17 hours gameplay in one sitting. Insane or normal for a gamer?

[Bo_DK]

I think i mentioned one time before that i love :-* the game Final Fantasy 12 with all my heart...

Im currently on my 9´th playthrough of the game and i still find new things to do and places to explore...

This friday/saturday i think i sat some kind of record because i sat there and played the game for 17 hours straight only breaked by toilet visits.
No kidding my save file was 29.59 when i started and 47.02 when i finally stopped.

Is this insane? or how long is healthy to play you´re favorite game?
How many hours of straight gameplay is your "record" playing a game??

 

[Rain.Dog505]

As long as you are taking precautions to prevent damaging your wellbeing (toilet breaks, occasional stretches,playing the game in a well lit room to prevent eye strain, hydration and maybe a snack), the gamer side of my brain says you are in the clear.

My opinion as a healthcare provider has an unsurprising differing stance. Time magazine published an article with supporting data written by professors at the University of Pittsburgh finding that excessive game playing does seem to have a consistent correlation with increased risks for obesity, depression and social isolation.

Before I get drilled by someone: CORRELATION DOES NOT MEAN CAUSATION. Obviously ailments like depression and social isolationism are multifocal and cannot be traced back to one trait or habit. Also the keyword in all this is "excessive". I'd be a very large hypocrite if I claimed all gaming causes these adverse effects...considering I love video games.

More pressing to marathon gaming is the risk for seizures secondary to fatigue. It's a well known fact that seizures are more readily triggered in a fatigued person.

In short, as long as you are not dedicating 17 hours everyday to Final Fantasy 12 (or any other title for that matter), I see no problem if the proper precautions are been taken. Stay hydrated, play in a well lit room and stop gaming when you feel moderately tired and you should have zero problems.

Sadly, I cannot claim to have anything near as impressive as 17 hours of straight gaming. My max for a single sitting is probably four hours when I first got the 360 and Fight Night Round 3. Loved that title.

 

[Bo_DK]

In short, as long as you are not dedicating 17 hours everyday to Final Fantasy 12 (or any other title for that matter), I see no problem if the proper precautions are been taken. Stay hydrated, play in a well lit room and stop gaming when you feel moderately tired and you should have zero problems.

Actually, that was pretty much what i did. I always play with alot of light in the evening/night and in the day i got the sun right in the window next to the tv, i actually have to adjust my "tv angle" when the sun comes or it reflects in the tv and i cant see sh't.
Maybe im not as good to hydrate myself because that consists of mostly coke and other sodas, water seemes to be "sundays drink" for me.
Snacks, i got some chips in reach but i dont eat as much when im playing though. I smoke insted, im not really a smoker based on the fact that i dont "need" to have a cigarette i just like to do it when i play or watch movies.

But very interresting stuff to read, i dont fear for my health (even though i am getting closer to the large side) because as i played those 17 hours i didnt feel any symptoms that my body wanted me to stop or anything. I have been playing video games all my life and i have never had anything close to a seisure.
I will mention that its only in the weekend i play those long stretches, and it´s only final fantasy 12 i can play for so long. Daily i play 2 to 3 hours tops but in the weekend, a dedicated gamer does what he does best

 

[Vassago187]

That's just what I call living the dream! I haven't been able to play longer than an two hours since my son was born (almost two years).

 

[Bo_DK]

That's just what I call living the dream! I haven't been able to play longer than an two hours since my son was born (almost two years).

Well atleast you got a family to go home to everyday and a wife (i asume) to sleep next to everynight.
Most people would call that "living the dream" too

 

[Vassago187]

hehe, it's not so bad at all but sometimes you just wanna play games for a million hours!

 

[Raven]

I have never hit 17 hours but A few years ago back in High school when Oblivion first came out I logged at least 12 hours a day into it. I stayed up all night using Vault, and slept what little I could in school (In my senior year all my classes were BS classes that were just easy A's) that lasted for about 2 weeks until my body just said fuck you and knocked me out while playing. When I woke up my xbox had red rings so I was like GG oblivion you got me. I didnt beat the game until a year later when I bought my next 360.

 

[Pikachu]

I played pokemon for about 10 hours straight long ago

 

[MKB]

I think i mentioned one time before that i love :-* the game Final Fantasy 12 with all my heart...

Im currently on my 9´th playthrough of the game and i still find new things to do and places to explore...

This friday/saturday i think i sat some kind of record because i sat there and played the game for 17 hours straight only breaked by toilet visits.
No kidding my save file was 29.59 when i started and 47.02 when i finally stopped.

Is this insane? or how long is healthy to play you´re favorite game?
How many hours of straight gameplay is your "record" playing a game??

With all respect, that's just pathetic. I loved FF12, but no game...AND I MEAN NO GAME...is worth playing 17 hours straight.

 

[Bo_DK]

With all respect, that's just pathetic. I loved FF12, but no game...AND I MEAN NO GAME...is worth playing 17 hours straight.

hehe well i would agree with you if it hadent been for Final Fantasy 12...
But how is it pathetic?
I mean if you could play or do anything you loved for 17 hours, would´nt you do it?
As said I can only do it with FF12 and it is because its such a big game with SO many things to do.

I gives me a big self satisfaction to figure out stuff by myself in games, like figuring out a fatality in mortal kombat on my own or how to find secret weapons and other stuff in ff12 and in ff12 there are just SOOO many of these so the joy of playing it, keeps being very high. Atleast for me.

 

[IceyTruth]

I think I probably did about 17 hours straight on guild wars a few times. Over 4 years my total hours played on that game was about 4500!

 

[X820]

Yeah, 17 hours is pretty hardcore man.

With all respect, that's just pathetic.

LMAO!

 

[Dreamcatcher]

I think i mentioned one time before that i love :-* the game Final Fantasy 12 with all my heart...

Im currently on my 9´th playthrough of the game and i still find new things to do and places to explore...

This friday/saturday i think i sat some kind of record because i sat there and played the game for 17 hours straight only breaked by toilet visits.
No kidding my save file was 29.59 when i started and 47.02 when i finally stopped.

Is this insane? or how long is healthy to play you´re favorite game?
How many hours of straight gameplay is your "record" playing a game??

Get a job.

lol jk

 

[Bo_DK]

I think I probably did about 17 hours straight on guild wars a few times. Over 4 years my total hours played on that game was about 4500!

Nice. But damn thats many hours spent, but spanned over 4 years that sounds pretty resonable.
If i compile my 9 playthroughs in ff12 it would around 1500 - 2000 hours and i had it for 5 years.

 

[CrazySlasher27]

Insane. No way I could sit for 17 hours playing a game, no matter how much I loved it. My max is maybe about 4 hours and that's usually when I first pick-up a game.