heart II".

I can't blame people for not playing modern games... the derivative characters and poor dialogue that make up the necessary "stories" needed to drive games these days are just vomit. I want to play a GAME, not a C Grade movie I can just control. I mean Gears of War was as bad as Schwarzenegger's Predator. Just yuk.

I actually just stopped playing video games recently. I bought a Wii about a month ago and returned it within two days. I was playing World of Warcraft up until yesterday, but I've just become incredibly bored with that as well so I decided to quit.

My priorities are shifting with my becoming older, I suppose...

not much of a gamer anymore. i use to spend countless hours on rpgs and stuff. but nowadays i'd rather do something else. games lost its appeal to me. but i do play occasionally.

5 free hour?
Priority 1: Study
Priority 2: Make gunpla
Priority 3: Torrent DL
Priority 4: Game

I don't have a lot of time these days and I just have so many things to watch and play and do. Just not enough time, which is why I sleep late all the time, even during work days. I'd love play more games, especially easy ones so that I can finish them fast... but I feel like I want more complicated games because it looks fun to play, even though it'll take longer to finish. Right now I can't seem to get into it since I've got a lot of anime to watch and I seem to be focused on doing my figma comics ^^;

At my last job, I remember having a conversation at length with a coworker about how she couldn't even make it through a half hour episode of a TV program without wandering away(South Park, I believe it was). I think as life puts more demands on you, even if you have not a lot to do, you tend to think about what you "should" or would be doing other than having fun.

I still enjoy games, but my mind tends to gravitate towards responsibilities or obligations -- even if I have none at the moment -- for better or for worse that's how it works with me at least, anymore.

I'm hopelessly addicted to gaming. I play mostly online and/or multiplayer games these days as a way to let out my competitive side since most of the time I'm pretty reserved.

I HAVE NO TIME, the little time I have usually goes to watching films and maybe few episodes of anime. Started empire total wars thought.

In all honesty, I love console RPGs. I would have bought a 360 just for Tales of Vesperia, that is, if I could. I am finally playing Eternal Sonata (the PS3 version) and hoping to get Cross Edge. Even before this, I tried finding time to try out (or even play) other computer and console RPGs.

(And for those who do not know, Aya Hirano does the voice of Polka in Eternal Sonata.)

But with a cousin that loves blaring his music and allowing me to hear his convos, looking for a new job (2007 and 2008 have sucked for me), and having to drop things just to pick up the phone or do something for somebody... I'm lucky that I have less than a week to finish Eternal Sonata.

Besides... I guess my tastes have changed as well. I found that the excitement buzz I had gotten over Dragon Quest had worn off. I am still excited about the Phantasy Star PSP game, but not as much as I would have been in the past. I am anticipating Cross Edge, but not as much as I did with Eternal Sonata.

I guess for me... It is not age, but rather time that keeps me from playing. (^_^;;

I'm gaming considerably less then I did. Mostly due to my occupation.

Lately, I've only been playing doujin games (Touhou, Crusis Fatal Fake, and Alibat) while I'm waiting for an anime download to finish.

>I certainly find myself playing less but due to time constraints
Same here. So I play less trivial and boring games but I still try to find time to play and complete games that I like the most.

i'll be a gamer the rest of my life ^^

Knowing that I would have 5 hours to myself, I probably would end up playing some old PS games/SNES games. Games today may be better in terms of graphics and visual effects, but the old games had a lot more meaning to gamers, that they would remember for a long time. For me SMW was and still is my fav game, but i'm starting to play my old ps games I never finished again, like FF8.

Using the spare 5 hours, I'd probably do both, gaming and surfing the internet... Both at the same time^^;...

hehe a friend of ours came over and he was playing RE with the hubs ^o^

i'll watch anime & read manga!

Just like most, I used to game for days on end when I was young.
You just didn't have any responsibilities to tend to, you could just fire up that NES and zone out on god knows what game back in the time I used to play.

But now it's waking up at 6, travel to work, travel back from work and be back at 6 that's 12 hours gone right there.
When I get home from work I don't really mentally feel like i'm up for a whole lot of gaming.
You just wanna sit down, relax and then go do all the important things you need to do on your list before it gets too late.

I still play games, less than usual , and usually it's just in the weekends.
I did notice a trend tough with my gaming.
That *IF* i do game during the weekdays ? That it's always some of the more simpler XBLA games such as Geometry wars or galaga legions.
These rather simplistic games are easy to get in to , and you can turn them off at any moment.
That's a big factor.

Sure I'd game. Still more achievements to get on mirror's edge. You should really try it Danny, it's good (albeit it frustrating with the timetrials sometimes ^^)

During my high school days I usually play a lot but now that I'm in college and I need to prioritize my studies I find myself not playing games anymore.

I still game a lot though my tastes have narrowed to the point that I only play a few specific genres. It's probably an 80/10/10 split between games, anime and manga when it comes to my entertainment time.

I prefer anime watching to games playing. Although I'm pretty plenty of PC games. ^__^'

FPS not my thing - PC not up to the task.
Laggy fps is frustrating.

I given up gaming as well, prefer surfing the net(namely here), chatting and watching anime.

I've got too many eroge to read... Looking at the massive list makes me not want to read any of them >_<

Well I have noticed that I've been playing less games and spending more time on anime & manga, as well as my recreation. However, I still play at least 2 hours (Max 4 hours) on weekdays when I do not have any anime or manga to read / watch at the moment. In the past, I played 17 hours on Saturdays without stopping. (It's gonna kill your eyes :( )

Extra 5hours?! I'll do whatever necessary to improve oneself.

Seldom play game since 4 years ago when I was really into building my business empire that time. Nowadays I would allocate some time to game.

I won't mind 5 hours of Noizi-illustrated eroge though ^^;

I used to be more of an anime fan, but I'm more interested in gaming these days. Not that many new anime catch my attention, but I've always got a mental list of upcoming games that I want to play. My friends mostly play the same games as me too, so it's nice to enjoy them together.

With so many visual novels there...i am sure that's why not many play games...

I'm agree too that when getting old, you tends to be playing less games.

Not too interested in gaming. I would rather surf the internet or hang out with friends instead.

Never was into gaming, but I'd like to play Flyable Heart.

so most here dont play? of course i dont have much time but i love to play. cant deny it if its useful or not, but i have fun so its ok. as long as i dont delay important things like schoolwork etc i think its a fun thing to do.
btw flyable heart is awesome , amane <3
and if i am playing VN i can improve my japanese, thats what i want to believe^^;

I still play video games but I watch anikme, surf the net, and hang out more than playing games. If I was granted five more hours, I think I would probably wither hang out with friends longer, maybe study some Japanese/German, maybe go fishing, shooting(I LOVE to go to the range ;p), or spending more time with my family.

Yeah I do enjoy a good game every now and then but i rather do other things lately

I've been a gamer since warlords 1 on a powermac 7100 and an online gamer since redmoon diosa was in beta mode in California. That being said right now the only thing I'm playing is EQ2 because its still more original than most mmporgs out there and its fun. At one time I played as much as could and abhorred going to work and getting sleepy but as life goes on and 3D girls spark more and more interest and internet and electronics cost money life itself gets in the way as do kids.

After seeing the news today I can understand why Japan has lost so many gamers, the economy there is taking a major hit due to the lack of sales of electronics in the US and that means less yen in the household and luxuries have to be cut.

I don't devote myself into gaming often except during the times when me and my friends were playing MHP2G...around 3-4 hours per day lol
Right now I am more interested in DD and manga....

Yea even I barely game anymore, it's weird. I've just lost interest in the last 11-12 months.

If I had a spare 5 hours, I'd spend that time playing visual novel games. I've recently gotten into them, and have been playing them in Japanese. When you have it set to auto text scroll mode, it really trains you to speed read Japanese.

The stories are so good!

So far I've completed one route of 天使のない12月 (PC eroge), the Konata route of Lucky Star (PS2 ver). I am also currently playing Tears to Tiara on the PS3 by AquaPlus.

I plan to preorder the White Album visual novel remake for the PS3. Nothing beats playing a visual noel in full wide screen hd with surround sound.. hehe.

Any other visual novel fans out there?

I like to switch between games and Anime but games only if I know I have a lot of time set aside.

I dont game nearly as much as I used to. About last year this time, I was playing 3-4 hours of games a day, and that was WEEKDAYS when I wasnt at work.

Now, Im busy studying, working more, learning stuff like web development, playing guitar. Theres just other stuff thats taking priority now.

Yeah I enjoy the games each you see that I can >_<

Last year I used to be totally addicted Maplestory. I would get up early in the morning before school to play, and during the summer... -_-

Now though I think I'm spending more of my time learning Japanese. :D

Flyable Heart is awesome. The story didn't exceed my expectation and to be honest, Nanatsuiro Drops had a much better story. Although, the art does exceed my expectation. I enjoyed each and every CG in this game. =)
Nowadays I don't game much, usually just reading Visual Novels on my PC and sometimes playing RPGs on the weekend when I have the time to. =D

I love my gaming and at the moment I would suggest Street Fighter IV and Dawn of War II, both brilliant games that sit above the shovelware.

I find myself falling from hardcore gamin to casual gaming

I should do other things...but I have to admit, I do play games.
You didnt like mirror's edge?

I thought it was a good game, something different for a change. Too many FPS...