At least 2 years. Half way through university I moved out of a flat where we had a Nintendo console and moved into a place that didn't have anything. I didn't get back into gaming until I discovered our work computer had Wolfenstein, and then I spent a bit of time after hours playing that, it didn't make me any more of a FPS fan, in fact it probably put me off making me all dizzy with the FPSness of it all. The next game I played was quite a while after that, after moving to a new job and finally getting my own computer and having the internet for the first time ever at 36Kb/s speed. I played Quake, for a bit, until I realised I really don't like fps. But I didn't really get back into playing games until I snagged a PS1 in the late 90's.
So you could say my hiatus from gaming as a regular leisure activity was about 8 or 9 years.
“The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” - Bertrand Russell
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."
Jimi Hendrix
