I think everyone goes through a gaming crisis. The older you get and the more life takes time away from gaming makes you grow away from gaming a bit. I think it's best to step away from it for a while and let it come back to you naturally. Sometimes I read or watch movies and sometimes I play games. It's all entertainment. None of it should be the most important part of your life. Games are fun so you shouldn't feel like you have to give them up. When a game comes out that peaks you interest play it when you have the time. No hobby should ever feel like an obligation. If your tastes change, they change.

You can ask those sort of questions about most hobbies and other aspects of life  , in my case gaming gives me enjoyment has gotten me friends and by that I mean real friends online and off not just some names on a list .

  Over the journey I have had  many emotional responses to the games I've played ranging from sheer joy to extreme sadness and wouldn't change any of them . still gaming just like life in general comes down to you as an individual and what you want to do with it.

With myself, my unpaid professional side, which I want to work with career wise to be able to make a living, involves games.  So I guess I seek other outlets.  And money is real tight, so end up with prioritizing.  Going out and getting a new console just is not there at all.  Best to pinch pennies, pay down the credit card and so on.  I guess it is a matter of priorities.  I almost was looking to get the Capcom Arcade Cabinet on the 360, but then realized I already had Capcom Collection on my PS2.  And then, I found it didn't have weekly leaderboarfds and people weren't up for getting tournaments.  So, I was thinking of maybe getting it all as the compilation, but then think about that not even making sense.

Maybe case now of growing up,  I guess with my age, normally people have kids getting into games and you can redo with them.  I don't even have that.

If something doesn't make sense than it doesn't make sense. You don't have any obligation to play video games. If new games and consoles are off the table you can always play the older stuff for cheap or free. Taking a break entirely is also an option because you it lets you discover other things you might like. When you come back to gaming you may find you enjoy it again.

I hear you, man. I'm facing a lot of frustration with the industry right now too. The games are great -- don't get me wrong -- but there have been a lot of business decisions that I feel are damaging my favorite hobby.

As far as pre-orders go, I feel strongly that we should all stop doing it -- it's bad for the consumer, it's bad for the industry, it's bad for the medium.

Anyway, I hope you find a good balance in your life with games and your other hobbies and pursuits.

Well another one of my tabletop games made the May 2013 issue of Games Magazine, which is on the newsstands right now.  So, when I compare that and tight money to get the word out, vs dropping money on say a 3DS, I begin to think better to work on my game stuff.  I also get paid a few bucks for my publications.

I am finding the more I stay away from Game Stops, stop checking for reviews, and falling out of the loop on what is hot, the less pull I have to be involved in things.

On another personal note, I just got in from doing some tabletop gaming.  Played D-Day Dice and also Forbidden Island (two cooperative games) and also Pillars of the Earth with the expansion (didn't get to finish).  It was worth my time actually.

The thing I love about tabletop gaming is how my collection has great backwards compatibility. After many years all my old games still work when I load them onto the table! :)

Plus, if there are any bugs with the rules, you can implement a patch in the fly .

Something I've noticed about modern gaming is that I feel as though we haven't progressed enough in terms of gameplay. I like games like Mass Effect, Halo, and other games. But I feel as though the only progression I see in console gaming for the most part is online improvements and graphical updates. Not as many updates in terms of gameplay. Though, I respect nintendo for trying to change games, I think their final result was a bit meager. I mean seriously, games like Halo and even Skyrim could have been done on PS2 if it was down scaled enough.

I don't like the feeling of spending extra just for "graphics", when I know if only games didn't cost so much to make nowadays, they'd probably be a ton cheaper

I think we can be at a fatigue point.  What I seem to see is that people remember games from the past, and get inspired by them, and then decide to make a game like what was in the past, with its own tweaks.  People don't seem inspired to go outside of past videogames.  End result is refinements to what was, and what sold, that gets funded.